How to turn off the headset on Xiaomi Redmi 8: from the icon in the status bar to hardware reset

Why does the phone think the headset is connected when it's not?

You took your headphones out of the Xiaomi Redmi 8 jack and your phone still thinks they're connected? This problem is familiar to many Xiaomi budget smartphone owners, especially after long-term use of the 3.5mm jack, and it's caused by mechanical wear and tear on the contacts or software failure.

Most often, oxidized or contaminated audio jacks are to blame — dust, moisture, or corrosion close contacts to simulate the connection of the headset. Less commonly, the problem is with MIUI firmware, where bugs in the audio drivers cause the headphone mode to freeze. In the most neglected cases, the hardware defect of the board is to blame, but this occurs in less than 5% of cases.

Before you bring your phone to the service, try 5 working methods that will help in 90% of situations – from banal reboot to resetting the audio settings through the engineering menu.

Method 1: Basic diagnostics – check the connector and restart the phone

Start with the simplest: inspect the headphone jack. Take a flashlight and shine lights into the socket. If you see dust, rust, or foreign objects, that's the first reason for the false alarm. Carefully clean the jack with a toothpick with cotton wool dipped in alcohol (don't use metal objects!).

After cleaning:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone with the power button.
• 🎧 Connect and disconnect headphones 3-4 times in a row – this sometimes “resets” contacts.
• 🔊 Check if the headset icon has disappeared in the status bar.

If the problem persists, go to software methods. Don't ignore this step, because 30 percent of the time, cleaning the connector solves the problem without any further manipulation.

Method 2: Reset the sound settings through the engineering menu (without root)

Xiaomi's engineering menu allows you to reset your audio settings without affecting your personal data, which works if the problem is caused by a failure in the audio drivers.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Enter the combination: ##36446337## (code for MIUI).
3. Select Hardware Testing → Audio → Headset Mode.
4. Press Clear or Reset (depending on the firmware version).

After reset, restart your phone. If the headset icon is gone but the sound is quieter or there are distortions, calibrate the speakers in the same menu (Audio Tuning section).

⚠️ Warning: Do not change other options in the engineering menu unless you are sure of their purpose. Incorrect settings can lead to loss of sound completely or microphone failure.

Method 3: Disabling Headset Mode via ADB (for Advanced)

If previous methods did not help, and the connector is clean, try to turn off the forced mode of the headset through ADB-This method requires a computer and USB-cable, but does not need root rights.

Instructions:

1. Download Google’s Platform Tools and unpack.
2. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers).
3. Connect the phone to the PC and type in the command line:

adb shell settings put global force_use_headset 0


adb shell settings put global wired_headset 0

After completing the commands, restart Redmi 8. If the headset icon is left, check the current state of the parameters:

adb shell settings get global force_use_headset


adb shell settings get global wired_headset

Both values should return 0. If not, repeat the commands.

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If ADB does not recognize the device, update the drivers via Device Manager (Windows) or install Android File Transfer (macOS).

Method 4: Hardware reset (if nothing helps)

When the software methods are powerless, you have to have a hard reset, which is a factory reset, which will delete all the data, but it will make the audio system work again.

• 📱 Make a backup copy through Settings → The phone. → Backup.
• 🔋 Charge your phone to at least 70%.
• 🔐 Make sure you know the username and password from your Mi Account (required after resetting).

For discharge:

1. Go to Settings → System → Additional → Resetting settings.
2. Select Delete all data.
3. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot (it will take 5-10 minutes).

After reset, check the headphone jack. If the problem persists, it is a 100% hardware fault (damage to the jack or audio chip).

⚠️ Note: Redmi 8 with firmware MIUI 12+ After reset, you may need to link your Xiaomi account to unlock. If you forget your password, restore it in advance at account.xiaomi.com.

Method 5: Alternative solutions (if the connector is broken)

If all methods have been tried and the phone still “sees” the headset, radical measures remain:

To replace the connector, contact service centers with good reviews. The average price of work in Russia is 800-1500 rubles (excluding spare parts). If the phone is warranty, do not open it yourself - this will void warranty obligations.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Users often make the problem worse with the wrong actions, and here's what you can't do unless Redmi 8 turns off the headset mode:

• 🔨 Picking the connector with a needle or paper clip - this scratches the contacts and worsens the connection.
• 💦 Blow the connector with the mouth - saliva accelerates corrosion.
• 🔥 Heating the phone with a hair dryer - this can melt plastic connector parts.
• 📱 Install “left” firmware – unofficial software often breaks the drivers of sound.

If you decide to clean the connector yourself, use isopropyl alcohol (90%+) and cotton swabs. Do not use acetone, gasoline or other aggressive solvents - they destroy plastic and rubber seals.

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9 out of 10 headset problems on Redmi 8 are solved by cleaning the connector or resetting the audio settings. Hardware repair is only needed if the contacts are physically damaged.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions