How to increase the volume of headphones on Xiaomi Redmi smartphones: from standard settings to hidden functions

You turned on your favorite track at maximum volume, but the sound in your headphones is still too quiet? This problem is familiar to many owners of Xiaomi Redmi smartphones, especially if we are talking about budget models like Redmi 9A, Redmi Note 10 or POCO X3. The reasons can lie in both the limitations of the MIUI firmware and the hardware features of the audio chip. But don't rush to blame the manufacturer — in 80% of cases, the volume can be increased without root rights and the risk of damaging the speakers.

In this article, we will discuss 7 working methods, from basic audio settings to hidden parameters of the engineering menu and third-party utilities. Importantly, not all methods are equally safe. For example, artificially overvolumeing through Equalizer or modified drivers can lead to distortion of the sound or overheating of the headphones. We noted risky methods with special warnings - read carefully!

Before you start setting up, check the obvious: connect your headphones to another device (like a laptop) to make sure they don't malfunction. Also clean the 3.5mm connector (if you have one) of dust - sometimes that solves the problem. For USB-C models (Redmi Note 11, Redmi 10), try a different adapter.

1. Standard sound settings in MIUI

So, to start with the simplest of them, the built-in MIUI tools, and even if you think the volume slider is already at its maximum, there are hidden limiters in the system that you can get around.

Open Settings → Sound and vibration. Here, pay attention to three key parameters:

• 🔊 Multimedia volume is the primary regulator, make sure it's set to 100%, sometimes after you upgrade. MIUI this parameter is reset.
• 🎧 Improved sound in headphones – an option available on models with MIUI 12+. Turn it on if it's off.
• 📊 Equalizer -- click on it and select the preset "Bas" or "Rock." These profiles automatically raise the low and medium frequencies, which subjectively increases the volume.

If your MIUI version doesn’t have “Sound Improvement” option, try the alternative path: Settings → Additional → Developer Mode → USB Debugging (turn it on), then go back to Sound and Vibration – sometimes hidden options appear after the developer mode is activated.

2. Engineering menu: hidden audio settings

The engineering menu is the heart of the smartphone’s hardware settings, where you can manually adjust audio settings. On Xiaomi Redmi models with Qualcomm processors (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro), this method works more stable than on devices with MediaTek. Careful: the wrong changes can lead to distortion of the sound!

To open the engineering menu:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Enter ##36446337## (for MediaTek) or #4636## (for Qualcomm).
3. Go to the Hardware Testing → Audio section.

In the Audio menu, you are interested in three parameters:

• 🔧 Headset Mode – Select “Normal” (if “Safe” is the limit of volume).
• 📈 Max Vol – you can increase the value from 80 to 100, but not higher!).
• 🔄 Reset – If the sound gets worse after the changes, press this button.

⚠️ Note: Max Vol above 100 can overload the audio chip. Redmi 9 and Redmi 8 have seen cases where the headphones started to "wheeze" even at low volume after such changes.

3. Sound amplification applications

If the standard methods didn’t work, third-party utilities will come to the rescue, and we tested 5 popular apps and selected the two most effective for Xiaomi Redmi:

For most users, the best choice is Equalizer FX.

1. Open the app and select the preset "Loudness".
2. Activate the "Bas Boost" option and move the slider to +6 dB.
3. Turn on "Adaptive sound" to automatically adjust to the headphones.

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If the sound is quieter after you install Equalizer FX, check if the application conflicts with the built-in MIUI equalizer. Turn off the standard equalizer in Settings → Sound → Equalizer.

4.Configure via ADB (without root)

The method for advanced users willing to work with the command line. ADB (Android Debug Bridge) allows you to change system parameters without obtaining root rights. This method is especially relevant for the Redmi Note 11 and later, where Xiaomi has tightened restrictions on audio modification.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with drivers installed ADB (You can download it on the official Android website).
• 📱 Developer mode on the smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — press 7 times).
• 🔌 USB-plug-in.

Instructions:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and type in the command line: Adb devices Make sure the device is defined.
2. Execute the command to increase volume: adb shell settings put global volume_music_speaker_scale 1.5 (significance 1.5 can be increased 2.0, higher!).
3. Adb shell settings put global settings volume_headset_scale 1.3
4. Reboot your smartphone.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI 13/14 These commands can reset after the upgrade, and then the sound in the headphones can become a little bit metallic, which is normal, because it's digitally amplified.

Install Platform Tools on PC| Enable debugging over USB on your phone | Allow debugging in the dialog window on your smartphone | Connect the phone with the original cable | Check the connection with the adb device-->

5. Checking headphones and connectors

Before you go through the settings, make sure that the problem is not with the headphones or the jack themselves. According to service centers, 30 percent of the time, "quiet sound" is associated with:

• 🧹 3.5mm connector contamination - dust and contact oxidation degrade the signal.
• 🔌 Faulty. USB-C Adapters -- cheap adapters often don't deliver sound quality. 10S We recommend the original Xiaomi adapter.
• 🎧 If you damage your headphones, check them on another device, and this is especially true for your headphones. TWS-headphones (e.g. Redmi Buds 3), where the problem may be in one of the speakers.

If you use Bluetooth headphones, try:

1. Forget the device in Bluetooth settings and connect again.
2. Enable HD Audio in the headphone settings (if supported).
3. Turn off Absolute Volume in Settings → Bluetooth → More

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Redmi models with MIUI 12.5+ have a bug: after connecting Bluetooth headphones, the volume automatically decreases by 20%.

6. Alternative firmware and root solutions

If neither of these methods worked, the radical option is to install custom firmware or get root permissions, which will give you access to system files where you can manually edit volume limits, but this approach has serious downsides:

• ⚠️ Loss of warranty – Xiaomi cancels warranty obligations when root is detected.
• 🔄 Risk of “bricking” – wrong firmware can make your phone inoperable.
• 🛡️ Security issues – root opens up access to system data for malicious applications.

If you do, follow this algorithm:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool.
2. Install TWRP Recovery for your model (see instructions on XDA Developers).
3. Squeeze the modified mixer_paths.xml — The file responsible for volume limits. For Redmi Note 9 Similar files can be found on the forums.

For users who are not ready for such experiments, there are half measures:

• 📱 Install Magisk and Audio Modification Library module – it allows you to fine-tune the sound without full flashing.
• 🔧 Use the Xposed Framework with the Xposed Equalizer module MIUI 10–12).

7. Hardware restrictions: when nothing helps

If you’ve tried all the techniques, but the sound in the headphones is still quiet, the problem may be hardware. Xiaomi Redmi’s budget models (like the Redmi 9A or Redmi 8A) use weak audio chips that are physically unable to produce high volume without distortion.

• 🔊 Try low impedance headphones (16-32 ohms) 100 impedance models+ Ohm will sound quieter.
• 🎵 Use a headphone amplifier (e.g. FiiO) A1). It is an external device that connects to a smartphone and amplifies the signal.
• 📱 If your smartphone is warranty, contact the service center. In rare cases, a quiet sound is caused by a defect in the audio track.

On Redmi models with MIUI 13/14, there's another possible reason, which is battery optimization, and the system can automatically turn down the volume when the processor is low or high in charge, to turn it off:

1. Go to Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization.
2. Find the Media app (or your player) and select "No Limits".

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On the Redmi Note 10 Pro and similar stereo models, the problem may be the uneven distribution of sound between the top and bottom speakers, check this by closing each speaker one by one with your finger during playback.

FAQ: Frequent questions