Why you can’t hear me on the phone, but I can hear the interlocutor: a full analysis of the problem on Xiaomi

You call on the phone, you hear the person you're talking to, but they just say, "Hello? Where are you?" or "I can't hear anything." This is familiar to many Xiaomi owners, from the budget Redmi to the flagship Mi and POCO. The problem seems absurd: if the microphone was completely broken, you wouldn't hear your voice in the speaker, but it's more complicated, the signal goes one way, and the causes can be in hardware malfunctions and software failures.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible causes of a one-way microphone malfunction in Xiaomi, including rare cases that are not reported even in service centers. You’ll learn how to diagnose the problem yourself, which settings to check first, and when it’s time to carry the phone for repair. And also why sometimes it’s not your smartphone that’s to blame, but the operator’s network or even the interlocutor.

1. Checking the underlying causes: what to exclude in the first place

Before you disassemble your phone or reset your settings, make sure that the problem isn't just the trivial stuff, and experience shows that 30 percent of the time, a broken microphone is a user error.

Start with the simplest:

• 🔇 On the plane mode or the mobile Internet shut down. Yeah, it sounds silly, but sometimes people forget that they've moved their phone offline. Check the top notification bar, if there's an airplane icon, turn on the mobile network.
• 📵 Blocking the number of the interlocutor. Some operators (for example, MTS or Beeline) automatically block incoming sound from suspicious numbers.
• 🎧 Connected headphones or Bluetooth devices. Xiaomi sometimes "forgets" to switch back to the main microphone after the headset is turned off.
• 🔋 Battery discharge (less than 5%) At critical charge levels, the system disables "non-critical" functions, including full microphone operation.

If nothing on the list worked, go to a deep diagnosis, but first answer the question:

2. Software failures: when firmware or settings are to blame

Modern Xiaomi runs on MIUI, a proprietary shell that is not always stable. firmware errors, application conflicts or incorrect settings can lead to the microphone “deafening” only during calls, but works in voice recordings or instant messengers.

Here's what you need to check:

Resetting network settings

Sometimes mobile phone settings are lost after updating or changing SIM-This causes the phone to correctly transmit the sound from the person to you, but it can't send your voice back:

1. Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → [yours SIM] → Resetting network settings.
2. Confirm the action and restart the phone.
3. After turning on, check if the sound appears in the tube.

Annex conflict

Some programs (especially optimizers, antiviruses, or modified messenger clients) can block access to the microphone for system calls to identify the culprit:

• 🛡️ Go to Settings. → Annexes → Permits → Microphone and check which programs are available.
• 🔍 Turn off permission for suspicious applications (e.g. Clean Master, DU Battery Saver).
• 🔄 Restart your phone and make a test call.

If the problem is gone, the culprit is found. Remove the conflicting app.

Reset all settings (without loss of data)

If previous steps didn’t work, try resetting your phone without deleting files, which will only return system configurations to factory settings without affecting photos or instant messengers.

Disable your Google account (Settings → Accounts → Google → Delete your account)

Remember the Wi-Fi passwords (they will reset)

Back up your SMS (Messages app → Settings → Backup)

Charge your phone at least 50%-->

To perform the discharge:

1. Open Settings → About phone → Reset settings → Reset settings.
2. Select “Reset” (not “Delete all data”!).
3. Wait until the process is complete and set up the phone again.

💡

Resetting helps in 60% of cases of software microphone failures, but will not fix hardware breakdowns or firmware problems.

3. Hardware malfunctions: when to carry in the service

If the software methods didn't work, the problem is probably the hardware, and Xiaomi is more likely to fail:

• 🎤 Main microphone (located at the bottom of the phone).
• 📞 Additional microphone for noise reduction (usually next to the main camera).
• 🔌 Contacts of microphone plume (oxidation or breakage).
• 🔊 Audio codec (a sound processing microchip).

