AirPods 2 Is Playing Too Silently on Xiaomi? fix in 5 minutes

You bought AirPods 2, plugged them into a Xiaomi smartphone, but the sound is barely audible even at maximum volume? The problem is familiar to many owners of wireless headphones from Apple, who try to use them with Android devices. The reasons may lie in the limitations of the Bluetooth protocol, and in the settings of the smartphone or headphones.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to increase the volume of AirPods 2 on Xiaomi, from basic audio settings to hidden developer settings to alternative codecs. It’s important to understand that Apple optimizes its headphones primarily for the iPhone ecosystem, so there may be limitations on Android devices (including Redmi, POCO or Mi), but that doesn’t mean that you can’t fix it!

Before you go to the radical measures, make sure that the problem is not a hardware malfunction. Try connecting AirPods 2 to another device (for example, an iPad or a laptop) and check the volume. If the sound remains quiet everywhere, it may be due to contamination of the speakers or wear of the headphone battery. If other gadgets have normal volume, read on.

1. Check the basic volume settings on Xiaomi

To start with the obvious, sometimes the problem lies not in the headphones, but in the settings of the smartphone itself. Xiaomi devices (especially those with a MIUI shell) have several pitfalls that can limit the volume of Bluetooth devices.

The first thing to do is:

• 🔊 Open the Quick Settings Panel (swipe down from the top edge of the screen) and make sure the volume slider is set to maximum.
• 📱 Go to Settings. → Sound and vibration → Volume and check the individual regulators for media, calls and alarms. MIUI Bluetooth volume can be adjusted separately.
• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone and your headphones. For AirPods 2: put them in your case, close the lid, wait 10 seconds, then pull them out and plug them back in.

If the volume hasn't changed after this manipulation, then move on to the next step. Note that some Xiaomi models (like the Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X3 Pro) have Volume Amplification or Dynamic Range in their audio settings. Try turning it on, which can add +10-15% to maximum volume.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 13/14 There is a bug that causes Bluetooth devices to reset their volume after you update the system. If you recently updated your firmware, try resetting your network settings (Settings) → System and device → Resetting settings → Resetting Wi-Fi, Mobile Network and Bluetooth).

2. Change the Bluetooth codec: why AAC isn't always optimal

One of the key reasons for the quiet sound of AirPods 2 on Xiaomi is the Bluetooth codec used. Apple’s default headphones connect via AAC (Advanced Audio Coding), which should provide high audio quality. However, on Android devices, the implementation of this codec often leaves much to be desired – especially on Qualcomm processors (which are used in most Xiaomi smartphones).

To check and modify the codec:

1. Activate Developer Mode on Xiaomi: Go to Settings → About Phone and 7 times click on the MIUI Version. a notification will appear “You became a developer”.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → Developer (or System and Device → Additional → Developers on new versions of MIUI).
3. Find the Network Settings or Bluetooth section and select the Bluetooth Codec.
4. Try changing AAC to SBC or aptX (if supported).In practice, switching to SBC often increases volume by 20-30%, despite theoretically poorer sound quality.

If there is no aptX in the codec list, then your smartphone does not support it (this is true for budget Xiaomi models with Snapdragon 4xx/6xx processors). In this case, only SBC remains - it is less resource-requiring and often works more stable than AAC on Android.

3.Tune the equalizer (EQ) to amplify low and medium frequencies

If changing the codec didn't work, the next step is to adjust the equalizer. By default, MIUI uses neutral audio settings that can cut some frequencies, causing volume perception to deteriorate, and setting up EQ will allow you to strengthen those ranges that are better perceived by the human ear.

How to set up an equalizer on Xiaomi:

• 🎵 Open the Music app (or any other one that has a built-in equalizer, such as Poweramp or Spotify).
• 🔧 In most players EQ It's in the sound settings. It's in the standard app. MIUI The way is this: Settings → Sound and vibration → equalizer.
• 📈 Choose a Bass or Rock preset, which amplifies the low and medium frequencies, which subjectively increases the volume. If you want to be more precise, manually lift the sliders to 60 Hz, 230 Hz and 1 kHz.
• 🔄 Save the settings and check the sound. If it's better, mark this preset as the default.

