How to make headphones on Xiaomi smartphone louder: all working ways

Why Xiaomi Headphones Are Quiet and Can It Be Fixed?

You plugged your headphones into the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5, turned on your favorite track — and the sound is barely discernible even at maximum? This problem is familiar to many Xiaomi smartphone owners, and the reasons can lie in both the software limitations of MIUI and the hardware features of the device.

EU restrictions (if your smartphone is designed for the European market, the manufacturer artificially lowers the maximum volume due to safety regulations).

Unoptimized sound settings in firmware (especially relevant for low-end models like Redmi 10A or POCO M5).

• Driver problems or firmware conflicts (e.g., after the MIUI 14 update on HyperOS).

The good news is that 90 percent of the time, you can turn up the volume without root rights and without the risk of damaging the speakers, and here are proven ways, from the simplest to the most advanced, with detailed instructions and warnings about the possible consequences.

1. Enable sound amplification in the MIUI settings

The first thing to check is the built-in audio options in MIUI. Many users don't know that Xiaomi smartphones have hidden volume controls for headphones that are turned off by default.

How to activate them:

• 🔊 Open the Settings. → Sound and vibration.
• 🎧 Scroll down to the Sound Quality section and select Headphone Settings (or Sound Effects on Older Versions) MIUI).
• 🔄 Enable the option of Headphone Amplifier or Dolby Atmos (if available). on some models (Xiaomi 13 Pro, POCO F5) There is also a slider Headphones volume - move it to the right.
• 🔒 Save the changes and check the sound.

If there's no headphone settings, then your model doesn't support it, so move on to the next one.

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On models with HyperOS (e.g. Xiaomi 14), the path to settings may differ: Settings → Connected devices → Headphones → Additional.

2. Use the Engineering Menu (without root)

The engineering menu is a hidden partition of Android where you can manually adjust audio settings, including volume limits. On Xiaomi, it is available without root rights, but requires caution: improper changes can lead to distortion of the sound or even damage to the speakers.

Instructions for most models (Redmi, POCO, Xiaomi):

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##36446337###
2. You'll be taken to EngineerMode (if the combination doesn't work, try ##4636## → Hardware Testing → Audio).
3. Go to Hardware Testing → Audio → Headset Mode.
4. Here you will see Max Vol settings for different types of headphones. By default, the values are usually 150 or 160 – increase them to 180-200 (but not higher!).
5. Press Set and restart your smartphone.

Important: Values above 200 can cause sound distortion or overload on headphone speakers, especially on low-cost models.

3. Install applications to amplify sound

If the built-in settings don't work, third-party utilities will come to the rescue, and they work as an intermediate amplifier, increasing the volume at the software level.

How to use the Volume Booster:

• 📥 Install the application and open it.
• 🔊 Move the Media Volume slider 120-150% (don’t put 200% – it’s fraught with distortions!).
• 🎵 Turn on the music and check the sound. If you get wheezing, reduce the amplification.
• 🔒 In the application settings, turn off advertising (if it interferes with the application).

Don’t get the maximum boost right away – start with 110-120%

Check the sound on different tracks (some formats may be more distorted)

Turn off the amplifier if the headphones start to "wheez" or warm up

Do not use cheap high-amplification headphones – the risk of damage to the speakers-->

4.Tune the equalizer to increase volume

The equalizer does not increase volume directly, but it can optimize the sound by making it clearer and louder by raising certain frequencies, which is especially useful for headphones with poor sound insulation (for example, Xiaomi Basic or Redmi Buds 3 Lite).

How to set up a built-in equalizer on Xiaomi:

1. Open Settings → Sound and vibration → Sound quality → Equalizer.
2. Choose a Bass or Rock preset – these usually amplify the low and medium frequencies, which subjectively makes the sound louder.
3. If you need to adjust more accurately, select User and lift the sliders to 100 Hz, 250 Hz and 1 kHz by +3-5 dB.
4. Save the profile and check the sound.

For more flexible customization, install Wavelet (free equalizer with support for LDAC and aptX):

• 🎛 Download Wavelet from Play Market.
• 🔧 Turn on AutoEQ for your headphone model (if it is in the database).
• 📈 Manually lift sliders at 60-250 Hz (for bass) and 1-4 kHz (for vocals).
• 🔊 Enable the Limiter option to avoid distortion.

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The equalizer doesn't increase physical volume, but by adjusting the frequencies, the sound is perceived as more intense and louder, which is safer than software amplification, but requires fine tuning.

5. Update the firmware or roll back to the old version of MIUI

Sometimes a quiet sound problem occurs after a firmware update, such as Xiaomi 11T users complaining about the volume drop after switching to MIUI 13, and POCO F3 owners complaining about the upcoming HyperOS update.

• 🔄 Reverse to the old version (if the problem has appeared recently). To do this, download the desired firmware from xiaomifirmwareupdater.com and run through Fastboot.
• 🆕 Update to the latest version (if the bug has already been fixed). → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 📦 Install custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience or LineageOS) where there are no restrictions MIUI. Requires unlocking the loader.

Before rolling back the firmware, back up the data through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.

6. Check the headphones and connector (hardware problems)

If the software methods didn’t help, there may be a hardware problem:

• 🎧 Headphones: Try other headphones — if the sound gets louder, the problem is the old ones. Clean the 3.5mm jack (if you have one) of dust with a toothpick or compressed air. For Bluetooth headphones (Redmi Buds 4, Xiaomi FlipBuds Pro), reset: Press the power button for 10 seconds before the indicator flashes.
• 📱 Smartphone: Check the Type-C connector for damage (especially if the headphones are adaptable). Turn off Bluetooth and restart the phone - sometimes the drivers will freeze. → 3.5mm, try another one (cheap adapters often limit volume).

⚠️ Note: If after connecting headphones smartphone gives an error "Accessories not supported", do not try to bypass it software - this may indicate a malfunction of the connector or a short circuit in the headphones.

7.Extreme measures: Unlocking the bootloader and Magisk

If nothing works, you can unlock the bootloader and install Magisk modules to deep tune the sound, which is only suitable for advanced users, because:

• ⚠️ Drops all the data on the phone.
• ⚠️ Deprived of warranty (if the device is new).
• ⚠️ Can lead to a "brick" in case of error.

How it works:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (requires an account binding Mi).
2. Install TWRP and run Magisk.
3. In Magisk, install modules: ViPER4Android FX for fine tuning the sound. Audio Modification Library - removes volume restrictions.

Settings → Sound

Detailed guides for unlocking specific models look for on XDA Developers or in thematic chats (for example, @miui_ru Telegram).

⚠️ Note: On HyperOS models (e.g. Xiaomi 14), the unlocking process has changed, requiring a 168-hour wait after the account is linked.

FAQ: Frequent questions about headphone volume on Xiaomi