How to connect two pairs of wireless headphones to Xiaomi

Today’s Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones have powerful multimedia capabilities that allow you to share content with others. One of the most popular features is the ability to connect two pairs of wireless headphones to the same device at the same time, which is the ideal solution for sharing movies on the road or listening to music with a friend without creating discomfort for outsiders.

However, implementing this feature on the Android shell of MIUI or HyperOS has its own peculiarities: Not all models support the native Dual Audio function, and where it is, the activation process can be hidden in the depths of the engineering menu or special developer settings. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to get your Xiaomi to broadcast audio to two Bluetooth devices at the same time.

It's worth noting that the success of the operation depends on the version of the Bluetooth protocol and the hardware limitations of the chipset. We'll look at both software customization methods and the use of third-party utilities that will help circumvent system limitations. Get ready to dive into the subtleties of the audio stream configuration.

Technical requirements and support for Dual Audio

Before you start setting up, you need to make sure your hardware is physically able to support simultaneous audio streaming to two receivers. Dual Audio has become the standard for devices equipped with Bluetooth module 5.0 and higher. Older models running on Bluetooth 4.x may experience significant delays or not support this feature at the system level.

It’s important to understand the difference between connecting to a network and connecting to an A2DP profile. A smartphone can “see” many devices, but it can transmit quality stereo sound to a limited number of recipients. In the Android ecosystem, this limitation is often two devices, but manufacturers can change this setting.

• 🎧 Bluetooth Version: Make sure your smartphone and headphones have Bluetooth 5.0 or newer installed for stable operation.
• 📱 Version. MIUI: The function works best on shells MIUI 12, 13, 14 and the new HyperOS, where the coding algorithms are improved.
• 🔋 Transfer codec: To minimize delays, use of aptX codecs or LDAC, If they are supported by both devices.

You can check the Bluetooth version on your device through system settings or special diagnostic applications. If your smartphone was released before 2018, the probability of having Dual Audio hardware support without the crutches tends to zero, in which case the system may simply not display the second device in the list of active playback devices.

⚠️ Note: Even if your phone technically supports Bluetooth 5.0, the manufacturer can software-enable dual audio in a particular model to save CPU or battery life.

It's also worth considering that different headphone models can behave differently in pairs, such as connecting two identical headphones. TWS-Headsets of the same model often go smoother than the combination of devices from different manufacturers.

Native settings via Bluetooth menu

In recent Xiaomi firmware, engineers have introduced a user-friendly interface to manage multiple connections. The standard algorithm of actions involves sequential pairing of devices. First, you need to activate the search mode on the first pair of headphones and connect them to the smartphone as usual, making sure that the sound is played.

Next, without disabling the first device, turn the second pair of headphones into a pairing mode. Go to the Bluetooth menu and find the new device in the list of available. Key point: on some versions of MIUI, after connecting the second device, you need to click on the gear icon or arrow next to the name of the first device and select the option "Duplicate sound" or similar.

Settings → Bluetooth → [Device Name] → Double audio (if available)

If you don't have that option on the standard menu, the system can automatically redistribute the stream. Try running a media file (music or video) before you connect the second headset. Sometimes Android blocks the connection of the second audio device if the media session is already active, requiring you to restart the application.

• 🔊 Volume: After connecting the second pair, check the volume balance as it may reset.
• 🔄 Reconnect: When communication with one device is broken, the sound may disappear completely, requiring a track restart.
• ⚙️ Codecs: The system can be forced to switch to codec SBC To ensure compatibility between two different devices.

In some cases, network resets help. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth. This action will delete all saved profiles, which often solves problems with sticking the audio stream on one device.

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If the sound only goes to one headphone, try to pause the playback before connecting the second device, and then start it again.

Using the Developer Menu to Expand Opportunities

When standard methods fail, the Android developer menu comes to the rescue, and this section contains deep system settings, including Bluetooth stack settings. To get there, you need to quickly click 7 times on the build number in About Phone. Once the "You're a developer" notification appears, a new item will appear in the settings menu.

Inside the developer menu, we're interested in the Bluetooth section, looking for an option called "Bluetooth Audio Codec" or "Dual Audio." However, more important may be setting up the Maximum connected audio devices. The default value of 1 may be there. Changing this setting to 2 or 3 allows the system to initiate a second connection.

Be careful when changing Sample Rate and Bits per sample settings. Set too high can cause either device to fail due to lack of channel bandwidth. If the sound is gone after the changes, return the default settings or reset the developer settings.

⚠️ Note: Changing the settings in the developer menu can cause the Bluetooth module to work unstable.

Also on the developer menu, you can find the option “Disable absolute volume” (Switching on the absolute volume) allows you to adjust the volume on the headphones and phone independently, which sometimes helps synchronize signal levels when you connect two different models of headsets.

Third-party applications for sound synchronization

If Xiaomi's system constraints are too tight, Google Play Store apps come to the rescue, using the Android API to create virtual audio bridges, and one of the most popular solutions is the AudioRelay app or specialized dual audio utilities like Double Bluetooth.

The principle of their work is to create a software wrapper over a standard Bluetooth driver. MAC-However, it is worth considering that this method increases the load on the processor and can lead to increased battery consumption.

• 📲 AudioRelay: Allows you to transmit sound not only to Bluetooth, but also to other devices over Wi-Fi.
• 🔗 Double Bluetooth: A special application specifically for splitting the audio stream into two channels.
• 🎚️ Volume Sync: Volume synchronization utilities that can help align sound in two pairs of headphones.

Third-party software often requires special permissions, including microphone access (to capture system sound) and background work. Don’t be surprised if the system periodically kills the application process to save energy – in which case you should add it to the battery optimization exception list.

Settings → Applications → [Application name] → Battery → No restrictions

While watching video, it may be invisible, but in games, the desynchronization of picture and sound can become critical. For movies, it is better to use players with software-based audio delay.

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Third-party apps are a temporary solution: They consume more resources and may not work smoothly after Android updates.

Solving common problems and desynchronization

The most common problem when connecting two pairs of headphones is desynchronization of sound, one listener can hear music half a second ahead of time, which completely destroys the experience of co-watching, due to the peculiarities of data buffering in the A2DP protocol.

To minimize delays, keep your smartphones and headphones close together, within line of sight. Walls and other electronic devices (especially 2.4GHz Wi-Fi routers) can interfere, increasing packet loss and resulting latency.

⚠️ Note: If you use two different types of headphones (e.g., one full-size, the other liners), the difference in their internal sound processing can be noticeable even with a perfect connection.

Another problem is that you can't control the volume of the second device, and often the regulator on the phone changes the volume of only the main channel, and in this case you have to adjust the sound with physical buttons on the headphones themselves, which is inconvenient, and some users decide to use smart mediators, but this is a construction.

If the sound is interrupted or wheezing, try turning off all the extra Bluetooth devices (watches, bracelets, gamepads).The Bluetooth module in a smartphone may not be able to cope with the maintenance of many simultaneous connections, especially if you use a low power profile (BLE) for other gadgets.

Alternative methods of broadcasting audio

If software methods for connecting two pairs to the same phone prove too complex or unstable, it's worth considering hardware alternatives. One of the most reliable ways is to use a Bluetooth transmitter with Dual Link support. This is a small device that plugs into a USB-C or 3.5mm smartphone connector.

These transmitters take over the coding and signal distribution work, unloading the phone’s processor. They often support better codecs and provide better connection stability than the built-in modules of mid-range smartphones, especially for older Xiaomi models.

There are also Bluetooth adapters that are connected to TV-You put your headphones on the adapter and your adapter on the phone, and it creates a chain that can be more stable than a direct connection to your phone, although it adds a link.

Comparison of connection methods

So to sum up, it depends on your phone model and sound quality requirements. Native methods are preferred because of the lack of latency, but they are not available to everyone. Third-party applications are versatile but resource-intensive. Hardware solutions are reliable but require the purchase of additional equipment.

Either way, the ability to share sound makes using a Xiaomi smartphone more social and convenient: Experiment with settings, update your firmware to the latest version, and check the compatibility of your headphones to find the perfect balance.