How to increase the volume of AirPods on Xiaomi smartphones: the full guide

Why AirPods are Quietly Playing on Xiaomi and What to Do About It

You connected AirPods to your Xiaomi, but the volume is not good? The problem is familiar to many owners of smartphones on MIUI — even at the maximum level, the sound in wireless headphones can be quieter than on iPhones or other Android devices, the reason for this is the peculiarities of processing audio stream in Xiaomi firmware, the limitations of Bluetooth codecs and sometimes even the hardware limits of the AirPods themselves.

In this article, we’ll look at 7 proven ways to turn up the volume of AirPods (including AirPods 2, 3, Pro 1/2 generation) on Xiaomi Redmi, POCO, Mi and other smartphones. From standard MIUI settings to hidden chips in the engineering menu, you’ll find a solution regardless of the firmware version, and if the problem lies in the headphones themselves, we’ll show you how to diagnose it.

⚠️ Important: Before you change your system settings, make sure your AirPods are clean (especially the speaker grilles) and at least 30% charged. Often the cause of quiet sound is a banal clogging or battery discharge.

1. Volume Limiting in MIUI

By default, MIUI limits the maximum volume to protect hearing, and this limit can be removed or increased manually.

1. Open the Settings. → Sound and vibration.
2. Slip on Volume (or Volume Control in newer versions).
3. In the upper right corner, press on ⋮ (three dots) and select Volume settings.
4. Turn off the Safe Volume option or move the Maximum Limit slider to the right.

If there is no Safe Volume, then your device is using a different version of MIUI.

• 🔊 Go to Settings. → Special facilities → Rumor.
• 🔇 Turn off the volume limit of headphones (if any).
• 🎧 In some firmware, the option is hidden in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Music (select your player).

⚠️ Warning: raising the volume above the safe level can damage AirPods speakers or your hearing. 10-15 minute.

Make sure AirPods are connected to Xiaomi| Check headphone charge (minimum 30%)| Clear speakers of dust and earwax | Close background applications that use sound-->

2.Use of equalizer to amplify sound

The built-in equalizer in MIUI allows you to raise frequencies that are perceived as "loudness." For example, amplifying medium and high frequencies (1-6 kHz) creates an effect of increasing the overall sound level.

1. Open Settings → Sound and vibration → Equator.
2. Select Preset Customized (or Customized).
3. Pull the sliders up for the 1kHz, 2.5kHz and 6kHz bands by +3...+5dB.
4. Save your settings as a new profile (e.g. AirPods Boost).

If there is no built-in equalizer (for example, on POCO F3 or Redmi Note 10), install a third-party app:

• 🎛️ Wavelet (with support) LDAC and AAC — codecs that use AirPods).
• 🎛️ Poweramp Equalizer (works with most players).
• 🎛️ ViPER4Android (Magisk requires full-time work).

Important: If the sound becomes distorted after setting the equalizer (wheezing, crackling), reduce the amplification at high frequencies (8kHz-16kHz) or reset the settings.

Built-in MIUI|Wavelet|Poweramp|ViPER4Android|Other-->

3. Change Bluetooth codec to AAC

AirPods default to SBC (basic) or AAC (advanced) codecs when connecting to Android. AAC provides better sound quality and slightly higher volume, but sometimes MIUI forcefully switches to SBC.

1. Connect the AirPods to your smartphone.
2. Open Settings → Connected devices (or Bluetooth).
3. Put the badge on. ⚙️ near the AirPods.
4. Select Audio Codec (or Sound Quality) and set AAC.

If you do not have the option to select a codec, use the Developer Options app (you need to turn on Developer Mode):

1. Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (shap 7 times).
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find the Bluetooth Codec and select AAC.
4. Reconnect the AirPods.

⚠️ Note: on some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) The option of selecting a codec may not be available due to hardware limitations of the Helio G or Snapdragon chipset 4xx.

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If the sound is intermittent after changing the codec, go back to SBC, which means your smartphone is not running smoothly with AAC.

