How to completely disable noise cancellation on Xiaomi devices: from phones to headphones

Noise cancellation on Xiaomi devices often works out of the box — and this becomes a problem for those who want to hear natural sound during calls, recording voice messages or streams. Sound clearing algorithms in MIUI and branded headphones (for example, Xiaomi Buds or Redmi AirDots) can distort voice, “eat” quiet sounds or create a “robotic” effect. In this article, we will discuss how to turn off noise cancellation on all types of brand devices – from smartphones to TV set-top boxes – and also talk about hidden settings that are not in the standard menu.

It is important to understand: noise cancellation on Xiaomi is of three types: 1) Hardware - built into the microphones of smartphones (for example, in Xiaomi 13 Pro or POCO F5); 2 Software - processed by the processor through MIUI or applications like Mi Sound Recorder; 3 In headphones - activated in the settings of Bluetooth devices (for example, Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro).

Each type turns off in its own way, and we’ll look at all the ways – from the obvious to those that require ADB or an engineering menu.

If you find that the person who is not hearing you during the call, and your voice sounds like “from the barrel” – most likely, it is the noise cancellation that is to blame, then you will learn how to deactivate it on different devices, and what to do if standard settings do not help.

1. Disable noise reduction on Xiaomi smartphones (MIUI)

In most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models, microphone noise cancellation is enabled by default in call settings. To turn it off, follow the following steps:

1. Open the phone application (pipe icon).
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Settings.
3. Go to Improve Call Sound (or Sound Quality in older versions of MIUI).
4. Turn off the Noise Reduction slider (may be called Noise Removal or Sound Cleansing).

If there is no such item, then your model uses hardware noise cancellation, which is turned off only through the engineering menu or ADB.

Important! On some firmware (e.g. MIUI Global for the European region), the noise cancellation option may be hidden, in which case resetting the phone application will help:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the phone, open its settings and press Warehouse.
3. Select Reset Settings (do not delete data!).

After the device is restarted, the noise reduction option should appear in the call menu.

2 Hidden settings: engineering menu and ADB- commands

If standard methods don’t work, you’ll need to use an engineering menu or ADB. This is true for hardware noise-canceling models (e.g., Xiaomi 12S Ultra or Black Shark 5).

Method 1: Engineering menu (code #36446337##)

Enter the combination in the Phone app: ##36446337## (or #4636### for older versions).

The Engineering Mode menu will open.

1. Go to the Hardware Testing tab.
2. Select Audio → Mic Test.
3. Find the Noise Suppression option and set the Disable value.

Warning: Changes to the engineering menu may cause microphone failures. Before experimenting, write down your current settings or backup through Mi Cloud.

Method 2: ADB-Teams (for advanced users)

If the engineering menu is not available, use ADB. Connect your phone to your PC, turn on USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times press to unlock the developer mode) and execute the command:

adb shell settings put global voice_recognition_noise_suppression 0

To disable noise reduction in VoIP calls (WhatsApp, Telegram) add:

adb shell settings put global voip_noise_suppression 0

After completing the commands, restart the device.

Install ADB-PC drivers

Enable debugging over USB on your phone

Connect your phone over cable (not Wi-Fi!)

Check the connection with the adb device command

Make a backup of the sound settings-->

3. Noise reduction in Xiaomi headphones (Buds, AirDots, FlipBuds)

Xiaomi's branded headphones (like the Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro or Redmi AirDots 3 Pro) also have built-in noise cancellation that can be turned off via the Mi Earphones app (formerly Mi AIoT).

1. Connect the headphones to your phone via Bluetooth.
2. Open the Mi Earphones app (download from Google Play if it isn’t).
3. Select your headphone model in the list of devices.
4. Go to the section Sound settings or Effects.
5. Turn off Active Noise Canceling (ANC) or Voice Improvement slider.

If the app doesn't see the headphones:

• 🔄 Reconnect them in Bluetooth settings.
• 📱 Update your headphone firmware through Mi Earphones.
• 🔧 Reset the headphones to factory settings (press the button on the case for 10 seconds).

