How to remove headphones from Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the need to disable or completely remove previously used Bluetooth headphones from the list of devices. This may be necessary when selling a gadget, connecting to a new sound source, or simply to eliminate pairing errors when the phone stops seeing the headset. In the MIUI operating system and its modern version of HyperOS, the procedure for deleting connection data is simple but has its nuances.

Incorrectly removing the device can cause the phone to continue trying to connect to a broken headset, consuming battery power, or, conversely, can not find a working headphone. Understanding the difference between simply turning off and completely forgetting the device is critical to the stable operation of the wireless module. In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways to clean the pairing list.

Differences between Disabling and Deleting Device

Many users confuse a simple Bluetooth disconnection with a complete deletion of the device profile from the phone’s memory. When you press the Bluetooth off button in the notification curtain, you only break the current communication channel, but the pairing profile remains stored in the system. This means that once you turn the module back on, the phone will automatically try to connect to the last used gadget.

Complete deletion, often referred to as “Forget Device” or “Delete” in the Android interface, erases all encryption keys and settings associated with a particular headset. After this procedure, the phone will perceive your headphones as a completely new, never-connected device, this should be done if you plan to connect your headphones to another phone or if the current connection is unstable.

It's important to understand that removing the headphones from the list doesn't reset the headphones themselves. They can still be seen by other devices in search mode. If your goal is to sell the headset or give it to a friend, just removing it from a Xiaomi phone is not enough; you need to perform a reset on the headphones themselves.

⚠️ Note: Removing a device from the Bluetooth list on Xiaomi does not clear call history or media files that could have synced if the headset had such a feature, but it is guaranteed to break the digital connection of access keys.

So the choice of action depends on your ultimate goal: a connection break is enough to temporarily switch to the phone speaker, and a full profile cleanup is required to diagnose or change the owner.

Standard Removal Procedure Through Bluetooth Settings

The main and most reliable way to remove headphones from a Xiaomi phone is to use the standard operating system settings menu, which works equally stable on all versions of the MIUI and HyperOS shell, regardless of the smartphone model. First, you need to activate the wireless module, even if the device is not connected now.

Go to the main settings menu and find the Bluetooth section, which is usually located at the top of the list or inside the Connect and Sharing tab. In the menu that opens, you will see a list of My Devices or Available Devices.

Click on the arrow to the right of the device name or the gear icon to open the extended settings menu for a particular gadget. The window that opens will provide battery information, profile versions and, most importantly, the connection control button, and this is where the function you need to clean the data completely is located.

• 🔍 Click on the gear icon or arrow next to the headphone name.
• 🗑️ In the menu that opens, select the option “Unlock” or “Forget the device».
• ✅ Confirm the action in the pop-up dialog window.
• 🔄 The device will disappear from the list of saved and move to the searchable section.

Once you do this, the phone will stop automatically connecting to the headset, and if you want to use it again, you will have to re-pair the pairing mode on the headphones themselves.

Removal through the control panel and curtain

There is a faster way to break the connection and proceed to uninstall using Xiaomi’s control panel, which is convenient when you need to quickly release the communication channel, but it requires additional steps to completely remove the profile, since only the break function is usually available in the curtain.

Swipe down from the top right corner of the screen (or left, depending on the control settings) to open the control center. Find a Bluetooth card. If you have a headphone connected to your phone, you will see their name and icon. Prolonged tapping on this card or the headphone icon will redirect you directly to the Bluetooth settings menu, where you can perform the procedure described in the previous section.

Some versions of the MIUI shell allow you to control the connection directly from the My Devices widget on your desktop. If you have this widget set up, you can click on the headphone icon to turn them off. However, to completely remove (“forgetting”) you still have to go to deep system settings, since widgets are designed for quick management, not for administration of profiles.

Use quick access to quickly switch audio sources, but always consult the full settings menu to clean the device list.

Cleaning up Bluetooth cache for deletion errors

Sometimes the device is not removed in the standard way: the Forget button does not respond, or the headphones appear in the list again immediately after removal, indicating a software failure in the Bluetooth system service or an overflow of the pairing cache, in which cases interference with the system applications is required.

To solve the problem, you need to clear the data of the Bluetooth system service. Don't worry, this will not delete your personal files or photos, but reset all wireless connection settings, including the history of pairings with cars and watches. You need to go to the Settings menu → Apps → All applications.

In the app list, find the system process “Bluetooth” (may appear as “Bluetooth System App” or “Bluetooth MIDI Service”). Go to its storage and select the option “Clean” or “Delete Data” after that, the phone can restart, and the list of Bluetooth devices will be completely cleared.

Settings → Applications → All applications → Bluetooth → Clean → Clean all

This method is a "heavy artillery" and helps in 90% of cases when software glitches interfere with the normal operation of the communication module, after the procedure you will have to reconnect all the necessary gadgets.

What to do if the device is not removed or freezes

It’s not uncommon for a Xiaomi phone to “hang” when trying to remove headphones or show “Connected” status even though the headset is off, often due to background processes that hold the connection, such as synchronizing contacts or running an app to control headphones (such as Mi Buds or Xiaomi Earbuds).

The first step is to force the app associated with the headphones to stop, or simply restart the smartphone. The banal reboot clears the RAM and completes the hanging processes, after which the deletion usually goes well. If this does not help, check if any media content (music, podcast) is running in the background.

Another reason could be active "Finded Device" mode or geolocation functions if the headphones support search, and in rare cases, it helps to turn on flight mode for 10-15 seconds, which completely turns off all radio modules and resets their state.

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If the headphones are dead in connection status, try first to disable Bluetooth, then remove the device from the list (while the module is off, it is sometimes impossible, but it is worth trying), and then turn on Bluetooth again.

In cases where software methods are powerless, you may need to reset your network settings, which will return all network settings (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Mobile Networks) to factory values, which is guaranteed to delete all profiles.

Resetting the headphones themselves for complete cleaning

Removing the device from the phone is only half the battle. If you plan to connect your headphones to another phone or fix problems with desynchronizing the left and right channels, you need to reset the headphones themselves. While they're storing the old phone in memory, they may be trying to connect to it first.

The reset procedure is different for different Xiaomi, Redmi Buds and AirDots models. It usually involves holding the touch zones on the headphones themselves for 10-20 seconds before changing the color of the indicator. Some models require extracting from the case and holding the button on the case itself.

• 🎧 Put the headphones in the case and leave the lid open.
• ⏱️ Press and hold the touch zones on both headphones (or the button on the case) 10-20 seconds.
• 💡 Wait until the indicator flashes white or red (depends on the model).
• 🔌 Close the case and open it again to enter the pairing mode.

After that, the headphones will go into factory settings and be seen as a new device for any phone in range, a perfect way to prepare the gadget for sale or transfer to another user.

⚠️ Note: When resetting headphones through the case, make sure they are charged at least by 30-40%. Interrupting the reset process due to battery discharge may cause the microphone or one of the channels to malfunction.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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Completely cleaning your Bluetooth profile on your phone and resetting the headphones themselves to factory settings is the only guaranteed way to eliminate chronic connection and desynchronization problems.