Connecting Sony wireless headphones to Xiaomi smartphone over Bluetooth: full instruction

Sony’s wireless headphones are a combination of advanced sound and usability technologies, but even with such devices, Xiaomi users sometimes have difficulties when connecting for the first time. Problems can be related to both the features of the smartphone’s firmware and the settings of the headphones themselves. In this article, we will discuss not only the standard pairing procedure, but also nuances that will help avoid typical errors, from turning on the search mode on WH-1000XM5 to setting up the audio codecs in MIUI.

Xiaomi phones feature a proprietary MIUI shell that sometimes modifies the standard Bluetooth menu. For example, in some versions of the firmware, the "Search for New Devices" option can be hidden behind additional settings. In addition, Sony headphones (especially models with noise cancellation) require the correct sequence of actions to activate the pairing mode. If you have already tried to connect, but the smartphone "does not see" the device, do not rush to reset: in 90% of cases, the problem is solved by adjusting several parameters.

1.Preparing Sony headphones for connection

Before pairing, make sure your Sony headphones are searchable.Most models (such as WF-1000XM4, WH-CH720N or LinkBuds S) automatically go into pairing mode when first turned on, but if they have already been connected to another device, manual activation will be required.

For this:

• 🎧 Turn off the headphones (press the power button for 3-5 seconds before the beep).
• 🔄 Hold the Power button (or touchpad on the body) for 7 seconds until the indicator flashes blue and red (for models with a light-weighted light). LED) Or you won't hear a voice message saying "Bluetooth pairing".
• 📱 In some models (for example, WF-C700N) To activate the search mode, you need to hold both touch panels at the same time.

If the light flashes only blue, the headphones are already paired with another device, in which case they need to be reset to the factory settings (instructions in the next section).

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Sony WH-1000XM4/XM5 headphones support simultaneous connection to two devices. If they are already connected to a laptop or tablet, try disconnecting them from the second gadget before connecting to Xiaomi

2.Reset Sony headphones to factory settings

If the headphones were previously connected to another phone and do not want to mate with Xiaomi, perform a full reset. This procedure will remove all stored devices from the memory of the headphones.

Instructions for most models:

1. Turn off the headphones.
2. Press the power button (or touchpad) for 10-15 seconds until the indicator flashes red 4 times (for the WH-1000XM series) or the voice reset confirmation sounds.
3. After resetting, the headphones will automatically go into pairing mode.

⚠️ Warning: Reset removes all noise reduction and equalizer settings, and once connected to Xiaomi, you will have to reset them in the Sony app | Headphones Connect.

3. Step-by-step instruction for connecting to Xiaomi

When the headphones are ready to pair, move on to the phone setup. In MIUI, the connection process may vary slightly depending on the firmware version (for example, in MIUI 14, the Bluetooth menu was redesigned).

Standard procedure:

1. Open the Settings. → Bluetooth on Xiaomi phone.
2. Activate the Bluetooth slider (if it is turned off).
3. Click Device Search (in some versions of MIUI, this button is called Add New Device).
4. In the list of found devices, select your Sony headphones (the name of the model will be displayed in full, for example, WH-1000XM5).
5. Confirm the pairing on the phone and, if necessary, on headphones (for some models, you need to press the touch panel).

Headphones are displayed in the list of connected devices|The indicator on the headphones is lit blue (does not blink)|The sound is played without interruption.|In the status bar Xiaomi appeared the icon Bluetooth-->

If the headphones don’t appear on the list, try:

• 🔄 Reboot Bluetooth on your phone (Settings) → Bluetooth → ⚙️ → Reset).
• 📴 Turn off and turn on the headphones again.
• 📱 Make sure that Xiaomi has enabled the “Visibility for all devices” mode (in Bluetooth settings).

4.Tune audio codecs for optimal quality

Xiaomi phones support multiple Bluetooth codecs, but the default may not be the best for Sony, such as SBC (standard codec) inferior in quality to AAC or LDAC, which provide clearer sound and lower latency.

To change the codec:

1. Put the headphones on the phone.
2. Open Settings → Bluetooth.
3. Press on. ⚙️ Next to the name of your Sony headphones.
4. Select Sound Quality or Bluetooth Codec (depending on the MIUI version).
5. Set a priority codec: 🎵 LDAC (Maximum quality, but consumes more battery). 🎵 AAC (balanced-play). 🎵 aptX (optimum for video due to low latency).

⚠️ Attention: Codec LDAC It is not supported by all Sony models. WF-C700N He's missing, and in WH-1000XM5 It only works when connected to Android 8.0 devices+. Check compatibility in the characteristics of your model.

