How to Make Headphones Louder on Xiaomi Phone: The Complete Guide

Xiaomi smartphones are famous for their value for money, but even the flagships of the Redmi Note or Mi series sometimes have limitations in the audio subsystem. Users often face a situation when connecting wired or wireless headphones, the maximum sound level is not enough to comfortably listen to music in noisy places or while traveling. This can be due to both the software limitations of regional versions of the firmware and the peculiarities of the audio chip.

Fortunately, MIUI and the more recent HyperOS provide a wealth of tools to fine-tune the audio tract. Unlike many competitors, you can tamper with system drivers and equalizers without obtaining superuser rights. In this article, we’ll look at all the legal and safe ways to get the most out of your device’s speaker system.

Basic setup of multimedia and system sliders

Before you go to complex engineering menus, you need to make sure that all the basic volume levels are twisted to the maximum. There is separate volume control for different types of events in the MIUI shell, and often users accidentally lower the media level while they are tuned to the ringtones. To check, press any volume button on the smartphone body, then tap the tripod or arrows down to deploy the full range of sliders.

Make sure the slider with the music note icon is in the extreme right position.However, that's not all: many apps like YouTube, VK Music or Spotify have their own internal volume control that can be set to 50-70%.The system volume and volume inside the app work independently, so low in the player will negate all your efforts to set up the phone.

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In some Redmi models, when you connect Bluetooth headphones, the volume level is reset. Try first to increase the volume on the earphone itself (if there are buttons), and then add the volume with the buttons of the smartphone.

It’s also worth checking your Bluetooth settings if you’re using a wireless headset. Go to Settings → Bluetooth, find a connected device in the list, and click on the gear icon next to it. There may be a “Absolute Volume” switch or level synchronization option, activation of which often solves the problem of quiet sound.

Use of the built-in equalizer Dolby Atmos and Mi Sound

One of the big things about Xiaomi smartphones is that they have advanced audio processors. Depending on the model, you can have Dolby Atmos or the branded Mi Sound Enhancer. These tools not only make the sound louder, but also change the timbre of the sound, making quiet frequencies more audible. You can find them by way of Setting → Sound and Vibration → Sound Effects.

If you have Dolby Atmos activated, try switching modes from Auto to Video or Music. Video mode often artificially amplifies dialog and background noise, which subjectively increases volume. In Mi Sound, be sure to select your headphone type from the list (e.g. Earbuds, In-ear or specific Xiaomi models).

• 🎚️ Graphic equalizer: Inside the sound settings, find "Equalizer." Try picking "Bright" or "Pop," which usually add high frequencies, which the ear perceives as an increase in volume.
• 🎧 Virtualization: Enable the option "Earphone virtualization" creates a surround sound effect, which helps to better hear details in quiet compositions.
• 📉 Night mode: Some versions MIUI have a volume leveling function that raises quiet sounds and lowers too loud ones, making the overall level more stable.

Don't be afraid to experiment with frequency sliders. If you don't have enough bass or high frequencies, adjust them manually, but remember that over-amplifying certain frequencies can lead to wheezing if the headphone speaker is not designed to handle such loads.

Activation of Bluetooth absolute volume

For wireless headsets, volume synchronization is critical. By default, Android can consider a Bluetooth device to be an independent source of sound, preventing the phone's buttons from controlling its internal amplifier. Absolute Volume combines regulators to reach 100% power.

To activate this feature, you will need access to the developer menu. Go to Settings → About the phone and quickly press 7 times on the line "Version" MIUI" or "Version." OS", until the notification "You've become a developer" appears, then go back to the main settings menu, select "More" → For developers.

In the developer's list of options, find the option "Disable absolute volume." It should be turned off. If it's on, the phone and headphones adjust the volume separately, and you can't get the maximum. If the problem persists, try also finding and switching the "Bluetooth Audio Codec" option on the SBC or AAC, as some codecs may have bitrate limits that affect volume.

⚠️ Warning: After changing the settings in the developer menu, be sure to reboot the device completely. Without rebooting, the new audio stack settings may not apply correctly.

Engineering menus and codes to amplify sound

The most powerful, but also the most risky, method is to use an engineering menu, where you can directly control (amplify) the audio track. For most Xiaomi devices with MediaTek processors, code ##3646633## is available, which opens the engineering menu. For Snapdragon processors, this path is often closed, but you can try the code ##6484## to log in to the processor. CIT-menu, although there is less sound settings.

If you manage to log into the engineering menu (Hardware Testing → Audio → Audio Debugging), you will see a volume table. We are interested in Media. Select the level corresponding to the maximum volume (usually level 5 or 6, denoted as Level 5/6 or Max Vol). In the fields "Digital Gain" or "Analog Gain" you can increase the values.

Recommended values (Gain):


Level 0: 100-120




Level 5 (Max): 140-150 (Not exceeding 155!)

When you change your values, be sure to press the Set button to save your settings. Be extremely careful: setting values above 160-170 can lead to overloading of the amplifier and severe distortion or even damage to the earphone speakers.

For Snapdragon users, there is an alternative through ADB-It's a little bit like this: adb shell settings put global settings. volume_steps_sco 15 (for Bluetooth headsets), which increases the number of volume steps, allowing you to make the sound a little quieter or louder in the intermediate values, although this will not add a maximum.

Comparison of volume-increasing methods

To make it easier for you to choose the right way, we have put the basic methods into a table, each with its own advantages and risks that you should consider before making changes.

As you can see from the table, the safest and most effective way for most users is to combine the absolute volume switching on with the equalizer setting. The engineering menu should only be used in extreme cases and only if you understand what each setting is responsible for.

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The optimal strategy is to start with the equalizer software settings and only if they are ineffective, proceed to deep system configuration.

Third-party booster apps

If built-in tools are not enough, Google Play apps come to the rescue, with leaders in this niche being Volume Booster GOODEV, Super Volume Booster and Bass Booster, which create a virtual layer on top of the system audio, amplifying the signal by software.

The way they work is simple: they add an extra to the signal that's already amplified, but it's a double-edged sword. Software amplification often causes digital distortion (clipping) when the sound wave is cropped in amplitude, and the sound becomes hoarse and unpleasant.

• 🚀 Volume Booster GOODEV: A simple interface that allows you to amplify the sound to 60%. It is recommended not to put any more 30-40%.
• 🎚️ Equalizer & Bass Booster: Combines equalizer and amplifier, has more timbre settings.
• 🔊 Precise Volume: Allows you to adjust up to 100 volume steps instead of the standard 15, which gives you more flexible control.

⚠️ Warning: Do not use volume boosters constantly at maximum power.This creates excess heat on the audio chip and can shorten the life of both the headphone speakers and the smartphone itself.

When using these apps, watch for the congestion indicator (usually lit in red). If you see a red zone, turn down the volume immediately. Also remember that some boosters require special permissions or may not work with secure content (DRM) on streaming services.

Frequent Questions and Challenges (FAQ)