How to put the sound of WhatsApp notifications on Xiaomi smartphones: all ways

Are you missing important WhatsApp messages because Xiaomi's smartphone doesn't make audio signals? The problem is familiar to many MIUI device owners -- the system aggressively optimizes the background of apps and notifications go missing and coming without sound. In this article, we'll look at all the possible causes of silence and ways to eliminate them, from basic audio profile settings to hidden MIUI settings and WhatsApp's work on Redmi, POCO and Mi.

It’s important to understand that the problem can be in the settings of the messenger itself, as well as in the system limitations of Xiaomi. For example, the Battery function and performance → Optimization MIUI by default blocks background activity of applications to save charge. And in new versions of MIUI 14 there is a separate section for managing notifications by category. We will look at solutions for all versions of the firmware, including the old Redmi Note 7 and the new Xiaomi 13.

Why WhatsApp doesn’t make a sound on Xiaomi: the main reasons

Before we start setting up, let's define what's preventing sound playback, and here are the most common scenarios.

• 🔇 The phone's overall sound is off - check the physical volume switch or silent mode button (on some models) POCO it's separate).
• 📵 WhatsApp is blocked in the background — MIUI Automatically suspends applications to save battery life.
• 🔔 Notifications disabled at system level – this can happen after the update MIUI or reset.
• 🔄 Conflict with other messengers – if you have Telegram, Viber or Facebook Messenger installed, they can intercept sound channels.
• 📱 Problems with firmware - in some versions MIUI 12.5 and MIUI 13 was a bug with the playback of notification sounds.

If the sound is only lost for a specific WhatsApp chat, check the settings of this dialog — it may have a No Sound mode installed for it, and make sure that the problem is not related to Do Not Disturb (DND) mode, which can be activated on a schedule.

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi devices with MIUI Global and MIUI China may have different ways to set up. In this article, we provide general instructions, but if you don't find the item listed, search by settings (the magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner).

Method 1: Check basic sound settings in WhatsApp

Start with the obvious, the notification settings inside the messenger itself, and even if you didn't change anything, updating the app or resetting the cache could reset the settings.

Open WhatsApp and follow the following steps:

1. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner → select Settings.
2. Go to the Notifications section.
3. Click on the Notification Tone and select any sound from the list (e.g. Default notification).
4. Make sure that the vibration slider is active (if necessary).
5. Go back and check the Message Tone section – here the sound is customized for regular messages.

If the tone list shows the words Silence or No Sound, then the corresponding option was previously selected. Also note the Light indicator section - on some Xiaomi models (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro), it can conflict with audio notifications.

Whether the sound of notifications is selected (not "Silence")|Is the vibration activated?|Are there any individual settings for specific chats?|Is the application updated to the latest version?-->

Once you change your settings, send a test message from another device, and if the sound never appears, move on to the next method.

Method 2: Configure WhatsApp notifications at MIUI level

MIUI has a separate notification control center where you can flexibly adjust the behavior of each application. Often the problem lies here - the default system limits the background activity of WhatsApp to save battery power.

Follow the instructions:

1. Open the phone settings.
2. Go to the Apps → Application management.
3. Find WhatsApp in the list and tap it.
4. Select Notifications.
5. Activate the switches: 🔔 Allow notices 📳 Sound. 🌐 Show on the lock screen

Categories of notifications

Communications

Group chat rooms

Some devices (such as POCO X3 Pro) may need to enable the option Important Notifications or Priority, and check if WhatsApp has a Sleeping App status, which completely blocks background activity.

⚠️ Note: If you use dual applications (Dual Apps function in the app) MIUI), Check the notification settings for both copies of WhatsApp!

Method 3: Disabling Battery Optimization for WhatsApp

One of the most common reasons for the lack of sound is aggressive battery optimization in MIUI, which automatically suspends applications in the background to reduce charge consumption, and for instant messengers, this is critical: without background activity, WhatsApp will not be able to receive messages and play notifications on time.

To disable optimization:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance.
2. Select MIUI Optimization (on some firmwares – Battery Management).
3. Find WhatsApp in the list and tap it.
4. Choose the option without restrictions.
5. Go back and check the AutoRun section – for WhatsApp, it should be enabled.

Some Xiaomi models (such as the Mi 11 or Redmi K40) have a separate Sound Effects switch in the audio settings. Make sure it is active. Also check if you have a customized profile set for a specific time of day (such as night mode).

Method 5: Reset notification settings and reinstall WhatsApp

If none of the previous methods worked, there may have been a failure in the notification settings or app cache, in which case a reset or complete reinstallation of WhatsApp will help.

Option 1: Resetting notification settings

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → WhatsApp.
2. Select Notifications.
3. Then, turn to the Reset (or Reset by Default).
4. Confirm the action.

Option 2: Clear cache and data (does not delete chats unless you click Delete data)

1. In the same menu (Settings → Apps → WhatsApp), select Storage.
2. Press Clear cache.
3. If the problem persists, try Clear all data, but note that this will result in logging out of your account (the chat will persist if you have a backup).

Option 3: Reinstall WhatsApp

If the reset didn’t help, remove the app and install it again:

1. Remove WhatsApp via Settings → Apps.
2. Download the latest version from Google Play or the official website.
3. Install and log in to your account.
4. Check the notifications.

⚠️ Warning: Before reinstalling, make sure you have a backup of the chats (whatsapp settings) → chat → Without it, the message history will be lost!

1. Activate Developer Mode (7 times tap the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone).

2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.

3. Disconnect the Adaptive Battery and Optimization MIUI WhatsApp.-->

Method 6: Checking for hardware problems and updates

If the sound doesn't work in any app, the problem could be hardware, such as a malfunctioning speaker or headphone jack (if the phone "thinks" the headphones are connected), and it's worth checking for system updates.

Diagnostics of hardware problems:

• 🔊 Check the sound in other apps (like YouTube or Music) if it's not there, it's a problem with the dynamics.
• 🎧 Connect your headphones – if sound appears, it may be a contaminated connector or a broken contact.
• 📞 Call your phone from another device – if the sound of the call is there, and there are no notifications, the problem is software.

Firmware update:

Some versions of MIUI (especially MIUI 12.5) had bugs with audible notifications to fix them:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Click Check for updates.
3. If a new version is available, install it.

On Xiaomi devices with MediaTek processors (such as the Redmi 9A or POCO M3), sound problems are most often solved by upgrading the firmware to MIUI 13 or later.

💡

If the sound is absent only in WhatsApp, and in other applications there is – the problem is precisely in the settings of the messenger or the system limitations of MIUI.

FAQ: Frequent questions about WhatsApp sound on Xiaomi