How to connect both Xiaomi headphones to your phone via Bluetooth: full instruction

Did you buy Xiaomi wireless headphones, but only one of them works when you connect to your phone? Or did the phone stop recognizing the stereo pair after the firmware update? TWS-Xiaomi’s True Wireless Stereo, especially when it comes to Redmi AirDots, Mi True Wireless Earphones or Xiaomi Buds, is 90% not because of a device failure, but because of the wrong Bluetooth settings or software failures.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can connect both headphones to your phone, from basic synchronization to complex firmware conflicts, how to make stereo sound work on Android and iOS, which Xiaomi models support Dual Mode, and what to do if one headphone “silent” or goes off after 5 seconds, and a unique method of resetting headphones through an engineering menu that is not described in the official documentation.

Why is it that only one Xiaomi headphone can see your phone?

Before you try to connect both earbuds, it is important to understand the root of the problem, most often mono mode occurs because:

• 🔋 A discharged battery in one of the headphones (even if the indicator is on, the charge can be critically low).
• 📱 Outdated firmware on a smartphone or headphones themselves (especially relevant for models older than 2021).
• 🔄 Failure to synchronize between headphones (for example, after incorrect extraction from the case).
• 🚫 Bluetooth profile conflict, where the phone "remembers" headphones as separate devices.
• 🛠️ Hardware damage (e.g., oxidation of contacts in a case or damage to a Bluetooth antenna).

Interesting fact: Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 and later uses Bluetooth 5.0+ protocol with support for LE Audio, which theoretically should automatically synchronize both headphones. However, in practice, even these devices sometimes “lose” the second headphone after updating the firmware of the smartphone (especially on MIUI 14+).

⚠️ Note: If you use an iPhone with Xiaomi headphones, the problem may be related to Apple’s restrictions on third-party devices. TWS-In this case, try connecting via the Mi Home app (if it is available for your model).

Preparing Xiaomi headphones for connection

Before you sync both earbuds to your phone, you need to make sure they're interacting with each other correctly.

1. Remove both headphones from the case and wait until the indicators start flashing red and white (search mode).
2. Check the charge: If the indicator on the case is red or orange, recharge the device to at least 30%.
3. Reset the settings (if the headphones have already connected before): 🔄 For most models: hold the button on the case 10–15 seconds until the indicators start flashing red and white. 🎧 For Xiaomi Buds 3/4 Pro: touch the touch panel on both headphones 4 successively.

Check the synchronization between headphones

If the headphones don’t sync with each other after reset (for example, one flashes white and the other flashes red), this indicates hardware malfunction or firmware damage. In this case, try updating firmware through the official Xiaomi Earphones app (available for most 2020 and newer models).

Remove both earphones from the case|Check the level of charge (minimum 30%)|Reset settings (hold the button 10-15 seconds)|Wait for synchronization (blinking indicators)|Make sure both headphones are in search mode (flashing white)-->

Standard Bluetooth connection on Android

If the headphones are successfully synchronized with each other, go to the connection to the phone. instructions for Android (including MIUI, HyperOS, Realme UI and other shells):

1. Open Settings → Bluetooth and turn on the adapter.
2. In the list of available devices, find the name of your headphones (for example, Mi True Wireless Earphones 3 or Redmi Buds 4).
3. Tap the name to connect. If you have a request for code confirmation (usually 0000 or 1234), type it in.
4. Wait for the message "Connected to media audio." Both earbuds should start working in stereo mode.

⚠️ Note: On smartphones Xiaomi with HyperOS (2026) can trigger a bug in which the headphones are connected as a HFP ( Hands-Free Profile instead A2DP (To fix this, go to Bluetooth Settings. → Settings (⚙️) → Audio mode and select "High-quality sound».

Redmi AirDots (1–3 generation)|Mi True Wireless Earphones 2/3|Xiaomi Buds 3/4 Pro|Redmi Buds 4/5 Lite|Another model-->

Connection to iPhone (iOS) and compatibility features

Apple restricts the functionality of third-party TWS-So, you can have problems connecting Xiaomi to your iPhone. Here's how to do it right:

1. Open the settings → Bluetooth on the iPhone.
2. Make sure the headphones are in search mode (flashing white).
3. Select the device from the list. If the connection does not occur, try it: 🔄 Reset network settings on iPhone: Settings → Mainstream → Removing or resetting iPhone → Reset → Reset the network settings. 📱 Use the Mi Home app (if available for your model).

On iOS 16+, there may be a problem when the iPhone “sees” the headphones as two separate devices (e.g. Mi Earphones Left and Mi Earphones Right).

1. First, connect the right earpiece (usually the main one).
2. After successful connection, remove the left earphone from the case - it should automatically join.
3. If this does not happen, reset your headphone settings (see section above) and try again.

Important: The iPhone won’t run advanced features like Game Mode (low latency) or ANC (noise reduction), even if supported by headphones. This is Apple’s restriction for uncertified accessories.

💡

If Xiaomi headphones don’t connect to iPhones, try connecting them to an Android device first and then to iOS. Sometimes this helps wake up the Bluetooth headphone module.

Problem Solving: One earphone is not working

If after connecting the sound is only through one earphone, follow this checklist:

If none of these things worked, try updating your headphone firmware.

1. Download the official Xiaomi Earphones app (available for Android and iOS).
2. Put the headphones on the phone.
3. Open the application and check for updates in the Firmwer section.

⚠️ Warning: Do not interrupt the process of updating the firmware of the headphones! If the battery runs out during the procedure, the devices may fail%.

Advanced Methods: Engineering Menu and Hidden Functions

If standard methods don’t work, you can use hidden headphone or smartphone settings, which are suitable for power users and can help in difficult cases (for example, after a failed firmware update).

Method 1: Reset via engineering menu (for Android)

1. Install the MTK Engineering Mode app (for Mediatek processors) or Qualcomm Bluetooth Test (for Snapdragon).
2. Open the Bluetooth Test section.
3. Select your headphones from the list and press Unpair (Tear a Pair).
4. Reboot your phone and reconnect your headphones.

Method 2: Manual switching of Bluetooth codecs

On some Xiaomi smartphones (for example, Redmi Note 11 Pro+ or POCO F4) you can manually select the audio codec:

Settings → Additional → Laboratory → Bluetooth audio codec

Try switching from SBC to AAC or aptX (if supported) can solve the problem with the breaking sound or mono mode.

Method 3: Activate the developer mode for diagnosis

1. Activate Developer Mode on your phone (7 times click on the Build Number in Settings → About Phone).
2. Go to Settings → System → Additional → Developer settings.
3. Find the Bluetooth Debugging option and turn it on.
4. Connect your headphones and check the logs in the Bluetooth Logger app (available on Google Play).

⚠️ Warning: Changing the settings in the engineering menu can cause Bluetooth to work unstable or even reset network settings!

💡

If Xiaomi headphones are connected as mono but appear as stereo in the engineering menu, the problem lies in the phone’s firmware. Try rolling back the MIUI update or installing custom software (like LineageOS).

Model compatibility: Which Xiaomi headphones support Dual Mode?

Not all Xiaomi headphones can work in stereo mode with any smartphone, and here is a table of compatibility of popular models:

If your model doesn’t support Dual Mode, you can still use both headphones, but the sound will be duplicated (mono).To check for stereo support, check the device’s specs on Xiaomi’s official website or in the Mi Home app.

For models from 2023 to 2026 (such as Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro or Redmi Buds 5), Dual Device Connection is available, which allows you to connect to two devices at the same time (such as a phone and a laptop).

1. Open the Xiaomi Earphones app.
2. Go to Settings → Connect to two devices.
3. Turn on the option and follow the instructions on the screen.

FAQ: Frequent questions about connecting Xiaomi headphones