On Xiaomi phones with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (such as the Xiaomi 13 Pro), the LDAC codec can automatically switch to SBC when the Bluetooth signal is weak. To avoid this, in the developer settings (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – press 7 times) turn off the option “Automatic Codec Switch”.

5. Solving typical connection problems

Even after successful pairing, there can be problems, such as communication breakdowns, poor sound quality, or no sound in one of the headphones, and let's look at the most common cases and how to fix them.

Problem 1: The phone can't see the headphones

Causes and solutions:

• 🔋 Headphone battery discharged: Connect them to charging for 10-15 minutes, then try again.
• 📶 Interference from other devices: Turn off Wi-Fi on your phone or move to another location (especially relevant for offices with a lot of Bluetooth devices).
• 📱 Failure in MIUI: Clear the Bluetooth cache (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Systemic → Bluetooth → Clear the cache).

Problem 2: The sound is interrupted or distorted

Possible causes:

• 🎛️ Non-Optimal Codec: Switch from LDAC on AAC (see section 4).
• 📡 Weak signal: Make sure there are no obstacles between the phone and the headphones (walls, metal objects).
• 🔄 Conflict with other connections: Disconnect your headphones from other devices (such as PCs) if they support multipoint.

Problem 3: The microphone is not working

If you are not listening to your caller:

• 🎤 Check what the call settings are (Settings) → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Call settings: Head microphone (not the main microphone).
• 🔄 Reconnect the headphones (sometimes) MIUI Incorrectly defines the Bluetooth profile).
• 📱 Update the phone firmware: in older versions MIUI There were bugs with sound routing.

6. Optimization of headphones with Xiaomi

After a successful connection, you can improve the user experience with additional settings and applications.

Sony | Headphones Connect app

The official application from Sony allows you to:

• 🎛️ Set up the equalizer (including presets for different music genres).
• 🔇 Adjust noise reduction (from total noise suppression to Ambient Sound mode for the street).
• 🔋 Monitor the level of charge of headphones and case.
• 📲 Update the firmware of headphones (important to correct compatibility bugs with the MIUI).

Download it from Google Play (make sure the app version is compatible with your headphone model).

MIUI settings to save battery

Active use of Bluetooth can reduce the time of the phone, to optimize the consumption:

1. Open Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Consumption Management.
2. Find the Bluetooth app in the list and set it to No Limits mode (this will prevent the connection from being disabled in the background).
3. Turn off Automatic Connection for Unnecessary Devices (Settings) → Bluetooth → ⚙️ → Auto-connection).

Using two devices at the same time (multipoint)

Many Sony models (e.g., WH-1000XM4 or WF-1000XM4) support two devices at once.

1. Connect the headphones to the first device (e.g. Xiaomi).
2. Activate the pairing mode on the headphones (see section 1).
3. Connect them to a second device (such as a laptop).
4. The headphones will now automatically switch between devices depending on the active sound source.

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For stable multipoint performance on Xiaomi, disable the Adaptive Connection feature in Bluetooth settings. It may conflict with Sony's switching algorithms.

7. Update to the firmware of headphones and phone

If you encounter bugs (e.g., headphones are periodically turned off or the sound is distorted), check the firmware relevance on both devices.

Sony headphone update

For this:

1. Install the Sony | Headphones Connect app.
2. Put the headphones on the phone.
3. Open the application and go to the section System information → Software update.
4. If an update is available, follow the instructions on the screen. Don't turn off the headphones during the process!

MIUI Update

Older versions of Xiaomi firmware may contain bugs in the Bluetooth stack.

1. Open Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Click Check for updates.
3. If a new version is available, download and install it. It is recommended to use a stable MIUI branch, not a beta version.

⚠️ Warning: After updating the headphone firmware, reset them (see Section 2) and reconnect them. This will help avoid conflicts with the Bluetooth cache on the phone.

8. Alternative ways of connecting

If standard pairing does not work, alternative methods can be tried.

Connection via NFC

Some Sony models (e.g., WH-1000XM3/XM4) support fast NFC connectivity.

1. Activate NFC on your phone (Settings → Connection and Sharing → NFC).
2. Touch the headphones at the back of the phone (where it is located) NFC-chip).
3. Confirm the pairing on the Xiaomi screen.

This method only works if both devices support NFC and the chip on the phone is located at the top of the case (check for your Xiaomi model).

Use of the developer mode

In rare cases, it helps to turn on the developer mode and change the Bluetooth settings:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times).
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find options: Bluetooth Codec Quality → Install LDAC. Bluetooth Codec Bandwidth → Select 990 kbit/s (quality). AVRCP version → Set 1.6.

Reboot your phone and reconnect your headphones.

Frequently asked questions