If the built-in equalizer in MIUI is too limited, install a third-party app, such as:

• Wavelet (with ViPER4Android support)
• Equalizer FX
• Poweramp Equalizer (requires purchase)

These programs not only allow you to adjust the frequencies more accurately, but also turn on a volume amplifier (for example, Volume Boost in Wavelet), which can add +5-10 dB to the maximum level.

Open equalizer in player | Select preset "Bas" or "Rock" | Raise sliders at 60 Hz, 230 Hz, 1 kHz | Save settings as a default profile | Check the sound on different tracks-->

4. Update AirPods firmware and reset settings

Many users don’t know that AirPods 2 has its own firmware, which is updated periodically. If your headphones have not connected to an iPhone or Mac for a long time, their software may become outdated, which leads to compatibility problems with Xiaomi, especially for firmware older than 2A365 (the current version for 2026 is 4E71).

How to update AirPods 2: firmware

1. Connect your headphones to your iPhone or iPad (even for a short time). The firmware update is automatically installed when you connect to an Apple device.
2. Check the current version: go to Settings → Bluetooth, click on i next to AirPods and look at the Version bar.
3. If the update does not happen, leave the headphones connected to the iPhone on charging for 1-2 hours - sometimes the process takes time.

If you don’t have an iPhone, you can try resetting AirPods 2 manually:

1. Put the headphones in the case and close the lid.
2. Press and hold the button on the back of the case for 15 seconds until the indicator starts flashing orange.
3. Open the case cover and connect the headphones to Xiaomi again.

Resetting helps in cases where the headphones “forget” previous connection settings, which can limit the volume. After reset, it is also recommended to remove AirPods from the list of paired devices on the smartphone (Settings → Bluetooth → Click on the gear next to the AirPods → Delete).

5. Use applications to increase volume (with caution!)

If all previous methods failed, you can resort to third-party applications that force volume to exceed system limits, but this method has risks: excessive amplification can lead to distortion of the sound or even damage to the earphone speakers.

The most popular applications for volume gain on Xiaomi:

• 🔊 Volume Booster – a simple booster with adjustment of the gain level.
• 🎧 Precise Volume – allows you to adjust the volume more accurately for different types of devices.
• 🛠️ ViPER4Android (requires root) – professional audio processor with amplifier.

How to use the Volume Booster:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Run it and move the Media Volume slider to the maximum.
3. Turn on the Boost for Bluetooth option (if any).
4. Go back to the music player and check the volume.

If the sound is louder but there are distortions, reduce the gain, and remember that these applications drain the battery faster, as they are constantly running in the background.

⚠️ Attention: Apps like ViPER4Android require root rights, which cancels the warranty on Xiaomi and can lead to unstable system operation. If you are not prepared for such risks, use only "routeless" boosters, such as Precise Volume.

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Before using the volume booster, check if the Xiaomi settings include Safe Sound (Settings → Sound & Vibration → Safe Sound) and it automatically lowers the volume if the level exceeds the recommended values.

6. check the physical condition of AirPods 2

If the software didn't work, maybe the problem is with the headphone hardware, and over time, AirPods 2 can build up pollution that makes the sound worse.

• 🧹 Grid speaker: Look at the holes on the headphones. If they are clogged with dust or earwax, the sound will be muffled. Clean them with a soft brush or compressed air (do not use sharp objects!).
• 🔋 Battery: If the AirPods 2 discharge too quickly, it may indicate battery wear.In this case, the headphones automatically turn down the volume to extend the running time.
• 🎧 Density of fit: Try changing the earpieces (if you use third-party ones) or checking if the earbuds are tight in your ears. Poor sound insulation creates the illusion of a quiet sound.

If you suspect a battery problem, you can check the battery's condition through the AirBattery app (available for Android), which shows the actual charge level of each headphone and case, and also estimates battery wear, and if the capacity has dropped below 70% of the original, this can be the reason for the volume drop.

If none of these things work, you can go to a service center, you may need to change your speakers or clean your internal contacts, but before you do that, make sure that your smartphone isn't the problem, try connecting AirPods 2 to another Android device.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the volume of AirPods 2 on Xiaomi

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If neither of these methods worked, the problem could be a hardware malfunction of the AirPods 2 or the limitations of your Xiaomi model, in which case it’s worth considering buying headphones that support aptX or LDAC for better compatibility with Android.