How to reduce the volume of notifications on Android Xiaomi: the complete guide

Why Xiaomi Notifications Are Too Loud and How to Fix It

Have you ever shuddered at the sharp sound of a notification in the middle of the night? Xiaomi smartphones based on MIUI are known for their loud default alarms - it's part of the brand identity. But if standard settings interfere with your comfort, they are easy to reconfigure. The problem is that many users are unaware of the hidden system options that allow you to flexibly control the sound.

In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to reduce the volume of notifications – from basic settings to advanced tricks with the help of the user. MIUI. You will learn how to separately adjust the sounds of messages, alarms and system alerts, as well as how to use Do Not Disturb modes for automatic monitoring. We're going to focus on the Redmi Note 12. POCO X5 and other relevant devices of 2023-2026.

It's important to understand that the problem isn't always the notifications themselves. Sometimes it's the malware apps (like instant messengers or games) that ignore the system's audio settings. We'll show you how to rein in those programs. And if you like silence but are afraid to miss the important ones, there's a bonus section at the end of the article about vibration and light signals as an alternative to sound.

Method 1: Basic volume setting through the control panel

The most obvious but often ignored method is to use quick settings. On most Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi 10, POCO F4 and newer models) it is enough:

1. Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification bar.
2. Find the volume slider (usually to the right of the speaker icon).
3. Touch the gear icon next to the slider.

A menu will open where you can adjust separately:

• 🔔 Notification volume (including SMS, messengers, system alerts)
• 🎵 Media (music, video, games)
• 📞 Calls and alarms

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If the volume slider doesn't respond to touch, check if Do Not Disturb (DND) mode is activated. Its icon looks like a crossed bell in the notification panel.

Note that some MIUI 14+ firmwares, when you press the gear, open an extended audio menu with additional options, such as Adaptive Sound (automatic adjustment to ambient noise), and if your goal is to completely turn off the notification sound without affecting the media, this is the fastest way.

Method 2: Separate adjustment of sounds in system settings

If you don't have the flexibility you need to set up fast, go to the full audio menu.

1. Open the Settings. → Sound and vibration.
2. Choose Volume.
3. Turn off the option to change the volume with buttons if it is active (this will prevent random changes in sound by physical buttons).
4. Manually adjust the sliders for each type of sound.

On MIUI 13/14, there is also the Quiet Mode option, which mutes all sounds except alarms and media. Good for night time. And if your smartphone supports dual speakers (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi K60), in this menu you can adjust the sound balance between the top and bottom speakers.

Method 3: Do Not Disturb Mode and Silence Schedules

If you need to automatically turn down the volume at a certain time (for example, at night), use Do Not Disturb (DND) mode.

1. Go to Settings → Sound and vibration → Do not disturb.
2. Activate the switch to turn on automatically.
3. Select Schedule and specify a time interval (for example, 23:00-7:00).
4. In the Exclusions section, add important contacts or apps (such as alarm clocks or family calls).

MIUI 14 has a Do Not Disturb Adaptive Mode option that analyzes your habits and automatically turns on silence when you sleep or work.

• 📱 Vibration (to completely disable or leave only for important notifications)
• 💡 Screenlight (notifications will come without sound but with a flash)
• 🔕 Full lock (even vibration and light switch off)

Note that on some models (such as the POCO X3 Pro), Do Not Disturb mode may conflict with proprietary features like the Game Turbo. If the sound is still loud after activating the DND, try turning off the game amplifiers in the settings.

Method 4: Individual settings for applications

Not all notifications are equally important, like the sound of the bank's messages, and the alerts from the games can be muted, and MIUI has a tool for fine-tuning:

1. Press the notification from the desired application (for example, Telegram or VK).
2. Select Notification Management (or Notification Settings).
3. Turn off the sound or set it to a minimum in the Notification Sound section.
4. If you wish, turn off the vibration or light indication.

For mass tuning:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want (such as Instagram or TikTok).
3. Click Notifications and adjust the sound for each type of alert.

