How to Remove Volume Limits on Xiaomi Phone

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face the uncomfortable situation of not having the maximum volume of the speaker, especially for devices bought in Europe or destined for this market, where the legislation strictly regulates the level of sound pressure.

Fortunately, there are several proven methods to get around these software barriers and get the most out of the speaker. Some methods require a computer connection, others are available directly in the phone settings. It is important to understand that interfering with the system parameters of sound can affect the quality of the audio stream, or even lead to wheezing if the speakers are not designed to handle this load.

In this article, we will take a look at safe and advanced ways to increase volume, how to activate hidden engineering menus, use USB debugging and third-party equalizer apps, and make sure your battery is charged and important data is stored before you start any manipulations.

Reasons for low sound on Xiaomi smartphones

The main reason for the quiet sound on modern devices of the Chinese brand is compliance with EU regulations. EU 2014/53/EU requires mobile devices to have a volume limiter that prevents them from exceeding the level of the 85-100 dB. Software shell MIUI HyperOS is hard-wired to prescribe this limit in system configuration files.

Besides the legal constraints, there are technical factors: Cheap mono speakers cannot physically produce loud and clear sound at high frequencies, and volume is also affected by the presence of third-party applications that intercept audio control, or driver errors after a system update.

Sometimes the problem is that you just block the region, and if you buy a global version of the phone, but you set India or China in the settings, the system limits can change, and in some regions, the limits are higher, in others, lower, which directly affects the final volume of playback.

⚠️ Attention: Continuously playing sound at maximum volume after the restrictions are removed can overload and rupture the speaker membrane. Use high volume only when necessary.

Basic settings and region verification

Before you get to the tricky ones, you should check the standard system settings. Often users are unaware of the existence of advanced options in the special options menu. Go to Settings → Sound and Vibration → Additional audio settings. There may be a Volume Up switch that you should activate.

It is also critical to check the region you have installed. Changing the region can automatically unlock higher volume limits set for other markets. Go to Settings → Additional settings → Region and select a country where the sound requirements are less stringent, such as Singapore or the United States.

Don't forget to check third-party equalizers. The MIUI-built audio visualizer sometimes conflicts with apps like Spotify or YouTube. Try turning off all audio enhancements and check the volume in clean mode.

Using an engineering menu to customize the sound

The engineering menu is a powerful tool for diagnosing and configuring hardware components of a phone, which allows you to directly control signal amplification levels for various use cases (conversation, media, alarm clock).

Open the Phone app and dial the combination ##3646633##. If the code didn't work, try ##4636##. In the Engineer Mode menu that opens, go to the Hardware Testing tab and select Audio. Here you will need to select AudioDebug or Speech mode.

Inside the menu, you'll see a list of profiles: Normal Mode (normal mode), Headset Mode (headsets), and others. Select Normal Mode and look for Media or Media Playback. There's a scale of levels from 0 to 6 (or higher). Increase the value in the Max Vol column will raise the limit volume.

Be very careful when changing values. Too high gain can cause a big crack or completely disable the speaker, it is recommended to increase the values gradually, by 2-3 units, and immediately check the result.

Lifting restrictions through ADB-team

The most effective and safe method for Snapdragon processors is the use of Android debugging bridge (ADB). This way you can change the system variable that controls volume control in the EU without having to get root rights. USB.

First, you need to activate the developer mode on your phone. → About the phone and quickly press 7 times on the item "Version" MIUI". Then in the menu "Additional settings" include"USB-Debugging. Connect your phone to your PC and confirm debugging permission on your smartphone screen.

Run the command line on your computer in the ADB tool folder and enter the following command to check the connection:

adb devices

If the device appears in the list, execute the command to remove the volume limit:

adb shell settings put global audio_volume_step_limit 0

This command zeroes the limiting step, allowing the system to use the full volume range. To return to factory settings, use the command adb shell settings delete global settings. audio_volume_step_limit.

Third-party applications for sound amplification

If you don't want to mess with code and computer, Google Play apps will come to the rescue, and they act like software amplifiers, increasing the audio stream before it is sent to the speaker, and the leader in this category is the Volume Booster GOODEV app.

The way these tools work is simple: they create a virtual layer on top of the system sound, and once you install the application, you have to give it the necessary permissions and use the slider to set the desired amplification. 20-30%, avoid distortion.

There are also more advanced tools, like Precise Volume or Equalizer & Bass Booster, that allow you to customize frequency bands separately, which can make the sound not only louder, but also better. However, remember that any software boosters consume additional battery power.

The effect of Bluetooth codecs on volume

When using wireless headphones, the problem of quiet sound can be related to the data codec. SBC and AAC protocols have different compression algorithms, which affects the final volume. In the hidden developer menu, you can try changing the codec to aptX or LDAC, if your headphones support them.

To access these settings, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Developer. Find the Bluetooth Audio Codec. Experiment with different options, as switching to aptX HD on some devices significantly increases power output.

Also in the developer menu, you should pay attention to the item "Disable absolute volume." If you activate this option, the volume of the phone and headphones will be adjusted independently, which in some cases allows you to bypass the program limits of the signal source.

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If you change the codec and you lose the sound, just reboot the Bluetooth connection or the phone itself. Not all of the headphone bundles work properly with high bitrates.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The most stable result is a combination of the region change to Singapore and the use of the ADB-command to reset volume step limit.