Xiaomi wireless headphones don’t connect to your phone: a complete troubleshooting guide

Did you take out the new Xiaomi wireless headphones (be it Redmi Buds 4 Pro, Xiaomi Buds 3T or another model), turn them on, and the phone stubbornly does not see the device? Or did the headphones work before, but suddenly stopped connecting after the update? This problem is familiar to many owners of Mi gadgets — and the good news is that in 90% of cases it can be solved independently without contacting the service.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible causes, from the banal (battery) to the technical (Bluetooth firmware failure), how to reset your headphones correctly, update their software, check compatibility with your phone, and even diagnose hardware malfunctions, and if the problem lies in your smartphone, you’ll find instructions for setting up Bluetooth on Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO.

Don't rush to carry your headphones for repair: follow our recommendations in order, and most likely, the connection will recover after the first steps.

1. Checking the basic connection conditions

Before you dig deep into the settings, make sure that the basic requirements for the connection are met, and experience shows that 30 percent of the time, the problem lies here.

First, check the charge of the headphones and case. Even if the indicator on the body is on, this does not guarantee a sufficient charge level for connection. Try recharging the headphones for 10-15 minutes - sometimes enough to activate the Bluetooth module. Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro and newer models should burn white (not red or orange) with sufficient charge.

Second, make sure the headphones are in pairing mode. For most Xiaomi models, it looks like this:

• 🔄 Take the headphones out of the case and wait 5-10 seconds (they should automatically turn on).
• 🎧 Press and hold the touchpad on both headphones simultaneously for 5-7 seconds until the indicator flashes red and white (pairing mode).
• 📱 On your phone, turn on Bluetooth in the notification panel or through Settings → Connections → Bluetooth.

If the headphone indicator does not respond to pressing or burns in a monolithic color (for example, only red), this may indicate a discharge, freeze or hardware malfunction. Read more about the diagnosis of such cases in the section on resetting.

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi headphones will not be visible in the list of available devices if they are already paired with another phone or tablet. Before connecting to a new device, they must be disabled from the previous one or reset (more about this in the next section).

2.Reset Xiaomi headphones to factory settings

If the headphones have previously connected to another device, were not properly disabled or “hang” Bluetooth module, will help hard reset.This procedure removes all saved pairings and returns the headphones to the state “out of the box”.

The instructions are universal for most Xiaomi/Redmi Buds models, but there are nuances:

For Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro and Redmi Buds 4 Active models, the process is slightly different:

1. Put the headphones in the case and close the lid.
2. Open the lid, take out the headphones and wait 5 seconds.
3. Press 4 times in a row on the right earphone touchpad (don't hold it!) The indicator should flash purple and then red.

After reset, the headphones will automatically go into pairing mode. If that doesn't happen, put them back in the case for 30 seconds, then pull them out and try again.

3. Phone-side issues: Bluetooth setup

If the headphones are successfully reset and are in pairing mode, but the phone still can not see them, the problem may lie in the settings of the Bluetooth module of the smartphone, especially for Xiaomi devices, where sometimes the power saving settings are confused or the connection profiles conflict.

First, check the obvious:

• 📶 Make sure Bluetooth is enabled (in the notification bar or through Settings) → Connections).
• 🔍 In the list of available devices tap on three points (⋮) and select Update – sometimes the phone doesn’t update the list automatically.
• 🔄 Reboot the phone: Long-term retention of the power button → Reboot. It'll drop the time errors of the Bluetooth stack.

If the headphones still don't show up, try the following steps:

Disabling Power Saving Mode for Bluetooth

Xiaomi phones can default to power optimization, which limits Bluetooth, to turn it off:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Consumption Management.
2. Select Apps → Find Bluetooth (or Settings if the first one is not listed).
3. Set the setting without restrictions.

Resetting network settings

This method removes all stored Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth devices, and VPNs, but often helps with system connection failures.

1. Open Settings → System and device → Additional → Resetting.
2. Select Network Reset (not to be confused with a full reset!).
3. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi phones with firmware MIUI 14+ After resetting the network, it may be necessary to reactivate SIM-cards (enter) PUK-If it requests it, all saved Wi-Fi passwords will also be deleted.

4. Update the firmware of headphones and phone

If the headphones and phone "see" each other, but the connection is constantly disrupted or the sound is interrupted, the reason may lie in outdated firmware.The manufacturer regularly releases updates to correct compatibility errors, especially after major updates to MIUI or Android.

To update the headphone Xiaomi use the official application Mi Home (you can download from Google Play or App Store).

