Boot Audio on Xiaomi: why the phone makes sound when booting and how to remove it

You turned on a Xiaomi smartphone, and suddenly there was a loud sound coming out of the speakers — a melody, a squeak, or even a voice greeting — a phenomenon called boot audio, and it's familiar to many owners of the brand's devices. In some cases, it comes after a firmware update, a setting reset, or even for no apparent reason. But what does it mean, why does it happen and how do you remove it if it interferes?

In this article, we will go into detail about what boot audio is on Xiaomi, what models support this feature (including Redmi, POCO and Mi), and why it can activate itself. You will also find step-by-step instructions for turning off bootable audio, both through standard settings, and using hidden menus or third-party tools. If you encounter a problem when the phone does not turn on beyond the screensaver with sound, there are solutions for this case.

What is boot audio and why is it needed?

Boot audio (or bootable sound) is an audio signal that is played when you turn on a Xiaomi smartphone during the initialization stage of the system.

• 🎵 Melody - Standard Loading Sound MIUI (Xiaomi Mi 11 or Redmi Note 10).
• 🔊 Voice Message – in some regional firmware (for example, for India or China).
• ⚠️ System signal – a squeak or error if the booting was in trouble.

Boot audio originally had two functions:

1. Confirmation of successful download – the user hears that the phone is turned on (useful if the screen is not yet lit).
2. Branding – Xiaomi uses unique sounds for its devices, just like Apple or Samsung.

However, over time, many users have complained about this sound — especially if it is too loud or it works at the wrong time (e.g. at night), and Xiaomi has added the ability to disable boot audio in settings, but not on all models and not all versions of MIUI.

What models Xiaomi has boot audio

Boot audio is available on most Xiaomi devices, but its implementation depends on the model and firmware version. Below is a table with examples of devices and their behavior:

Note that on budget models (e.g. Redmi 9A or POCO M3) boot audio may be absent or only manifested when crashes. whereas flagships (Xiaomi 14, Mix Fold 3) often receive branded tunes that are harder to disable.

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If your phone makes an unusual sound when booting (such as a repetitive squeak), this may indicate a hardware problem. Try booting into Fastboot Mode (down volume button + power) and checking system integrity.

Why boot audio can appear on its own

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where boot audio is turned on without their participation.

• 🔄 Update MIUI — New firmware versions can activate the default sound (for example, switching from the MIUI 13 on MIUI 14).
• 📱 Reset – after Hard Reset, all settings return to factory settings, including boot audio.
• 🛠️ Repair or replace parts – if the phone was taken apart, the flag could be knocked down NVRAM (non-volatile memory).
• 🌍 Change the firmware region – for example, after firmware global version to Chinese (or vice versa).
• 🐞 System failure – if the phone is not properly turned off (for example, due to battery discharge), the next time you turn on, an error sound may work.

If boot audio comes after the update, try retracing to the previous version of MIUI via Recovery Mode.

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press Volume Up + Power before the Mi logo appears.
3. Select Wipe & Reset → Reset to factory (if you want to roll back completely).

How to disable boot audio through MIUI settings

On most modern Xiaomi devices (with MIUI 12 and later), boot audio can be turned off by standard means.

1. Open Settings → Sound.
2. Scroll down to the System Sounds section.
3. Find the Sound item when downloading (or Boot Sound in English).
4. Move the slider to the off position.

If there is no such item, try an alternative path:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version to activate Developer Mode.
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
4. Find the Disable Boot Sound (Disable Boot Sound)

In some models (for example, POCO X3 Pro or Redmi Note 11) these settings can be hidden. ADB-team:

adb shell settings put global boot_audio 0

Install. ADB-PC drivers|Put the debugging on. USB developer-setting|Connect your phone to your PC and allow debugging|Check the connection with the adb device command-->

Hidden methods of disabling boot audio (Engineering Mode, root)

If the standard methods don't work, you can use hidden menus or super-user rights.

⚠️ Note: Incorrect actions in Engineering Mode can lead to network failure or complete loss of communication.We recommend backing up through Mi Cloud before experimenting.

Method 1: Engineering Mode (Engineering Menu)

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##36446337###.
2. Go to the Hardware Testing → Audio section.
3. Find Boot Sound and set the Disable value.
4. Save the settings and restart the phone.

Method 2: Editing system files (root required)

If you have superuser rights (e.g., via Magisk), you can delete or replace the bootable audio file:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer).
2. Go to /system/media/audio/ui/.
3. Find the files. boot_audio.mp3 or poweron.ogg.
4. Rename them (add.bak at the end) or delete them.
5. Reboot the phone.

Method 3: Firmware of modified boot.img

For power users: You can unpack boot.img, remove the links to bootable sound from it, and then stitch back through Fastboot:

fastboot flash boot patched_boot.img


fastboot reboot

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Disabling boot audio via Engineering Mode or root may cause network resets. After the procedure, check your mobile and Wi-Fi connection!

What to do if boot audio is accompanied by errors

Sometimes boot audio signals more serious problems, and let's look at the typical scenarios and solutions.

If the phone is getting stuck on a logo with a repetitive sound, it's a bootloop sign.

1. Try booting into Safe Mode (click Volume Down when turned on).
2. If it doesn’t work, run the firmware through Fastboot:

fastboot flash system system.img


fastboot flash boot boot.img




fastboot reboot

Xiaomi’s MediaTek processors (like Redmi 10C) may require the SP Flash Tool.

Boot audio on custom firmware (LineageOS, Pixel Experience)

If you have custom firmware installed (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), boot audio may behave differently:

• 🔊 It is absent at all - many custom firmware removes Xiaomi branded sounds.
• 🎵 Replaced with standard Android sound, such as a tune from Google Pixel.
• ⚙️ Configures through Magisk-modules – you can install the BootSound Changer module.

To disable or change boot audio on custom firmware:

1. Install Magisk Manager and check for modules.
2. Download the Disable Boot Sound module from the Magisk repository.
3. Reboot the phone.

If you want to return the original sound after installing custom firmware, copy the files from stock MIUI:

/system/media/audio/ui/boot_audio.mp3

FAQ: Frequent questions about boot audio on Xiaomi