How to connect Samsung wireless headphones to Xiaomi smartphone: the full guide

Why Xiaomi Owners Choose Samsung Headphones and What Issues They Face

Samsung Galaxy Buds, Buds2, Buds Pro or Buds Live wireless headphones are popular not only among Samsung smartphone owners, but also among Xiaomi users. The reasons are obvious: high sound quality, convenient ergonomics and advanced features like active noise cancellation. However, when you first connect to Redmi, POCO or Mi, many face unexpected difficulties - from the lack of response of headphones to sudden connection breaks.

The fact that the Bluetooth protocol in Samsung and Xiaomi devices can work in different ways: the former are often optimized for the proprietary codec Samsung Scalable Codec, and the second – for AAC or aptX. In addition, MIUI has features of audio management that are not always compatible with “Samsung” headphones. In this article, we will analyze all working ways of connecting, including bypassing typical errors, and give recommendations for stable operation.

It is important to note that the instruction is relevant for all modern Xiaomi models (starting with MIUI 12) and Samsung headphones (from Galaxy Buds+ 2020 to Galaxy Buds2 Pro 2023).If you have an older model (for example, Galaxy Buds 2019), some features may be missing, but the basic connection will remain identical.

Preparation for connection: what to check before pairing

Before trying to connect the headphones to your phone, make sure both devices are ready to go, and skipping these steps often leads to errors like "device not found" or "failed to connect."

• 🔋 Charging headphones: Make sure the charge level of the case and the Samsung headphones themselves is above 30%. When the charge is low, they may not enter the pairing mode. Check the indicator on the case - it should burn green or white.
• 📱 Phone Update: On Xiaomi go to Settings → The phone. → Update the system and install the latest patches. MIUI 14+ Fixed bugs with Bluetooth 5.2, critical to work with Galaxy Buds.
• 🎧 Reset headphones: If the headphones have already been paired with another device (such as a Samsung Galaxy), reset. To do this, press the touch panels on both headphones for 10 seconds before flashing the red indicator.
• 🔄 Pair mode: Open the cover and wait until the indicator flashes white/blue (depending on the model.

Pay special attention to Bluetooth settings on Xiaomi. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Bluetooth and turn off the option “Automatic Connection to Audio Devices” – this can interfere with manual pairing. We also recommend temporarily disabling Wi-Fi (if you do not need it), as some MIUI firmwares have conflicts between wireless modules.

Method 1: Standard Bluetooth connection

This is a basic method that works 90% of the time. Follow the instructions Step-by-step.

1. Open the cover of the Samsung headphone case and leave it open. The headphones should automatically go into pairing mode (the indicator flashes).
2. On Xiaomi phone, go to Settings → Connections & Sharing → Bluetooth and turn on the module.
3. In the list of available devices, find the name of your headphones (e.g. Galaxy Buds2 Pro (SM-R510)).
4. Confirm the pairing on the phone and, if necessary, on headphones (for some models, you need to press the touch panel).

Once you've successfully connected to the notification panel, you'll see an icon of your headphones, and in your Bluetooth settings, they'll show up as "Connected." If the headphones aren't identified, try the following:

• 🔄 Reboot the Bluetooth module on your phone: turn it off and turn it on again through the Quick Settings Panel.
• 📴 Turn off and turn on flight mode for 10 seconds – it will reset all wireless connections.
• 🔌 Connect your headphones to charge for 1 minute, then turn it off – this sometimes helps to “wake up” the Bluetooth module.

Method 2: Connect via Galaxy Wearable (for advanced features)

If you want to take full advantage of Samsung’s headphones (like gesture tuning, equalizer or firmware update), standard Bluetooth connectivity won’t be enough. You’ll need the official Galaxy Wearable app, but there’s a caveat: it doesn’t officially support Xiaomi.

