The sound on Xiaomi comes from the speaker for conversations - how to redirect it back?

You've played music or video on a Xiaomi smartphone, but instead of the usual loud sound from the bottom speaker, you hear a quiet squeak from the top grille -- the one used for phone conversations -- it's a common problem that comes from a failure in audio routing settings, and in 90% of cases it can be fixed without going to the service center, but you need to know exactly why.

In this article, we will analyze why sound is going into the conversational speaker on Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones, which models are most affected (spoiler: this is Redmi Note 10/11 and POCO X3/X4), and give step-by-step instructions for restoring normal sound.

Why the sound comes from the top speaker: 5 main reasons

Xiaomi smartphones use two types of speakers:

• 🔊 The main one is powerful, for music, video and games, usually located on the bottom end.
• 📞 Talking (top) - weak, for phone calls, located next to the front camera.

When sound starts playing through the top speaker, it’s almost always due to one of the following reasons:

1. The MIUI system mistakenly detects that you are in call mode and redirects all the sound to the conversational speaker, often after updating or installing third-party apps.
2. Activation of the "Sound Amplifier" (for the hearing impaired) mode, which is a feature that forces the top speaker to use all sounds.
3. Damage to a 3.5mm connector or Bluetooth module, and if the smartphone thinks it has headphones connected to it, it can turn off the main speaker.
4. Pollution or oxidation of the speakers' contacts: Dust, moisture or corrosion disrupt the lower speaker, and the system automatically switches to the upper speaker.
5. Software conflict after installing custom firmware or modified versions of MIUI (for example, Xiaomi.EU).

Before you start repairing, check if the problem is hardware.

⚠️ Warning: If you play music, you're playing both the top speaker and the bottom speaker at the same time, but the top speaker is much quieter, that's OK! POCO F3/F4 redmi K40/K50. It's only a failure when the sound comes exclusively from the top speaker.

Method 1: Reboot and reset audio settings (works 60% of the time)

Start with the simplest, forced reboot, and this method helps if the failure is caused by a temporary conflict of processes:

1. Press the Power + Volume button up for 10-15 seconds until the screen goes out and the MI logo appears.
2. After turning on, check the sound – if the problem persists, move on to the next step.

If the reboot didn't help, reset the sound settings to factory:

1. Open the Settings. → Sound and vibration.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Reset.
3. Confirm the action and restart the device.

This method is particularly effective for the Redmi 9/9A and POCO M3 models, where audio failures are often associated with conflicts in MIUI settings.

Make sure the sound is not turned off by a physical button (on some models)

Try to play the sound through another app (e.g. YouTube)

Turn off Bluetooth headphones (if connected)

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Method 2: Disabling Sound Amplifier (relevant to MIUI 12-14)

The Sound Amplifier (or Hearing Aid in global firmware) is designed for people with hearing impairments, and when it's activated, all the sound is redirected to the top speaker, even music and video, to turn it off:

1. Go to Settings. → Special facilities.
2. Choose a Sound Amplifier (or Sound Amplifier).
3. Turn off the slider at the top of the screen.
4. Reboot the phone.

On some models (Mi 10, Mi 11), this item may be in Settings → Additional → Special hearing capabilities.

⚠️ Warning: If after turning off the amplifier, the sound still comes from the top speaker, check if you have any audio enhancement apps installed (for example, ViPER4Android They can conflict with system settings.

Method 3: Clearing the cache and data of the applications "Phone" and "Media"

Sometimes a failure occurs because of a damaged cache of system applications that route the sound.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search, type in the Phone and select the system phone app (not to be confused with Google Phone!).
3. Slip the Warehouse → Clear the cache and Clear the data.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 for Media and Music applications.
5. Reboot the phone.

This method often helps on smartphones with MIUI 13 and later, where the sound subsystem is closely integrated with system services.

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If the sound is gone after cleaning the cache, don't panic! Reboot the phone - the system will restore the sound settings automatically in 1-2 minutes.

Method 4: Check the 3.5mm connector and Bluetooth (if any)

A smartphone can "think" that it has headphones connected to it, even if it's not, and it causes the main speaker to shut down.

1. For models with 3.5 mm: 🎧 Connect and turn off the headphones 2-3 times. 🔍 Light a flashlight into the connector - if dirt or oxidation is visible inside, clean it with a toothpick (carefully!). 🛠️ If the sound is not restored, try blowing the connector with compressed air (a canister for cleaning equipment).

For models without 3.5 mm:

• 📱 Turn off all Bluetooth devices in Settings → Bluetooth.
• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 🎵 Start playing music – the sound must go through the main speaker.

⚠️ Warning: Safe mode has all third-party widgets and services disabled. If the sound is working normally but the problem returns after exiting mode, then the background processes are causing the conflict).

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If sound in safe mode still comes from the top speaker - the problem is hardware (damage to the speaker or plume).

Method 6: Reset to factory settings (last chance before service)

If none of these methods work, it's a complete reset, and it'll delete all the data, so first, you can:

• 📱 Make a backup copy through Settings → The phone. → Backup.
• 🔐 Remember your Mi Account details (required to unlock after resetting).
• 📎 Save important files to your PC or cloud.