Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face situations where the usual player icon disappears from the desktop or hides in the depths of the menu. This can happen after the MIUI or HyperOS operating system update, when developers change the folder structure or rename the system components. The question of where in Xiaomi Music becomes especially relevant, since the standard audio player is the main tool for listening to tracks downloaded from the Internet or transmitted over Bluetooth.
It is important to understand that a standard application is not always removed completely, most often it is simply deactivated or its shortcut was accidentally removed from the home screen. The shell of Chinese manufacturers has its own features of space organization, different from pure Android. So search may require the use of global search or checking hidden folders, which many forget.
In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to access the audio player, consider alternative ways to launch music and touch on the issues of setting up the sound engine. You will learn how to return the icon to its place if it is missing, and what settings may be necessary for comfortable listening. The standard Mi Music player on new firmware versions can be replaced or hidden in the Tools folder.
Search through system search and application menu
The fastest and most efficient way to find the Music app on any Xiaomi device is to use a built-in search engine that indexes not only files, but also installed programs and settings, and you don't have to scour folders manually, swipe down your desktop or click on the search bar in the widget.
Type the word "Music" or "Mi Music" into the search box. If the app is installed and not damaged, the system will prompt it to run. Note that in global firmware versions it may be simply called Music, and in Chinese it may be called simply Music.. If the search results but the application does not open, its files or cache may be corrupted.
The second method is to manually inspect the menus of all applications, and unlike the desktop, where shortcuts can be removed, the app menu contains a complete list of installed software, usually called by a swipe up from the bottom of the screen, where the programs are sorted alphabetically or by installation time.
- 🔍 Swipe down the center of the desktop to call the search bar.
- 📂 Check the folder called Tools or Tools, where often hide system utilities.
- 📱 Browse the menu of all applications to the letter "M" or use the alphabetical index on the right.
- ⚙️ If the app is found in settings but not on the screen, try dragging its shortcut back.
Sometimes an app is listed, but it's not automatically shortcutted, so a long click on the icon in the app menu will allow you to select the "Add to Desktop" option, which will give you quick access to the player.
Folders and space organization in MIUI and HyperOS
Xiaomi shells are famous for their love of grouping applications. When you turn on your phone or reset your settings, the system automatically sorts programs into categories.
Look carefully for a folder called Tools, which usually has a calculator, a voice recorder, a scanner inside. QR-If you use the theme of the design, the folder name can be changed or it can be hidden.
⚠️ Note: When you install third-party design themes from Themes, folder structure may change, and icons may become transparent or disappear. Return the standard theme if you can't find apps.
Also worth checking is the Google folder. In some regions and firmware versions, Xiaomi preinstalles Google Play Music or YouTube Music, which may duplicate functionality but are separate, but Xiaomi's native player usually stays in the system folder.
If you use In-pocket or Easy Mode (for older people), the range of available applications may be limited, leaving the simple mode is through screen settings or a combination of volume buttons, after which the full list of programs will be available.
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Use the Search widget on your desktop to always have quick access to any applications without having to flip through screens.
Sound settings and equalizer in the application
Once you’ve found and launched the app, you should pay attention to its internal settings. Xiaomi’s standard player has a fairly powerful audio processing toolkit that users often ignore, accessed through the settings menu inside the app itself.
To enter the settings, click on the three dots or menu icon in the interface corner and select "Sound settings" or "Equalizer." Here you will find presets for different genres of music: rock, jazz, pop, classics. There is also manual frequency setting available.
The Mi Sound Enhancer feature deserves special attention, which is an algorithm that programmatically expands the stereo and makes the sound more voluminous, which is especially noticeable when listening through the built-in speakers of a smartphone or simple headphones.
In modern versions of HyperOS, the audio settings can be entered into a separate system menu. Go to Settings → Sound and Vibration → Sound Effects. Here you can activate the virtual surround system and adjust the balance for left and right channels.
| Function | Description | Impact on sound |
|---|---|---|
| equalizer | Manual frequency setting | Adjusts timbre (bass, high) |
| Mi Sound | Xiaomi's proprietary algorithm | Makes sound louder and bigger |
| Visualization | Graphic effect | It doesn’t affect the sound, just the screen. |
| Normalization | Volume leveling | Makes quiet tracks louder |
Don't forget about Bluetooth audio codecs. If you use high-quality wireless headphones, you can activate LDAC or aptX HD codecs in the About Phone menu to transmit high-resolution audio, if the headset supports it.
Secret settings of the equalizer
Managing Files and Local Tracks
The main problem with modern smartphones is the lack of visibility of local files. Xiaomi's standard player scans internal memory for audio files. If the tracks are not displayed, they may lie in a folder that the system considers hidden or system.
Use the File Manager built-in. Go to Audio or Music. This is all the tracks from all the devices. If you downloaded music from your browser, it's most often in the Download folder or in the Download folder. MIUI/Sound_recorder (if it's a record).
In the Music app settings, there's a "Display Folder" option, make sure that the boxes are in front of the directories where your library is stored, and sometimes when you update the system, those settings are reset and the player stops seeing the files.
- 📂 Open the guide and find the music folder.
- ✅ In the Music app, check the settings of the displayed folders.
- 🔄 Update the media library through the application menu if the files do not appear.
- 📁 Check if files are hidden (attribute.hidden) by renaming the folder.
Also worth noting is support for ID3 tags: If files are displayed as "Unknown Artist" or have strange names, the problem is the metadata of the files themselves. Xiaomi player reads them correctly, but can not edit.
⚠️ Note: File formats FLAC and WAV Make sure your device has enough free memory, otherwise the player may not work smoothly.
☑️ Checking the display of music
Alternative players from GetApps and Play Store
If Xiaomi’s standard Music app seems too simple or overloaded with ads (in global versions), it can be replaced.GetApps (Mi Store) and Google Play offer hundreds of alternatives.
Players like Poweramp, Musicolet or Aimp are popular, with more flexible equalizer settings, plug-in support, and better file system management. Installing a third-party player is not in conflict with the standard one, they can coexist.
When you install a new player, the system may ask which application to use by default to open audio files. Select "Always" and specify a new player. Now, when you click on a file in the Explorer, the selected program will run.
For users who appreciate minimalism, lightweight players without Internet access are great, which ensures no advertising. In MIUI settings, you can limit the background activity of heavy players so that they do not drain the battery, but this is rarely required for local music.
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Replacing a standard player with a third-party player (for example, Musicolet) completely solves the problem of advertising and the lack of support for formats.
Problem Solving: The app is not working or has disappeared
There are times when the Music app stops launching, crashes immediately after opening, or its icon is gone forever. The first step is to clear the cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Music.
Click "Clear" and select "Clear Cache." This won't delete your music files, but it will reset the program's temporary data, which often helps to correct interface errors. If it doesn't work, try "Clear All," but then the equalizer settings will reset.
In more complex cases, when the system application has been removed (uninstalled) by the user, you can return it through the GetApps store. Find "Mi Music" and click "Install". If the application is marked as system and does not delete, you will need to reset the settings to factory or flash it.
Also check permissions. In the permission menu, make sure that the app is allowed to read the device's memory. Without that permission, it won't be able to physically see your tracks and show a blank list.