Is the sound turned off for unnecessary applications?|Whether exceptions in the regime have been verified DND?|Is the vibration tuned instead of the sound?|Are applications updated to the latest versions?-->

MIUI 14 has a notification Category feature that allows you to customize sounds separately for:

• 💬 Messages in chat rooms
• 🔔 System Alerts (updates, errors)
• 🎮 Game Events (Achievements, Invitations)

This is especially useful for gamers: you can turn off sounds from PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact, but leave notifications about new messages in Discord.

Method 5: Hidden Developer Settings for Advanced Users

If standard methods don't work, it's time to activate the developer mode, which gives you access to hidden audio parameters that Xiaomi doesn't show in the normal interface.

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Click on the MIUI version 7 times until the notification “You became a developer” appears.
3. Return to the main settings menu and open Additional settings → Developer settings.

Now find these options:

• 🔊 Turn off absolute volume – allows you to adjust the volume separately for each type of sound (useful if the sliders in the usual settings do not work).
• 🎛️ Sound debugging – you can limit the maximum volume for notifications (e.g., set a limit of 50% of the maximum).
• 📊 Sound visualization – shows current volume levels in real time (helps diagnose problems).

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The "Switch off absolute volume" option solves the problem when changing the volume with the buttons simultaneously changes the sound of notifications and media, and once activated, the sliders become independent.

Be careful: Incorrect settings in developer mode can cause sound crashes or even reboot the device. If the sound is lost after the changes, reset the developer settings to standard or restart the phone.

⚠️ Warning: Some models (Redmi Note 11, POCO M4 Pro) may have additional items in the audio menu activated after the developer mode is activated, such as Volume Normalization, which aligns the volume between applications, but sometimes makes the notifications too quiet. Turn it off if the sound is barely audible.

Method 6: Alternative signals - vibration and light indication

If you want to completely opt out of sound notifications, but don’t miss important messages, use:

• 📳 Vibration – You can customize unique patterns for different applications (e.g., one short tap for SMS and three long ones for WhatsApp).
• 💡 Light indication – flashing of the screen or LED-lamps (if you have one on your model).
• 🖼️ Pop-up notifications – text banners that don’t make a sound.

How to set up:

1. For vibration: Settings → Sound and vibration → Vibration at notifications. You can choose the vibration style or create your own.
2. For light indication: Settings → Screen. → Notifications (not available on all models).
3. For pop-up notifications: Settings → Notifications → Pop-up notifications.

Xiaomi. 13T And other flagships have Ambient Display (always active screen), which shows notifications without sound. POCO F5 You can set the color indication for different types of notifications (e.g., green for the notification). SMS, messenger-blue).

⚠️ Note: On budget models (Redmi) A2, POCO C55) Light displays are often missing due to hardware limitations, in which case use vibration or third-party apps like Light Flow (requires root rights on new versions of Android).

Method 7: Third-party applications for fine-tuning sound

If embedded tools MIUI If you don't like it, installing third-party utilities will help you achieve perfect silence:

• 🔇 Volume Slider – Adds individual sliders for each sound type to the notification panel.
• 🎚️ Precise Volume – allows you to adjust the volume in 1% increments (instead of the standard 15 levels in the volume). MIUI).
• 🛠️ MacroDroid – Automates the volume change over time, location or connected devices (e.g., muffles the sound when you’re at work).

For installation:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Provide the necessary permissions (access to notifications, change system settings).
3. Set up profiles or rules to automatically control sound.

For example, in MacroDroid, you can create a rule:

IF [Time between 22:00 and 08:00] → TR [Set the volume of notifications at 0%, turn on vibration]

Please note: on Android 13+ (including MIUI 14) many sound control applications require special permissions through ADB. Without them, they can't change the system settings. ADB There is in the documentation for each annex.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Sometimes, even after all the settings, the notifications remain loud, and let’s look at the typical reasons and ways to fix them:

If the problem persists, try:

1. Update the firmware to the latest version (in new versions) MIUI Often correcting sound bugs).
2. Clear the Settings app cache (Settings → Applications → Application Management → Settings → Clear the cache).
3. Perform a reset of all settings (not data!) through Settings → About phone → Reset settings.

⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi) 9A, POCO M3) And when you reset, you can lose the sound in the speaker, because of the hardware constraints of the budget devices, and then you can only do it by flashing it or going to the service center.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions