Xiaomi’s modern wireless headphones, whether popular Redmi Buds or flagship Mi True Wireless Earphones, have become an integral part of digital leisure. However, the standard scheme involves connecting one device to a single sound source, which creates certain limitations in situations where you need to share audio with another. Users often wonder whether it is possible to bypass this limitation and output sound to two pairs of headsets at once.
Fortunately, the Android operating system, as well as the proprietary MIUI add-on and the new HyperOS, provide the tools to accomplish this. There are several proven methods for streaming music or video simultaneously to two different Bluetooth devices. In this article, we will take a detailed look at the software capabilities of the smartphone and the hardware features of the headphones themselves to achieve the desired result.
Before you start setting up, it's important to understand that the success of the operation depends not only on the phone model, but also on the version of the Bluetooth protocol. Dual Audio function is officially supported starting with Bluetooth 5.0, so older smartphones may not be able to cope with the task without third-party software.
Technical requirements and compatibility of devices
The first step before trying to pair two pairs of headphones is to check the technical compatibility of your smartphone. Not all Xiaomi models, even recently released, have the hardware ability to transmit two independent audio streams simultaneously. This limitation often lies in the version of the Bluetooth chip and drivers installed by the manufacturer.
Owners of budget devices in the Redmi Note series of earlier generations or older Mi flagships should prepare for the fact that the system may not allow the second headset to be connected with regular means. In such cases, the smartphone will see the device, but when you try to connect the first one, the second one will turn off. This is normal behavior for protocols below version 5.0.
- 📱 Make sure your smartphone runs Android 10 or newer for maximum stability.
- 🔊 Check the CPU specifications: Bluetooth 5.0 support is a must for native Dual Audio.
- 🎧 Both sets of headphones must be fully charged, as dual broadcasting increases the power consumption of the communication module.
It’s also worth considering that different headphone models can use different audio compression codecs, such as SBC, AAC or proprietary LHDC. When you connect two different models (for example, AirDots and Mi Noise Cancelling Earphones), the system will automatically select the most basic codec supported by both devices, which can slightly reduce the sound quality.
⚠️ Attention: If the second pair of headphones has been connected to the sound, or video delays have occurred, this indicates an overload of the data channel.
Use of Dual Audio in MIUI
Starting with certain firmware versions, Xiaomi engineers have implemented the ability to connect multiple audio devices directly to Bluetooth settings, a method that is preferred because it does not require additional software to be installed and ensures stable operation of the system.
To activate the mode, you need to go to Bluetooth settings and find the connected device. In the advanced settings of some versions of MIUI 12 and MIUI 13, a clause appears that allows you to add a second audio output device. If there is no such point explicitly, the system can automatically suggest that you connect a second headset when you try to pair while the music is playing.
☑️ Algorithm of connection through settings
The process often goes like this: you plug in the first headphones, you play music, then you put the second headphones in pairing mode and find them in the list of available devices on the phone. If the phone supports multiple connectivity, it won't turn off the first headset, but will add the second one to the active list.
It is important to note that in some regions and some firmware versions, this feature may be hidden or unstable, in which case the system may require the use of special intermediary applications or the activation of hidden developer menus, as we will discuss in the next sections.
Customization through the developer menu and special features
If the standard interface does not allow you to connect the second pair, you can turn to deep system settings. The developer menu in Android contains parameters that control the operation of the Bluetooth stack. Activation of certain options here can force the smartphone to support multiple connections, even if this feature is not included in the main menu.
To enter the developer menu, you need to click on the build number several times in the About Phone section. Once the corresponding item appears in the main settings, you should find the Bluetooth-related section. We are interested in an option that can be called “Bluetooth Audio Codec” or settings that regulate the maximum number of connected devices.
Settings → About Phone → (7 times tap on "Version MIUI") → Advanced settings → For developersInside the developer menu, you should look for items related to the Bluetooth version or the maximum number of connected devices. However, be careful: changing the settings of the codecs to incompatible ones can lead to a complete absence of sound.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Description of the impact |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth Audio Codec | SBC or AAC | Basic codecs provide better compatibility between different models |
| Max Connected Devices | Auto / 2 | Limits or Allows the Number of Simultaneous Connections |
| Bluetooth MAP Version | Default | Message Access Profile Version Affects Stability |
| A2DP Hardware Offload | Included. | Transfers sound processing to the chip, reducing the load on the CPU |
What to do if the developer menu doesn’t help?
Application of third-party applications for sound distribution
When Android’s built-in tools are exhausted, Google Play Store apps come to the rescue, designed specifically to address the issue of multiple audio output, either by creating a virtual audio device or by using Wi-Fi/LAN audio technologies to synchronize multiple smartphones with headphones connected.
One popular solution is to use apps that turn your phone into a server and other smartphones (which have second headphones connected) into clients, such as the AudioRelay or SoundSeeder app, which lets you transfer sound from your main device to other phones over Wi-Fi with minimal latency, which is a great option if your friends have smartphones too.
- 📡 Install the selected application on the main phone and on the receiver phones.
- 🔗 Connect all devices to a single Wi-Fi network to ensure stable data transfer.
- 🎧 On friends’ phones, connect their headphones and start the receiver mode in the app.
There are also apps that try to force Bluetooth system settings to allow more devices to be connected than default, but their effectiveness varies greatly from model to model, and some require special permissions through ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to work.
⚠️ Note: When using third-party applications to transmit sound over Wi-Fi, traffic consumption and battery power on all participating devices are significantly increased.
💡
To minimize latency when using synchronization applications, try to be in close proximity to the router and do not use a 2.4 GHz network if it is congested with neighboring networks.
Hardware method: Bluetooth transmitters
The most reliable way that works on any phone, regardless of the year of release and version of Android, is to use an external Bluetooth transmitter.This is a small device that connects to a smartphone via a 3.5 mm connector (AUX) or USB-C and takes on the function of creating a network for two pairs of headphones.
Modern transmitters 5.0 and higher often support Dual Link mode, allowing you to connect two receivers at once. You don't have to dig into MIUI settings or install questionable applications. You just turn on the transmitter, put it in pairing mode and take turns connecting both pairs of Xiaomi headphones to it.
These devices typically have their own battery or are powered by USB, which makes them standalone. The sound quality in this case depends on the quality of the DAC (digital-to-analog converter) of the transmitter itself and the codecs used. Many models support aptX Low Latency, which is critical for watching video without desynchronization.
💡
Bluetooth-enabled Dual Link is the only guaranteed solution for connecting two pairs of headphones to older smartphones or devices that don’t support system-level multiple connectivity.
Solution: desynchronization and sound problems
Even when two pairs of headphones are successfully connected, users may have a problem with desynchronization, where the sound in one device is a fraction of a second behind the other, especially when watching videos or playing rhythmic games, and the reason lies in the difference in buffering and signal processing speeds between different chips.
To minimize this effect, try changing the “Bluetooth Audio Codec” value to SBC in your Bluetooth settings (in the developer menu). Although this codec provides less sound quality than AAC or aptX, it is the most stable and versatile, which often helps to align streams.
It’s also worth checking if one of the devices is power-saving, which can limit the operation of the Bluetooth module to save charge.Switching off battery optimization for Bluetooth system services can improve connection stability.
If the sound disappears in one of the channels, try to “forget” the device in the Bluetooth settings and conduct the pairing procedure again, connecting first one pair, waiting for stable operation, and only then initiating the connection of the second.