Download. APK-Application file from a trusted source (e.g. APKMirror) Install it on your phone, pre-authorize installation from unknown sources in Settings → Annexes → Special access rights after installation:

1. Open Galaxy Wearable and agree to the terms of use.
2. Click "Add device" and select the model of your headphones.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen. The app will suggest you connect via Bluetooth, confirm the pairing.
4. After connecting, access to sound settings, firmware updates and gesture management will appear.

Important note: on some MIUI firmware, the application may not work stable, such as not displaying charge levels or resetting settings after rebooting, in which case try to roll back to an older version of the Galaxy Wearable (for example, 2.2.45.22072151) or use alternative applications like Buds Controller (available on Google Play).

Solving Typical Connection Problems

Even after successful pairing, Xiaomi users often encounter bugs, and let’s look at the most common and ways to fix them.

A critical feature for Xiaomi on MIUI 13/14: If Samsung headphones refuse to connect after the system update, try rolling back the version of Google Play services to the next day. 22.18.14 In the new versions there is a bug with the processing of Bluetooth profiles. A2DP.

⚠️ Warning: If after connecting the Galaxy Buds Pro headphones give an error "Device not supported" when trying to turn on noise cancellation, this means that your Xiaomi phone does not support the Samsung Scalable Codec. AAC in the developer settings (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then return to the additional → For developers → Bluetooth codec).

Optimize the sound and battery after connection

After successful pairing, you have to adjust the headphones for comfortable use. Here are the key recommendations:

• 🎛️ Selection of codec: In Bluetooth settings (Settings) → Connections → Bluetooth → The gear next to the headphones. → Codec) select AAC for a better balance of quality and stability. aptX can give a cleaner sound, but more often leads to stuttering on the sound. MIUI.
• 🔋 Battery savings: Turn off "Absolute Volume" in the developer settings - this will allow you to independently adjust the volume on your phone and headphones, reducing charge consumption.
• 🎧 Monosound: If one earpiece plays quieter, check the balance in Settings → Sound. → Audio balance. Also clean the speaker grid with a cotton swab -- clogged dust makes sound worse.
• 🔇 Noise reduction: On Galaxy Buds models Pro/Buds2 Pro activate ANC On Xiaomi, this can work unstable - if the sound starts to interrupt, turn off the function.

To extend the life of the headphone battery, follow these tips:

• 🔌 Keep your headphones in your case when not in use – they automatically turn off and charge.
• 📵 Turn off Bluetooth on your phone if your headphones aren’t connected for more than 10 minutes.
• 🔄 Once a month, perform a full discharge/charge case (up to 0% and up to 100%) to calibrate the battery controller.

💡

If Samsung’s headphones are quickly discharged when you connect to Xiaomi, try turning off the “Hearburst Search” feature in Galaxy Wearable.It keeps the Bluetooth module active all the time, which increases power consumption.

Alternative methods of connection (if nothing works)

If the standard methods didn’t work, try these non-obvious solutions:

1. Connect via Developer Mode: Activate Developer Mode (7 taps on the MIUI version in your phone settings), then in Settings → Additional → For Developers, Enable: Debugging Bluetooth Absolute Volume (disable) Bluetooth Codec → AAC

Reboot the phone and repeat the pairing.

Use of third-party applications:

Install Buds Controller from Google Play, which allows you to manually select codec, customize bitrate, and even update your firmware (on some models). When you first start, give all the necessary permissions, including access to notifications.

Resetting the phone's network settings:

Go to Settings → System → Settings → Network Resets. This will delete all stored Bluetooth devices and reset the Wi-Fi/mobile network settings. Attention: after this operation, you will have to re-enter Wi-Fi passwords!

If the headphones are still not connected, check them on another device (e.g. iPhone or Samsung).If the problem persists, this may indicate a hardware fault - contact the Samsung service center for a diagnosis.

💡

Xiaomi phones with Snapdragon processor (such as Redmi K50 or Xiaomi 12) have less problems connecting Samsung headphones than models with MediaTek (such as Redmi Note 11), due to differences in the implementation of the Bluetooth stack.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Samsung's connection to Xiaomi