4.Switching off absolute volume (Absolute Volume)

Absolute Volume in Android syncs volume on the device and in the headphones, but sometimes this leads to artificially limiting the sound level.

1. Enable Developer Mode (as described above).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Find the option to turn off the absolute volume and activate it.
4. Reboot your smartphone and connect the AirPods again.

Once this feature is disabled, the volume on the AirPods and smartphone will be adjusted separately, and now you can raise the sound level on the headphones higher than on Xiaomi itself.

🔹 How to check if the shutdown has worked?

• 🎵 Turn on music and change the volume on your smartphone – the sound in AirPods should not change synchronously.
• 🔊 Use physical volume buttons on your headphones (if any) – the sound level should be adjusted independently.

5. Volume increase via engineering menu (MTK/Qualcomm)

If standard methods don't work, you can try changing the sound settings in the engineering menu. Careful: the wrong settings can cause the speakers to crash or damage!

🔹 For smartphones on MediaTek processors (Helio, Dimensity):

1. Open the Phone app and type ##36446337##.
2. Go to Hardware Testing → Audio.
3. Select Headset Mode (or Bluetooth).
4. Increase Max Vol for Media and Voice Call by 5-10 units (no more!).
5. Save the settings and restart the device.

🔹 For smartphones on Snapdragon (Qualcomm):

1. Enter ##8999## or #4636###.
2. Select Audio → Volume.
3. Find the Sph Max Vol and Media Max Vol lines and increase the values by 2-3 points.
4. Don’t change the Mic Gain settings – it can ruin the microphone!

⚠️ Note: changes to the engineering menu are not saved after resetting or updating the firmware. Also on some models (Xiaomi 12 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra) access to the engineering menu may be blocked.

6. Checking for hardware problems

If none of the software methods worked, maybe the problem lies in the AirPods themselves or the Bluetooth module of a smartphone.

• 🔍 Test on another device: connect AirPods to an iPhone or other Android smartphone. If the sound is the same quiet, the problem is the headphones.

🔹 Frequent hardware causes of silent sound:

• 🛠️ Clogging of speakers (especially after wearing in dusty conditions or playing sports).
• 🔋 Battery wear (at a discharge below 20%, AirPods automatically reduce volume).
• 📡 Bluetooth interference (if other wireless devices are running nearby at 2.4 GHz frequency).
• 🔧 Damage to contacts (for example, after falling or getting moisture).

If the diagnosis showed a problem with AirPods, try resetting them to factory settings:

1. Put the headphones in the case and close the lid.
2. Press and hold the button on the back of the case for 15 seconds until the indicator flashes yellow.
3. Connect AirPods to Xiaomi again.

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If the volume has not recovered after the reset, and on other devices AirPods play normally - the problem is precisely in the settings or firmware of your Xiaomi.

7. Alternative methods: from firmware to repair

If all the previous methods have failed, then radical measures remain, and let's take them from the least to the most difficult ones.

• 📲 Update MIUI: Check for updates in Settings → The phone. → System update: Newer versions often fix sound problems.
• 🔄 Reset: Reset only network settings (not data!) to Settings → System system → Resetting settings → Resetting Wi-Fi, Mobile Network and Bluetooth.
• 🛠️ Firmware: If your Xiaomi supports custom firmware (like Pixel Experience or LineageOS), they may work better with AirPods.
• 🔧 Repair: If the problem is in the hardware (like a weak Bluetooth module), contact the service center. 8xx Sometimes it helps to replace the antenna module.

🔹 Should I stitch my smartphone for the sake of volume?

Castom firmware can give an increase in volume due to:

• ✅ No restrictions MIUI loudest.
• ✅ Support for aptX codec (although AirPods don’t use it).
• ✅ More flexible equalizer settings.

However, there are risks:

• ❌ Loss of guarantee.
• ❌ Possible bugs (such as problems connecting AirPods after sleep).
• ❌ Difficulty rolling back on standard firmware.

If you decide to go firmware, choose stable builds for your model on the XDA Developers or 4PDA forum.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the volume of AirPods on Xiaomi