Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a situation where the popular messenger stops making sounds when incoming messages or calls. This can be caused by an aggressive MIUI energy saving system, incorrect notification settings, or a malfunction of the application itself. Sound alert is a critical feature for operational communication, and its absence creates significant inconveniences in everyday use of the gadget.
In this article, we will take a look at all the possible causes of loss of sound and offer proven solutions to address them. You do not need to be a technician to perform the actions described below. We will go through all the levels of settings, from basic volume parameters to specific features of the HyperOS shell or MIUI, which often block the work of background applications.
Before you go to complex manipulations, you should rule out elementary errors: make sure that the physical silent mode is not activated on the side of the device (if it is provided by the model), and that the general volume slider is not lowered to zero. Sometimes the problem is solved by a banal smartphone reboot, which resets temporary errors of the audio service of the system.
Basic notification settings within the Viber app
The first step should always be to check the internal settings of the messenger itself. Often users accidentally turn off the sound in the profile or when updating the application, the settings are reset to factory ones, where the audio can be turned off. Open Viber, go to the "More" section (three bars in the lower right corner) and select "Settings." Find "Notifications" and make sure that the "Sounds" switch is activated.
In the same menu, you need to check the settings for different categories of messages, it allows you to flexibly manage what events your smartphone should respond to, and if you have individual sounds for different contacts, you also need to check them separately.
- 🔊 Make sure that the volume slider inside the app is not at a minimum.
- 📵 Check if the "Do Not Disturb" mode is turned on in Viber itself.
- 🔔 Assign a unique sound to incoming calls to distinguish them from other apps.
⚠️ Note: If the app’s settings sound is on but not, the problem lies deeper – in the Android system or shell. MIUI. Don’t rush to remove the app, check system permissions first.
Special attention should be paid to the sound settings for group chats. In some versions of the software, the settings for personal and group dialogues may differ. If you do not hear messages from work chats, but hear personal ones, then you need to adjust the settings for groups, this is a common situation where system sound profiles conflict with the settings inside the software.
System settings of sound and volume on Xiaomi
The MIUI shell has an extended volume control menu that is different from standard Android. To access full control, click on any of the volume buttons, then tap the top or bottom arrow that appears on the screen. Here you will see individual sliders for media, a call, an alarm clock and, most importantly, notifications.
Often, the ringtone and media volume are twisted to the maximum and the notification slider is lowered to zero, which is responsible for the characteristic sound of the incoming message in messengers, and this menu may contain a switch “Change system sounds”, which must be activated to apply settings to all applications.
If you use a third-party theme from Themes, it may have audio files that conflict with the system or are simply missing. Try switching to a standard Classic or Default theme to eliminate this factor. Third-party visual modifications often break paths to standard audio files.
Managing permissions and notifications in MIUI
The most common reason for the lack of sound is the restrictions imposed by Xiaomi’s security system. The OS aims to save battery power and block the background activity of applications. To correct the situation, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps, find in the Viber list and select Notifications.
In the list that opens, make sure all types of notifications are allowed. Pay special attention to Incoming Calls and Messages. Click on the category name (not the switch, but the text) to open the extended menu. High or No Limits should be prioritized, and the audible signal and pop-up should be allowed.
☑️ Verification of Viber Permits
Also critical is the AutoRun item, which, if it's turned off, can kill the Viber process as soon as you turn off the application, so messages will only come when the application is open, and there won't be any audio at all, turn on AutoRun and add the application to the battery exception list.
Set up the category “Other notifications” in Android 11-14
Since Android 11, Google has implemented a strict separation of notifications, with notification settings for each app that include the category “Other” (or “Other”), and by default, this category often has the status of “No Sound” – this is where messages from contacts not saved in the phone book or service notifications of the messenger can get.
To fix this, look for "Other Notifications" in the Viber notification menu, click on it and change your behavior from "No Sound" to "Sound." Choose the ringtone you want and make sure that the "Use Default Sound" checkbox doesn't conflict with your desires. It's a key change in the logic of Android that many people forget.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Impact on work |
|---|---|---|
| Importance | Tall. | It provides sound even in silent mode. |
| Sound. | Selected (not No) | Main audio signal |
| A pop-up window | Permission. | Shows a message on the screen when the phone is locked |
| Status line | Show me. | Display of message icon |
Don't ignore the notification channel settings for "Messages from Unknowns." If you're waiting for a confirmation code or a message from a new customer and your phone is silent, chances are that channel is silenced. Checking all subcategories in the notification menu takes a couple of minutes, but saves you from missing important information.
Battery optimization and background work
Aggressive optimization is a scourge of all Xiaomi smartphones. The system can consider Viber an inactive application and turn off its network activity to save energy. To prevent this from happening, open the Security app (green zipper icon), go to Battery → Settings (cog) → Autostart Apps.
Find Viber on the list and let it autorun. Then go back to the app menu, select Viber, click on "Battery Savings" and set "No Limits" to prevent the system from forcibly closing the application or restricting its background activity, which guarantees timely push signal and sound.
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For maximum reliability, pin the Viber app to the running process menu. Open a list of recent apps, press the Viber icon, and press the lock icon. This will prevent it from being unloaded from memory when cleaned.
It's also worth checking Sleep or Read Mode if they're on schedule. These features can block notification sounds at certain hours of the night. If you want to sleep well but don't miss an emergency call, it's better to set up Do Not Disturb Mode with the addition of favorite contacts to exceptions than rely on a global shutdown.
Solving Sound Problems When Calling Viber
If the messages come with sound, but when the Viber call is incoming, the phone is silent, the problem may be in conflict with the system caller. In the Viber notification settings, find the category "Incoming calls." Make sure that the System or Viber style is selected and the sound is clearly set.
Sometimes cleaning the app cache helps. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Viber → Memory → Clear Cache. It is important not to confuse this with Clear Data, because in the second case you will lose your correspondence history if you do not make a backup, and the cache contains only temporary files that can be corrupted.
⚠️ Warning: If after all the settings, the sound appears, but interrupts or wheezes, check whether the phone is connected via Bluetooth to another device (earphones, a speaker in another room). Android can transmit the sound there, and not to the speaker of the smartphone.
In rare cases, reinstalling the app helps, but only after you have created a full chat backup in the Viber settings (Account section → Backup).It is also recommended to delete the old profile in the Google Play or Mi Account settings before deleting if the problem is due to sync, although this is extremely rare.
What if the sound only appeared after the reboot and disappeared again?
Additional advice and frequently asked questions
Sometimes the problem is hardware-based or a specific firmware update. If you don't have a speaker in other applications, you may need repairs. But unless Viber is silent, it's probably a software glitch. Try.mp3 ringtone with standard bitrate, because high-resolution files or.flac formats may not be handled properly by the system's notification player.
Remember that MIUI and HyperOS updates often change the way notifications work. After each major update, it makes sense to recheck the permission settings for important messengers. Automatic permission resets are standard Android security practice.
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Comprehensive verification: settings inside the application + system resolutions + battery settings + notification volume = 100% sound guarantee.