How to Remove Keyboard Sound on Xiaomi 8: Deep Sound Customization

Modern smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi 8 are complex multimedia devices where every tactile response and audio accompaniment of actions is carefully thought out by developers. However, in everyday use, especially at night or in quiet public places, the intrusive clicking at each press of a virtual button can be a serious irritant. Users often face a situation where standard methods of turning off sound do not work, since the MIUI system has a complex hierarchy of settings separating media sounds, calls and system notifications.

Understanding how to remove the keyboard sound on Xiaomi 8 requires not just moving the volume slider, but diving into the settings of the specific keyboard and system parameters used for Android. Owners of the flagship models of the past, which include the Mi 8, often appreciate them for stability, but the audio management interface here can differ from new versions of the shell. It is important to distinguish between the system press sound that comes from the operating system itself and sound packages built directly into the keyboard application, such as the Gboard or SwiftKey.

In this article, we will discuss in detail all possible ways to solve the problem, including hidden menus and specific accessibility settings. On Xiaomi smartphones with a MIUI shell, the sound of the keyboard often depends on the chosen system theme, which is a unique feature of this platform. We will consider not only standard algorithms, but also the nuances that can occur when using third-party launchers or modified versions of firmware.

Standard settings of the Gboard keyboard

In most cases, Xiaomi devices have Google’s Gboard keyboard installed by default, which has its own system-independent set of audio settings. To access the audio response management, you need to go to the app’s settings menu, rather than looking for sliders in the smartphone’s general sound menu. Open any application that requires text input, click on the gear icon on the top of the keyboard, or find the app in the installed program list.

Once you log into the Gboard menu, you should select the input preferences section, which is where you can find the haptic and audio feedback settings, and you need to find the key settings item where you normally hide the sound switch, and it's important to note that even if you have a silent mode, the keyboard can ignore it if you have forced voice acting inside your settings.

Inside the preferences menu, you need to find the option "Sound when you press the keys" or similar wording. If you move the slider to the "Off" position, you turn off the built-in sounds of the keyboard itself. However, if there are still clicks, then the system sound of the interface is activated, which is superimposed on top of the application settings.

You should also look at the Settings section at the bottom of the keyboard menu, where there may be additional options for people with disabilities, which sometimes duplicate audio features. Make sure that there are no forced voice functions activated. For Mi 8 owners, this is especially true, since the device came in an era of active implementation of new accessibility standards in Android.

System settings of sound and vibration in MIUI

If the internal keyboard settings didn’t help, the problem goes deeper into the system settings of the MIUI shell. Android splits the sound streams into several categories, and the keyboard clicks are often followed by the System Sounds or Interface Sounds stream. To manage them, go to the main smartphone settings menu and select the Sound and Vibration section.

In this section, you'll see a few volume sliders. We're not interested in Media or Call, but System Sounds or Interface Sounds. Disabling this option completely removes the standard system clicks, including the lock-screen sound, unlock sound and, importantly for us, typing sound. On the Xiaomi Mi 8, this slider can be hidden under the "Additional Sound Settings" button.

There's also a nuance associated with Do Not Disturb mode. In some versions of MIUI, activating this mode automatically silences system sounds but leaves media content. This can be a temporary solution if you need to urgently remove the keyboard sound in a meeting without changing the global settings. However, for a permanent solution, it's better to use direct volume sliders control.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling system sounds may cause you to stop hearing beeps when you unlock the screen or enter an incorrect password, which reduces the device’s usability in blindness.

Settings of special features and tactile response

Often users confuse sound and vibration, or the system offers comprehensive management of these parameters through the menu of special features. Xiaomi smartphones have a separate section dedicated to improving accessibility, where you can duplicate the settings of the audio input. Go to Settings → Additional → Special features.

You should look for a section that is related to the keyboard or text input. In some MIUI builds, there is a keyboard sound feature in this particular menu, which takes precedence over standard settings, and there may be a "Vibration on press" setting, which many users turn off along with the sound to create a completely silent mode of operation.

Notice the "Tactile Response" option, which is responsible for vibration, but on some models, including the Mi 8, there's a software bundle where, when the tactile response is turned on, the audible signal is automatically activated to confirm the action, and try turning off the keyboard vibration in the same menu and check if the sound is gone.

Sound management through engineering menu and ADB

For advanced users who want to achieve absolute silence and have access to a computer, there is a method to turn off the sound through debugging. ADB (Android Debug Bridge. This method allows you to directly interact with system databases of settings, bypassing the graphical interface. To do this, you need to turn on the developer mode on Xiaomi Mi 8, go to “About Phone” and several times click on the version. MIUI.

After you turn on USB debugging and connect your smartphone to your PC, you can use the command to change the global sound variable.

adb shell settings put global sound_effects_enabled 0

This command forcibly disables all system sound effects, including keyboard sound, at the core level of the system, and it's important to understand that this will affect not only the keyboard, but also other system sounds, such as camera clicks (in some regions) and locking sounds, and you can reverse it by replacing the "0" with the "1" at the end of the command.

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Before using ADB commands, be sure to back up important data, as interference with system settings can lead to unstable interface operation.

The alternative is to use an engineering menu available via dialer code (e.g. ##6484##), however, on global versions of Xiaomi firmware, access to sound tests there is often limited or requires a special password, so the ADB method is considered more versatile for the Mi 8.

Impact of Design Themes and Third-Party Launchers

A unique feature of Xiaomi’s ecosystem is the Themes app. Third-party themes often contain their own audio assets that replace standard system sounds. If you set up a bright, custom theme, it could bring with it a new, louder keyboard sound that doesn’t turn off with standard sliders.

To check this out, go to the Themes app, open a profile, and select a classic Unnamed theme or a standard MIUI theme. After applying a standard theme, check the keyboard sound. If it's gone or quieter, it's a problem with third-party audio files, a common situation for Mi 8 owners who like to customize the interface.

Third-party launchers can also have an impact, although they are less likely to interfere with system input sounds. However, if you use custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Xiaomi.eu), the paths to settings may differ from stock ones, in which case it is recommended to look for the "Sound" section in the firmware settings themselves.

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Changing the theme of the design to the standard is the fastest way to diagnose whether a third-party file is the cause of a loud keyboard sound.

Solving problems with third-party keyboards

If you don't use standard Gboard, but you prefer products from Yandex, SwiftKey or others, the logic of turning off the sound remains similar, but the paths may differ. In SwiftKey, for example, you need to click on the settings icon on the keyboard, select Sound and Vibration, and then adjust the volume or turn it off completely. The algorithm for all input applications is the same: find the settings of the application itself, not the phone.

In the Yandex keyboard, the audio settings are often hidden in the menu called by (long tap) a comma or through the settings icon in the corner. There is also a separate volume slider. Some third-party keyboards feature the ability to use live sounds or sound packets that can ignore the system silence mode.

⚠️ Note: When updating third-party keyboards via Google Play or AppStore, the sound settings may reset to factory values, so after updating the application, it is worth rechecking the sound parameters.

For Xiaomi Mi 8 owners who have installed keyboards from unofficial sources, it is important to be careful. Some modified versions of the keyboards may not have a sound-off function or have bugs that play sound even when the speaker is off, in which case the only solution is to go back to the verified version of Gboard.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)