Do you miss important calls because of the quiet sound on Xiaomi? Even at maximum volume, the subscriber can barely be heard, and in a noisy room you have to put the phone to your ear? The problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi, Poco and Mi smartphones - especially after MIUI updates or when using budget models with weak speakers. In this article, we will analyze all possible ways to increase the volume, including hidden settings, engineering menus and even hardware solutions for older devices.
It's important to understand that quiet sound when calling can be caused not only by software limitations, but also by physical wear of the speaker, connector contamination or audio chip malfunction. We'll start with simple methods that work 80% of the time, and then move on to advanced techniques β including editing configuration files and calibrating through the MTK Engineer Mode. If you're a Xiaomi 12T user, Redmi Note 11 or older model on MIUI 13/14 β here you'll find a solution for your case.
1. Basic volume settings in MIUI
Before digging deeper, check the obvious: it may be that the volume just went off after upgrading or plugging in the headphones. MIUI has separate regulators for call melody, notifications and multimedia - they're easy to confuse.
How to check:
- π Press the physical volume button on the side panel of the phone β Select the Call mode (Tube icon).
- π± Go to Settings. β Sound and vibration β Volume and manually adjust slider Call.
- π Make sure not to activate Do Not Disturb (crescent icon in notification curtain).
If the slider is already at its maximum, but the sound is still quiet, the problem lies deeper. On some models (for example, the Redmi 9A or Poco M3), the manufacturer artificially lowers the volume of the speaker to save battery life - this is treated only through the engineering menu.
2. Disable volume restrictions in the developer settings
MIUI hides some audio settings behind the developer mode, including the option to turn off absolute volume, which can affect the sound during calls. Here's how to find it:
- Activate Developer Mode: Settings β About Phone β MIUI Version (click 7 times in a row)
- Back to Settings β Additionally. β For developers.
- Scroll down to the Network block and turn off the option to turn off absolute volume.
- Reboot the phone.
This method is particularly effective for Qualcomm Snapdragon devices (like the Poco F3 or Xiaomi 11T). On MediaTek processors (Redmi 10, Note 9 Pro models), this setting may not be available β then move on to the next method.
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If the sound becomes too loud and distorted after turning off Absolute Volume, return the option back and try the method with the engineering menu.
3. Volume increase via engineering menu (MTK/Qualcomm)
The engineering menu is a hidden settings section where you can manually calibrate audio settings. Be careful: improper changes can cause sound to crash. The instructions for MediaTek and Qualcomm chipsets are different.
For MediaTek processors (Redmi 9, Note 8, Poco M2, etc.)
- π Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##36446337##
- π§ Go to the Hardware Testing section β Audio β Normal Mode.
- π Select Speaker and increase Max Vol (maximum volume) by 5-10 units from the current one.
- πΎ Save the settings and restart the phone.
For Qualcomm processors (Mi 11, Poco X3, Redmi K40, etc.)
- π Enter the dialer: ##4636##
- π§ Select Information β Audio.
- π Find the Ring Volume parameter and increase its value (e.g., from 5 to 7).
On dual-speaker models (such as the Xiaomi 12 Pro or Redmi K50), youβll have to configure each speaker separately β look for Speaker 1 and Speaker 2.
What to do if the engineering menu is not opened?
4. Testing the speaker for physical malfunctions
If the software methods didn't work, the problem could be hardware.
| Symptoms. | Possible cause | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| The sound is quiet only when talking (dynamically normal) | Contamination of the conversational speaker (dust, moisture) | Alcohol/compressed air cleaning or speaker replacement |
| Sound distortion (wheezing, crackling) | Damage to the membrane dynamics or oxidation of contacts | Diagnostics at the service center |
| The sound disappears when the phone is tilted. | Bad contact plume speaker | Disassembly and inspection of connections |
| Silent sound in all modes (calls, music, notifications) | Failure of the audio chip or amplifier | Replacement of motherboard |
For quick check, the dynamics:
- Turn on the music at maximum volume β if the sound is clean, the only problem is the calls.
- Call another phone and press your ear against the speaker β if the sound is deaf, the speaker is contaminated.
- Try to play the sound through the headphones β if they are loud, the speaker is to blame.
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If a quiet sound appears after a phone drop or moisture hits, do not try to solve the problem programmatically - immediately contact the service.
5. Editing the configuration file mixer_paths.xml (advanced)
This method requires root rights and is intended for users willing to risk the stability of the system. mixer_paths.xml contains volume parameters for all audio devices, and its editing allows you to remove restrictions.
Instructions:
- Get root access (for example, through Magisk).
- Use a root-access file manager (such as Root Explorer) and follow the path: /vendor/etc/mixer_paths.xml
- Make a backup of the file!
- Find the lines with the parameters: <path name="speaker"> <ctl name="RX1 Digital Volume" value="84" /> Increase the value by 5-10 (for example, from 84 to 90).
- Save the file, set the rights to 644, and restart the phone.
Warning: Incorrect values can cause sound distortion or damage to the speaker. (Xiaomi) 13 Ultra, Redmi K60) The file may be called something else, for example, mixer_paths_tasha.xml.
Make a backup of the original file|Check the processor model (Qualcomm/MediaTek)|Install a file manager with root access|Prepare a backup recovery option (castom recovery)-->
Alternative solutions: applications and accessories
If the software methods didnβt work or you donβt want to take risks, try these options:
- π± Sound amplifiers: Volume Booster (boosting 20β30% but can distort sound) Sound Amplifier (from Google, optimizing sound for hearing-impaired people).
- π§ Use of Bluetooth headphones: Modern TWS-Headphones (such as Xiaomi Buds 4 or Redmi AirDots 3) automatically switch the sound of the call to themselves, providing clear sound even in noisy places.
- π External speaker with support NFC: Some models (such as the Xiaomi Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker) can connect to a phone to play calls.
For Poco F4 GT or Black Shark owners, there is another life hack: these devices support a game mode with amplification of sound. Activate it in the game settings, and the volume of calls will automatically increase by 15-20%.
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If you make frequent calls in noisy places, set the vibration when you make a call paired with an audible signal. To do this, go to Settings β Sound β Vibration when you call and select Intensive Mode.
7. Resetting the sound settings to factory
If all the previous methods didn't work, the system's sound parameters may have gone wrong, and you can get them back to factory values without completely resetting the phone:
- Go to Settings β About the phone β Reset settings.
- Select Network and Sound Reset (does not delete data!).
- Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.
This method helps if the problem has occurred after updating MIUI or installing custom firmware. On models with MIUI 14 and later, the reset of the audio settings can be hidden - in this case, use a full reset (but remember to make a backup!).
β οΈ Note: On some devices (Redmi Note 10 Pro, Xiaomi 11 Lite), resetting the audio settings also resets the Dolby Atmos and Equalizer settings.