1. Install and open Mi Home, sign up or sign in to your Xiaomi account.
2. Connect your headphones to your phone (even if the connection is unstable).
3. In the app tap on the icon + → select Add device → find your headphone model.
4. If you have an update, you'll see a notification. Follow the instructions on the screen.

For Xiaomi phones, it is also critical to update MIUI and Bluetooth stack:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🔄 Click Check Updates and Install Available Packages.
• 🔧 If there are no updates, but the problem remains, try to roll back to a stable version. MIUI (beta-tester).

Critical information: Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro and later require Bluetooth 5.2+ to work properly. If your phone only supports Bluetooth 5.0 (like the Redmi Note 8 Pro), there may be connection or sound issues. Check the Bluetooth version in settings: Settings → About Phone → Full Specifications → Network Status.

5. Diagnostics of hardware malfunctions

If none of the software methods worked, maybe the problem is the physical breakdown of the headphones, case or Bluetooth module of the phone.

Checking headphones

• 🔋 Battery case: Connect the case to charge for 1-2 hours. If the indicator does not light up, try another cable / charger. Xiaomi cases often fail due to overheating or mechanical damage.
• 🎧 Headphone contacts: Take out the headphones from the case and examine the metal contacts (usually golden) for oxidation or dirt.
• 🔊 Speakers: If the headphones are connected but there is no sound, check the speaker grid for clogging (relevant for Redmi Buds 3 Pro and older).

Phone check

To prevent a Bluetooth module from malfunctioning in your phone:

• 📱 Try connecting other Bluetooth devices to your phone (like a smartwatch or a speaker). If they don't, too, the problem is your smartphone.
• 🔧 Turn on Developer Mode (7 times tap on Version) MIUI in the phone settings, then go to Settings → Additionally. → For developers, select Bluetooth Debugging. Try connecting again.

If the phone doesn’t see any Bluetooth devices, it could indicate:

• damage to the Bluetooth antenna (often after falls or moisture).
• Failure after the MIUI update (try to roll back to the previous version).
• Hardware malfunction of the chip (diagnosis is required in the service center).

💡

If the headphones connect to other phones but not your Xiaomi, try temporarily disabling Dual Audio in Bluetooth settings.It sometimes conflicts with the Xiaomi Buds connection protocol.

6. Alternative ways of connecting

If standard pairing doesn’t work, try to bypass the system’s limitations:

Connection via the Mi Home app

Sometimes headphones refuse to connect through a standard Bluetooth manager, but successfully mate through a proprietary application:

1. Open Mi Home and tap + → Add the device.
2. Select the Audio category and find your model.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen (you may need to enter the headphones in pairing mode again).

Use of the “For Developers” mode

On Xiaomi phones, you can manually set Bluetooth connection parameters:

1. Activate Developer Mode (as described above).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Find options: AVRCP version → select 1.6. Bluetooth codec → try SBC or AAC (instead of aptX). Bluetooth sampling rate → set 44100 Hz.

Restart your phone and try to connect again.

Connecting to another device

If the headphones don’t connect to Xiaomi, but work with other phones (like iPhone or Samsung), this confirms the problem on the side of your smartphone.

• Try resetting your network settings (as described in Section 3).
• Install custom software (e.g. Xiaomi.EU) if your version of MIUI contains bugs.
• Contact the service center for diagnostics of the Bluetooth module.

💡

If Xiaomi headphones are connected but the sound is interrupted or distorted, the problem is often found in Bluetooth codecs. Try manually setting the SBC codec in the developer settings - this is the most compatible, although not the best quality option.

7. When to contact the service center

If you’ve tried all the ways but the headphones still don’t connect, you may need professional repairs.

• 🔋 Headphones or case do not charge (indicator does not respond to charging).
• 🔥 Visible traces of overheating, battery bloating or contact melting.
• 💧 Headphones were in the water or exposed to high humidity (even if the model has protection). IP54).
• 📡 Phone does not see any Bluetooth device (problem with the module of the smartphone).
• 🔧 Headphones are connected, but do not reproduce sound (possible malfunction of speakers or audio chip).

Before the service visit:

• Back up your phone’s data (if the problem is on its side).
• Write down the headphone serial number (usually listed on the case or in the Mi Home app).
• Check whether the warranty is valid (for Xiaomi, the standard period is 12 months).

The cost of repairing Xiaomi headphones in unofficial services:

⚠️ WARNING: If Xiaomi headphones were bought on AliExpress or in unofficial stores, check their authenticity through the Mi Home app.Fakes often have connection issues and aren't updated. To check, open the Device Profile section in the application - the original headphones will have full information about the model and firmware version.

FAQ: Frequent questions about connecting Xiaomi headphones