How to diagnose a hardware breakdown:

Recording microphone check

If the microphone doesn't work just for calls, but it records voice in a voice recorder, it's more of a software problem, if it doesn't record at all, it's a hardware problem, to check:

1. Open the standard Dictaphone app.
2. Make a recording in a quiet room.
3. Listen to her. If your voice is missing or badly distorted, the microphone is defective.

Visual examination

Take a flashlight and inspect the microphone hole (usually next to the USB-C connector):

• 🚫 Dust/mud clogging – gently clean with a soft brush or compressed air.
• 💧 Traces of moisture or corrosion – if the phone fell into the water, even briefly, the microphone could oxidize.
• 🔧 Mechanical damage – cracks, dents or detached microphone mesh.

If you find physical damage, you can't do without a service center.

4.Firmware issues: When the update breaks the microphone

One of the most insidious cases is when the microphone stops working after the MIUI update, which can happen because of:

• 🐛 Errors in the new firmware version (for example, in the MIUI 14 was a massive microphone problem in the Redmi Note 11).
• 🔄 Incomplete update (firmware files downloaded with an error).
• 🔒 Conflict with custom recaveri (if you have installed) TWRP or rooted the phone).

How to fix it:

4.1. rollback to the previous version of MIUI

If the microphone breaks immediately after the update, try to return to the old firmware.

1. Download the archive with the desired version of MIUI for your model from the official Xiaomi website.
2. Rename the file to update.zip and place it in the root of the phone’s memory.
3. Go to Settings → About Phone → System Update → Three Dots (menu) → Select a firmware file.
4. Select update.zip and wait for the process to be completed.

Attention! The rollback of the firmware will reset all data if you haven't made a backup.

4.2 Flashing through Fastboot

If the rollback doesn't work or the phone doesn't work, you'll have to manually stitch the device through the Fastboot, which is an extreme measure that requires a PC and knowledge of commands.

If the microphone worked after the firmware, the problem was in the software. If not, look for a hardware malfunction.

5. Problems on the part of the operator or network

Sometimes it's not the phone that's the fault, it's the mobile operator.

• 📱 Call from another phone to your number – if the interlocutor does not hear there and the problem is in the network.
• 🔄 Switch to the other one. SIM-map (for example, from MTS to Tele2).
• 📡 Check the quality of communication in settings: Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → [yours SIM] → Network quality.

Typical "network" causes:

• 📶 Poor coverage – in weak signal areas, the operator can “cut” the incoming sound to maintain the connection.
• 🔄 Billing error – if you have a negative balance or outbound services are blocked.
• 🔧 Technical work – check the status of the network on the operator’s website.

If the problem is confirmed, contact the operator support.

⚠️ When contacting an operator, check if you have antispam or fraud protection enabled, and some operators automatically block one-way voice transmission for suspicious numbers.

6 Rare Reasons: Which You Didn't Know

If all previous steps have not helped, pay attention to non-obvious factors:

6.1 Conflict with cover or protective film

Some cases (especially those with metal inserts) can shield the microphone or press the plume. Remove the case and repeat the call. Also check if the microphone is covered by a protective film or glass, sometimes they are curved.

6.2. The "Hearing-impaired" mode is enabled

MIUI has a sound amplification feature for people with hearing problems, sometimes activated accidentally and "muffled" the microphone, to turn off:

1. Go to Settings → Special Opportunities → Hearing.
2. Turn off the “Sound Amplification” and “Monosound” options.
3. Reboot the phone.

Damage after falling or impact

Even if the phone was still intact, the impact could have dislocated the microphone or damaged the soldered contacts.

• The microphone is working, but the sound is intermittent or with noise.
• The problem arose immediately after the fall.
• When you press the body near the microphone, the sound temporarily appears.

In this case, only disassembly and diagnosis in the service will help.

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If you drop your phone, don't shake it off or knock on the body, which can aggravate damage to the microphone plume.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the microphone issues at Xiaomi