Note: In some models (for example, Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro) noise cancellation is only disabled in Transparency mode.

1. Touch and hold the touch panel on one of the headphones.
2. Select Transparency mode in the voice menu.

4.Microphone problems after noise reduction switch off

Sometimes, after the noise reduction is deactivated, the microphone gets worse, like wheezing, echoing, or low volume, because MIUI is optimized for the sound clearing enabled.

If problems persist, try alternative calling apps:

• 📞 Google Phone (from Google Play) – has its own audio processing algorithms.
• 🎤 VoIP applications (Zoiper, Linphone) – allow you to manually configure codec and noise cancellation.

💡

If the microphone becomes too sensitive to surrounding noise after switching off the noise reduction, use an external lavaier microphone (for example, Xiaomi Mi Lapel Microphone) - it has its own protection from wind and foreign sounds.

5. Noise reduction in applications (WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord)

Many messengers have their own noise reduction algorithms that run on top of the system ones, to turn them off:

WhatsApp

WhatsApp shuts down the noise reduction as follows:

1. Open the chat and click on the three dots in the top right corner.
2. Select Call → Sound settings.
3. Turn off Sound Improvement.

Telegram

On Telegram:

1. When you make a voice call, click on the icon ⚙️ (Settings).
2. Turn off noise suppression and echo suppression.

Discord

In Discord:

1. Go to User Settings (cog next to the avatar).
2. Select Voice and Video → Extended.
3. Turn off noise reduction (Krisp) and echo suppression.

If you don't have the option, upgrade to the latest version of the app, and in some cases, the noise cancellation in messengers is only disabled via the Android engineering menu.

6. Disable noise reduction on Xiaomi TV and consoles

On Xiaomi Mi TVs and consoles (such as the Mi Box S), noise cancellation is used for microphones of remotes or external devices.

1. Go to Settings → Sound.
2. Select Microphone or Voice Input.
3. Turn off the voice enhancement or noise filter.

If you use an external microphone (for example, Karaoke):

• 🎤 Connect it directly to AUX- input (if any).
• 🔊 In the audio settings, select the External microphone as the primary source.
• 🔧 Turn off all effects in the Equator section.

Note: On Xiaomi TV Stick and some Mi Box models, noise cancellation is only disabled via ADB:

adb shell settings put global tv_mic_noise_suppression 0

After completing the command, restart the console.

7. Alternative methods: third-party applications and firmware

If standard methods don’t help, consider alternative solutions:

Sound control applications

• 🔊 SoundAssistant (from Google Play) – allows you to disable noise cancellation for individual applications.
• 🎛️ Audio Tuner – adjusts the equalizer and microphone processing.
• 🛠️ MiXplorer – for manual editing of system files (root required).

Custom firmware

On firmware like LineageOS or Pixel Experience, noise cancellation is turned off by:

1. Settings → System → Developer → Disable sound processing.
2. Or through build.prop (add persist.audio.fluence.voicecomm=false).

⚠️ Warning: Installing custom firmware will void warranty and may cause the device to fail. Make a full backup via TWRP before firmware.

8. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

When switching off noise reduction, users often face typical problems:

1. Error 1: After the noise reduction is turned off, the microphone stops working. Solution: Reset the settings of the Phone application or reinstall the firmware through the Mi Flash Tool.
2. Error 2: Noise reduction is activated after the MIUI update. Solution: Reverse to the previous firmware version or use ADB to block automatic on: adb shell pm disable-user com.miui.voiceassist
3. Error 3: Xiaomi earphones don’t have the option to disable ANC. Solution: Update the headphone firmware via Mi Earphones or use third-party software like Headphone Tuner.

⚠️ Warning: On some models (e.g., Xiaomi 11T Pro), noise cancellation is tightly integrated into the microphone firmware, in which case it can only be physically disabled completely by connecting an external microphone via USB-C.

💡

If after all the manipulations, the noise cancellation does not turn off, check whether it is activated at the operator level (for example, in VoLTE or ViLTE services).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions