Xiaomi Redmi Airdots headphones pair 2: full instruction with problem solving

Xiaomi Redmi Airdots 2 wireless headphones remain among the most popular budget TWS- models even years after release. Their main advantages are compactness, autonomy up to 12 hours and stable Bluetooth connection 5.0. However, many users have difficulties with the first connection or re-pairing after reset. In this article, we will analyze all possible scenarios: from basic configuration to solving rare errors that are not described even in the official documentation.

The Redmi Airdots 2 feature is that there is no physical power button, instead it uses touch-sensitive control on the headphone case, which often confuses beginners, and we'll show you in detail how to activate pairing mode correctly, which indicators should be on at each stage, and what to do if the phone doesn't see the device, and you'll learn how to connect the headphones to two devices at the same time and why they can turn off during a conversation.

Note: The instruction is valid for all 2026 firmware versions, including the latest MIUI updates. If your headphones are released before 2021, some features (such as dual connectivity) may be missing - this is normal for early batches.

Preparing headphones for pairing: what to do before connecting

Before you first turn on Redmi Airdots 2, you need to follow several mandatory steps. Neglecting them often leads to the fact that the headphones are not defined by the phone or connect only in mono mode.

First, check the charge level of the case and the headphones themselves, and even if the indicator on the case is on white, it doesn't guarantee that the headphones are charged.

• 🔋 Take both headphones out of the case - they should automatically turn on (blinks the red indicator).
• 📱 Look at the charge level in the status bar of the phone (if previously connected) or through the Mi Home app.
• ⚡ If the light flashes red and goes out after 2 seconds, the headphones are discharged. Put them back in the case for 15-20 minutes.

Second, reset your previous settings if your headphones have already connected to another device.

1. Place both headphones in the case and close the lid.
2. Open the lid and hold the touch button on the right earphone for 10 seconds until the indicator starts flashing red and white (this is a reset signal).
3. Close the case and wait 30 seconds – now the headphones are ready for a new pairing.

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If one of the headphones doesn't blink after reset, try removing it from the case and manually pressing the touchpad 3 times in a row, this will force the search mode to activate.

Finally, make sure your phone supports Bluetooth 4.2 or later.

• On Android: go to Settings → About Phone → Bluetooth version.
• On iOS: Check the iPhone model – all devices starting with the iPhone 8 are compatible.

Step-by-step: how to connect Redmi Airdots 2 to Android

The process of pairing with Android devices is as simple as possible, but there are nuances that are not written about in the official guides.

1. Take both earbuds out of the case. They'll automatically turn on (a brief flash of the red light). Wait until both earbuds start flashing white, which means they're ready to plug in.

2. On your phone, open Settings → Bluetooth and turn it on. The Redmi Airdots_XXX should appear on the list of available devices (where XXX is a unique number).

3. Click on the headphone name in the list. In 3-5 seconds, you'll see a request for confirmation of pairing — (on Chinese firmware) or "Connect" (on global ones). Confirm.

4. After successful connection, the indicators on the headphones will go out, and in the status bar of the phone there will be an icon of headphones with a charge level.

Important: If the sound is only in one headphone after connecting, do the following:

• 🔄 Reboot Bluetooth on your phone (turn off/on).
• 🎧 Place both headphones back in the case, then pull them out again.
• 📲 In Bluetooth settings, click on the gear next to Redmi Airdots and select "Disable Sound Channel" (if there is such a point).

Connection with iPhone and other iOS devices

While Redmi Airdots 2 doesn’t have official Apple support, it works fine with the iPhone, but with some limitations.The main difference from Android is that the headphones don’t display their charge levels in the status bar.

Instructions for iOS:

1. Open the → Bluetooth settings on your iPhone and turn it on.
2. Get both earphones out of the case - they should flash white.
3. In the list of devices, find the Redmi Airdots_XXX and tap it.
4. Wait for 5-10 seconds – the connection will happen without requesting PIN- code.

Features of working with iOS:

• ⚠️ No codec support AAC — sound is transmitted over SBC, which can degrade quality at high frequencies.
• 🔊 There is no separate volume control for headphones and phone.
• 📱 When a call is made, the music is muted, but it does not resume automatically after the call is over.

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To improve your iPhone sound, turn off the “High-quality audio” option (if any) in your Bluetooth settings – this will reduce delays when watching videos.

If the headphones are connected, but the sound is interrupted or there is interference:

• 📶 Make sure there are no interference sources nearby (microwaves, other Bluetooth devices).
• 🔄 Reboot your iPhone and reconnect.
• 🎵 In music settings (e.g. Apple Music), turn off the equalizer.

Problem Solving: Headphones are not connected or turned off

Even when paired properly, Redmi Airdots 2 can behave in an unstable way, and let's look at the most common problems and their solutions, which are not always obvious.

If the headphones are connected but immediately shut down after 1-2 seconds, the problem may be the firmware of the phone's Bluetooth module, which is especially true for devices on MIUI 12/13, where there is a bug with a rapid disconnect.

• 📱 Update your phone to the latest version.
• 🔧 In the developer settings (Settings → About Phone → Assembly Number (7 taps) → Developer settings), turn off Automatic Bluetooth Shutdown.
• 🔄 Switch your phone to flight mode for 30 seconds, then turn on Bluetooth again.

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If the problem persists, try connecting the headphones to another phone, and if they work consistently, the problem is in your device, not the headphones.

Another rare but possible problem is codec incompatibility. Redmi Airdots 2 supports SBC and AAC, However, some phones (especially those on MediaTek) may be in conflict with the AAC. To forcefully switch to SBC:

1. Install Developer Options or Bluetooth Codec Changer from Google Play.
2. Select Redmi Airdots from the list of devices.
3. Forced to install the SBC codec.
4. Reconnect the headphones.

How to connect Redmi Airdots 2 to two devices at once

Officially, Redmi Airdots 2 doesn’t support multipoint, but there’s a workaround that doesn’t work on all firmware, but 70 percent of the time it allows you to listen to music from your phone and take calls from your laptop without reconnecting.

Instructions:

1. First, connect the headphones to the first device (like a phone) as usual.
2. Without disconnecting the headphones from the phone, turn on Bluetooth on the second device (laptop, tablet).
3. On the second device, start looking for new devices. Redmi Airdots should appear on the list marked "Already connected to another device."
4. Press "Connect" on the second device, and the headphones will disconnect briefly from the first device and connect to the second.
5. Now quickly go back to the first device and manually select Redmi Airdots from the list of Bluetooth devices to reconnect.

Important: In this mode, the sound will only go to one device at a particular time.

• 🎵 To switch to your phone: Start playing music on your phone.
• 💻 To switch to a laptop: Run any sound (e.g., YouTube video) on your laptop.

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This method works unstable on iOS devices, and if the headphones start to hang, do a full reset and connect again.

Limitations of dual connection:

• ⚠️ Sound delay may increase to 300-500 ms.
• 🔋 The headphone battery is discharged faster (by 15-20%).
• 📞 When an incoming call is made to any of the devices, the sound will automatically switch to it.

Sound tuning and gesture management

Once successfully connected, it is recommended to configure gesture control and sound profile for optimal use. By default, Redmi Airdots 2 have the following gestures:

• 🎵 Double touch on any headphone: playback / pause.
• 📞 Double touch and hold: Reject incoming call.
• 🔊 Triple touch on right earphone: next track.
• 🔙 Triple touch on left earphone: previous track.

To change the purpose of the gestures:

1. Install the official Mi Home app (available for Android and iOS).
2. Connect the headphones to the phone via Bluetooth.
3. In the app, go to Profile → Redmi Airdots 2 → Control settings.
4. Select an action for each gesture from the list.

To improve sound quality:

• 🎛 In your Bluetooth phone settings, select the Redmi Airdots High Sound Quality option (if any).
• 🎧 In a music player (e.g. Poweramp or Spotify), turn on the equalizer with the preset "Bas Boost" or "Rock".
• 🔊 In the developer settings (Settings → About Phone → Build Number), turn on the absolute volume level to allow you to adjust the volume directly from the phone.

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If you hear a hissing background in the headphones, try to turn off the option “Improving voice quality” in the call settings on the phone.

Resetting settings and reflashing headphones

If all previous methods didn't work, you might need to completely reset or even flash your headphones, which is a last resort, but it solves 90 percent of software problems.

Resetting instructions:

1. Put both headphones in the case and close the lid.
2. Open the lid and hold the touch buttons on both headphones simultaneously for 20 seconds.
3. The indicators will first light up in red, then start flashing red and white – this is a signal of a successful reset.
4. Close the case for 1 minute, then repeat the connection procedure.

If the reset didn't work, try reflashing the headphones over the PC.

• 💻 Download the QFlash Tool and the firmware for Redmi Airdots 2 (version V5.2.8 or later) from Xiaomi's official website.
• 🔌 Connect the case with headphones to the PC via USB- cable (use the original cable!).
• 📂 Run the QFlash Tool, select the downloaded firmware and press Start.
• 🔄 Wait until the process is complete (about 3-5 minutes). Do not turn off the case until the Success message appears!

⚠️ Warning: The continuous flashing of the red light after the firmware indicates that the process failed. Repeat the firmware with a different version of the software or contact the service center.

After the firmware:

• 🔋 Completely discharge and charge the headphones (3 cycles).
• 📱 Re-interface the phone.
• 🎧 Check all the functions: sound, microphone, gestures.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions