Have you logged into WhatsApp on your Xiaomi and the notifications come without sound? Or the calls go unnoticed when everything used to work? This problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi, Poco and Mi smartphones — especially after the update to MIUI or the messenger itself. The reasons can lie in both the application settings and the system parameters of Xiaomi, where the manufacturer often blocks background activity to save battery.
In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can get sound back to WhatsApp, from basic volume checks to hidden MIUI settings that few people know about. Focus on the Xiaomi 12T, Redmi Note 11/12 and Poco X5 models, where the problem is most common. And if you’ve tried standard methods, you’ll end up with a section with non-obvious solutions, including cache resets and Android 13/14 resolutions.
1. Check basic sound settings in WhatsApp
Before digging deep into Xiaomi's settings, make sure the problem isn't with the messenger itself. Often users accidentally turn off the sounds directly on WhatsApp without even knowing it.
Open the application and go to: ⚙️ Settings → Notifications → Notification sounds
Check here:
- 🔔 Notification tone – whether the sound is selected (does not have “No Sound” or “Silent”). Popular options: Default notification or WhatsApp notification.
- 📞 Call sounds are a separate setting for incoming calls. If you have Quiet here, you just won't hear the call.
- 🔕 Vibration – sometimes turning off vibration automatically resets sound.
- 👥 Group chats - sounds for groups are customized separately! Go to any group chat → name → 🔔 Notifications.
⚠️ Note: WhatsApp Business may have different notification settings. If you are using the business version, check Settings section. → Business Notices.
If that's true here, but there's no sound, the problem is with the Xiaomi settings. So let's move on to the next step.
Notification settings in MIUI: why Xiaomi is blocking sound
Xiaomi is known for its aggressive battery optimization, which often strangles background processes, including WhatsApp notifications. Even if everything is set up correctly, the system can block the playback of sounds.
To fix this:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Find WhatsApp in the list and tap it.
- Select Notifications → turn on the slider "Show notifications".
- Check the notification categories below: 💬 Messages - should be included. 📞 Calls are a separate category! 👥 Groups – if you can’t hear sounds from groups.
Battery → No restrictions.
On models with MIUI 14/15 (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Lite or Redmi Note 12 Pro+) an additional step may be required:
- 🔧 Go to Settings. → Special facilities → Notifications of annexes.
- 🔍 Find WhatsApp and make sure it is prioritized High.
Notifications for WhatsApp are open in the application settings |
Categories "Messages" and "Calls" included |
WhatsApp's Battery Mode is "No Limits" |
Priority of notifications is set to “High” (for the purpose of MIUI 14+)-->
3. Volume problems: why the regulator is not working
Sometimes WhatsApp’s sound goes missing because of a failure in Xiaomi’s volume settings, especially after a MIUI update or a reset.
Check it out.
- 🔊 Press the physical volume button on the side of the phone. a slider will appear - make sure the sound level for Notifications (bell icon) is not at zero.
- 📱 Some Xiaomi firmware has a bug: the volume slider resets after rebooting.Try to move it up and check the WhatsApp notification immediately.
- 🔇 Check if the Do Not Disturb mode is activated (the crescent icon in the notification curtain). Even if it is on silently, some notifications may be blocked.
If the volume control does not respond:
- Go to Settings → Sound and vibration → Loudness.
- Check to see if the Media, Notifications and Calls sliders are disabled.
- Press on. ⚙️ Additionally, and make sure that the option Separate Volume Control is not activated (it can knock down settings).
⚠️ Attention: On Poco F4/F5 and some of the Redmi models with IR-Mi Remote can be used as a blaster to conflict with the Mi Remote app. Try temporarily disabling it in the battery settings.
| Xiaomi model | Typical sound problem | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Redmi Note 11/12 | The notification sound works, but no sound of calls | Check the Call settings in MIUI notifications separately |
| Xiaomi 12T/13 | Reset volume after MIUI update | Reset the sound settings to Settings → System → Resetting the settings → Resetting the sound settings |
| Poco X3/X4 | Conflict with the Mi Remote app | Turn off battery optimization for Mi Remote or remove it |
| Redmi 10A/9A | There is no sound in groups, but there is in personal chats. | Set up notifications for groups separately on WhatsApp itself |
4. WhatsApp cache and data reset: when nothing helps
If the sound never came, the problem may be the damaged cache of the app, which helps in 60% of cases when the standard settings do not work.
Instructions:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → WhatsApp.
- Choose Warehouse.
- Click Clear Cache (it is safe, your chats won’t be affected).
- If it doesn’t work, click Clear Data, but note: it will delete the entire chat history! pre-backup to WhatsApp Settings → Chat → Backup.
After cleaning the data, WhatsApp will require re-authorization via SMS. Notification sounds will reset to factory settings – don’t forget to configure them again!
If that doesn’t work, try reinstalling WhatsApp:
- Remove the application through Settings → Apps.
- Download the latest version from the official website (not from third-party sources!).
- Install and log in. Check the sound immediately after installation.
💡
Before reinstalling WhatsApp, export chat history: Settings → Chat → Export Chat. This will save your dialogues as a text file.
5. Android 13/14 issues: New permissions for notifications
Xiaomi’s Android 13/14 smartphones (such as the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G) have additional notification restrictions, and apps now require explicit permission to display notifications with sound.
How to check:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → WhatsApp → Notifications.
- At the top should be the slider "Allow notifications" - turn it on.
- Select a category below (such as Messages) and make sure the Sound tick is ticked.
- Go back to the basic WhatsApp settings and check the Permissions section – there should be permission for Notifications.
If permissions are reset after a system upgrade, they need to be reissued, a common problem on the Poco F5 and Xiaomi 12S after upgrading to MIUI 15.
⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi firmware for Android 14 has a bug: after resetting permissions, the sound in WhatsApp disappears completely, even if notifications come.
What if the sound on WhatsApp disappeared after the MIUI update?
6. Iron problems: speaker, connector or firmware
If the sound is only missing on WhatsApp, and other apps (YouTube, calls) are all working, it's a software problem, but if there's no sound at all, maybe it's the hardware.
Check it out.
- 🔊 Speaker: try playing music or video. If there is no sound, the speaker may have failed (a common problem after moisture hits the Redmi Note 10 Pro).
- 🎧 3.5mm connector (if you have one): plug in your headphones. If you have sound in them and you don't have it in the speaker, the problem is the dynamics.
- 🔄 Reboot: Sometimes the sound disappears after a long phone run.A simple reboot can bring it back.
- 🛠️ Resetting: If the sound is gone after the update, try resetting the sound settings to Settings → System system → Resetting settings → Resetting the sound settings.
If you suspect a malfunctioning speaker:
- 📱 Check if the sound is silenced when talking (sometimes the speaker for notifications and the conversational one are different).
- 🔧 Use the speaker test through the engineering menu (enter dial ##4636## → Audio).
- 🛒 If the speaker does not work, contact the service. On Xiaomi, a replacement speaker costs from 800 to 2000 rubles depending on the model.
💡
If the sound is absent in all applications, not just WhatsApp – the problem is most likely hardware (dynamics, plume, firmware).
7.Alternative solutions: from MIUI rollback to third-party applications
If none of these methods worked, try these non-standard methods:
1. rollback of WhatsApp version
Sometimes, bugs with sound appear after the messenger update.
- Remove the current version of WhatsApp.
- Download the old version from a reliable source (for example, 2.23.12.76 is a stable version).
- Install. APK-file by allowing installation from unknown sources.
2.Use of Notification History
If there is a sound, but the notifications "disappear" from the curtain, turn on the notification history:
- Go to Settings → Notifications → Notification history.
- Enable the feature and add WhatsApp to the list of apps.
Third-party applications for sounds
If the problem is with Xiaomi’s system limitations, try:
- 🔔 Notification Sounds (Google Play) – allows you to assign custom sounds for notifications.
- 🔊 SoundAssistant (for Samsung, but it works on Xiaomi) – Advanced sound management.
4.Reset to factory settings
An extreme measure if nothing helps. Before reset, make sure to back up your data via Mi Cloud or locally! Way: Settings → About phone → Resetting → Reset all settings.