How to reduce the sound of notifications on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often encounter intrusive beeps that can be too loud in a quiet environment. Standard volume sliders do not always allow you to accurately adjust the sound level specifically for system events, leaving them at the level set by the manufacturer by default. This creates discomfort when the quiet ringtone of an incoming call is adjacent to a sharp signal about the arrival of a letter or message in the messenger.

Fortunately, the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS provide advanced options for fine-tuning audio profiles. You don’t need to be a technician to change these settings, but the standard menu often hides the options behind additional tabs. Understanding the logic of how the volume mixer works will help you make using your smartphone more comfortable.

In this article, we will take a look at all the options available, from simple button actions to advanced settings in the developer menu and system files, and learn not only to lower the overall level, but also to completely disable annoying interface sounds, while keeping the volume of the media at a high level.

Basic setting through volume menu

The most obvious and quickest way to change the sound settings is to use physical buttons on the device body, so when you press the volume button, the corresponding slider appears on the screen, but if you just click on the gear icon or three dots, you will see an extended mixer where you can control different channels separately.

In the menu that opens, you'll see a few sliders: for media, for a call, for an alarm clock, and most importantly for our task, for notifications. By dragging the notification slider to the left, you lower the volume of system sounds and app alerts. Note that in some versions of the firmware, this slider may be called "Sound" or combined with system sounds.

If the standard notification slider is not in the extended menu, it may mean that the current sound profile is blocked or hidden, in which case you need to check the active sound profile, switching, for example, to "No Sound" or "Vibration", and then returning to General mode to reset possible software interface errors.

It is worth noting that settings made through the physical interface are often temporary and can be reset when you switch profiles or reboot the device if not saved in deep system settings.

Advanced settings in the section "Sound and vibration"

For more detailed management, you need to go to the deep menu of settings with the operating system. Follow the Settings → Sound and vibration path, where you can access all the audio options of your Xiaomi. This is where the switches that affect the behavior of sound in various use cases.

In this section, look for the option “UI Sounds” or “Tap Sounds” to disable this feature, which will remove clicks when typing and clicking on controls, which is often perceived by users as unnecessary noise, and you can adjust the volume of the lock screen, which may be too loud by default.

Special attention should be paid to the “Do Not Disturb” section, which, unlike full silent mode, you can create flexible rules, for example, you can set up automatic reduction of all sounds, except calls from favorite contacts, at certain times of the day.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling system interface sounds may cause you to stop hearing confirmation of actions, such as when you unlock your screen or enter your password incorrectly.

Additionally, this menu often features a "Color up in your pocket" or similar feature that uses a second microphone to amplify the sound of a call, although it can sometimes affect the overall dynamics of notification playback if the algorithm is not working properly.

Sound management in the "Safety" application

A unique feature of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones is the availability of the system application Security, which duplicates many of the settings and adds its own use cases. Run this application and find the Acceleration section or immediately go to the sound settings if they are in a separate block.

Inside the Security app, there is often a feature called Notification Assistant or Notification Amplification, which, on the contrary, tries to make sounds more noticeable. If your goal is to keep your phone quiet, make sure that these amplification features are turned off, as they may ignore standard volume settings.

You can also set up automation scenarios here, such as making a rule that when you run certain applications (games or videos), the notification sound is automatically dimmed to a minimum, eliminating the need to adjust the sliders every time.

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Use the Pocket Mode feature in the Security app to prevent the screen and sounds in your pocket from accidentally turning on, which often leads to missed calls due to a dead battery.

Volume setting for specific applications

Modern versions of MIUI and HyperOS allow you to manage notifications at the level of each individual application, which is especially useful if you are annoyed by the sound of only one program, such as a game or news aggregator, and the rest work normally.

To do this, go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management. Select the desired application from the list. Here you will see the Sound switch. If you turn it off, you will prevent the application from making any sounds, even if the total volume of notifications is twisted to the maximum.

A more subtle setting is available from the app’s menu. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, select the right one and click Notifications. In some cases, the system allows you to select a notification category (such as Ads or Personal Messages) and set your priority level and sound for each category.

It is important to understand that some applications may have their own internal audio settings that overlap the system. Always check the settings inside the application if system methods do not produce the desired result.

Use of sound modes and automation

For those who prefer automation, Xiaomi offers powerful scripting tools: You can set the phone up so that it switches to quiet mode itself when connecting to home Wi-Fi or at a certain time.

Use the Digital Well-Being feature or embedded scripts in the Settings menu → Special Opportunities → Scenarios. Create a new scenario: choose Connected to Wi-Fi (Home Network) as a condition and by action, Set a sound profile: No sound" or "Reduce the volume of notifications.

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Automating through scripts is the best way to forget about manual volume control in different situations.

Also worth mentioning is the In-Pack or Sleep mode, which can be activated by voice or schedule, in which all incoming sounds, except the alarm clock, will be ignored or played at a minimum volume, providing you with uninterrupted rest.

⚠️ Warning: When setting up automatic scripts, make sure the trigger condition is specific enough, otherwise the phone may become silent at the most inopportune moment, such as at an important meeting.

Remember that activating Do Not Disturb mode through the notification curtain is a quick way to temporarily fix the problem, but it is not a permanent setup.

Advanced Methods: Engineering Menu and ADB

For users who are ready for more complex manipulations, there is the possibility of changing the system volume limits through the engineering menu or ADB commands. This allows you to reduce the sound below the minimum value available with standard sliders, which is important for devices with very loud speakers.

To access the engineering menu, dial ##6484## (CIT) in the "ringer." However, direct change of audio settings here requires caution. A safer method is to use the ADB command line on your computer. Connect your phone, enable debugging over USB and type a command to reduce the volume step.

adb shell settings put global volume_steps_speaker 15

This command (roughly, it can vary depending on the Android version) changes the number of volume steps, making each step smaller. So even at the minimum level, the sound will be quieter than the factory minimum. Changing system parameters through the ADB can lead to unstable audio driver operation, so back up the settings.

There is also the possibility of editing the file. mixer_paths.xml It's the root of the system, but it requires super-user rights and deep knowledge of audio codecs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)