How to Turn Up the Volume in a Xiaomi Phone When Talking: The Complete Guide

The problem of silent speaker on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones is quite common, especially after several years of active use of the device. Users often notice that the interlocutor has become difficult to hear in noisy places or even in silence has to strain his hearing. This can be caused by both software limitations of regional versions of the firmware, and physical contamination of the speaker grid or a malfunction of the audio codec.

Fortunately, MIUI and its successor HyperOS provide users with advanced options for fine-tuning audio streams. Unlike many other manufacturers, you can tamper with system audio settings to make the most of the hardware. In this article, we'll explore proven methods to make sound louder and cleaner without having to carry your phone to a service center.

Before you get to the tricky part, you should rule out the trivial ones. Sometimes a quiet sound is the result of the headphones function in hands-free mode or the activation of the pocket mode. Make sure that the speaker is not glued to a protective film and it is not clogged with dust. If the physical cleaning does not help, go to the software settings described below.

Basic setup of sound effects and equalizer

The first and safest way is to use built-in audio enhancement tools. In the MIUI shell, the Sound Effects section is responsible for this. Here you can not only select a preset for music, but also adjust the equalizer manually, which often helps to amplify the frequencies of the human voice. Go to Settings → Sound and vibration → Sound effects.

In the menu that opens, find the "Mi Sound Enhancer" or "Mi Sound Enhancer" switch and activate it. Once turned on, click the setting button (cog or slider) to open the detailed equalizer. You don't need to be an audiophile to make the sound louder: just lift the sliders in the mid- and high-frequency areas.

• 🎚️ Lift sliders in the range of 1kHz – 4kHz, as this is where the main energy of human speech is concentrated.
• 🔊 Make sure the Adaptive Sound switch is on if it is available in your firmware version.
• 🎧 Choose a clear or voice profile if the standard equalizer seems too complicated.

⚠️ Warning: Excessive high-frequency lifting (above 8kHz) can cause unpleasant hissing and whistling in the dynamics.

It's also worth checking Dolby Atmos settings if your smartphone supports this technology. Sometimes the Auto profile doesn't work properly, lowering the overall volume. Try switching to Voice or Balance mode to see if things change. Remember that the changes take effect instantly, so test the sound in a real call.

Use of the Engineering Menu for Calibration

The most effective, but careful, method is to access the engineering menu through system codes, which allows you to directly control (amplify) the audio channels at the driver level, and to enter the menu, you need to open the Phone application and type special code.

##3646633##

After you type the code, you will see the CIT (Customer Integration Test) tab, you will be interested in the Hardware Testing → Audio → Audio Debug Tool tab. In the list that appears, select Speech and Normal Mode (Normal Mode, Non-Dispute) and you will see Level settings and values in the MaxVol column.

Change the MaxVol values for different levels (Level 0-6), but don’t put them at the maximum (usually 150 or 160).The optimal value for most devices is in the range of 120-135. After changing each setting, be sure to press the Set button, otherwise the settings will not remain.

It is important to understand that this method does not work on all processors in the same way. On devices with MediaTek chips, the menu may look different, and on some global firmware, access to these settings may be blocked by the carrier. If the code does not work, try an alternative typer: ##6484## to check the hardware, although it gives less options for customizing the sound.

Volume setting through the Security app

Xiaomi smartphones have a system app called "Security," which is often ignored, but it's not a good idea. It hides important media and (conversation) settings. Open the app, click on three dots in the top right corner and select "Settings." Scroll down to "Strongness when connecting headphones" or "Subscriber in your pocket."

Pay special attention to the "Close up in your pocket" function. If it's on, the phone tries to compensate for the sound when you hold the device to your ear, but sometimes the algorithm works the opposite way, muting the sound. Try turning it off and see if it gets louder. Also, there may be a "Mono-audio" setting available here that combines the stereo channels to make the sound denser.

System volume limit in Russia and the EAEU is often artificially lowered programmatically to 90 dB in accordance with the technical regulations of the Customs Union, which is below the dynamics.

Another hidden parameter is in the section "Special opportunities» → «Hearing aid. Turning on this option changes the frequency response of the speaker, making speech more legible, which is subjectively perceived as increasing the volume. It's a software crutch, but it works effectively.

Change of region and language settings

One of the simplest but most effective life hacks is changing the region in the settings of the system, because different countries have different standards for maximum volume, for example, in Europe and Russia, the restrictions are stricter than in India, Ukraine or some CIS countries.

To use this method, go to Settings → Additional settings → Region. Choose a country where hearing safety requirements are less stringent, such as India or the United States. After changing region, the phone may need to reboot. Immediately after turning on, check the volume - it can increase by 15-20%.

Don't worry about the security or stability of the system when you change region, it's a regular Android feature that only changes the set of pre-installed apps and some system restrictions, and if you have redundant apps after you change region, you can simply delete them or disable them in the settings.

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After changing the region, be sure to restart your phone so that the changes to the audio drivers take effect in full.

Dynamic cleanup and physical maintenance

The device’s physical condition cannot be discounted: The speaker speaker in Xiaomi is located at the top of the body, often hidden behind a thin grid or integrated into a narrow gap, and over time, earwax, dust and pile accumulate, which silences sound more effectively than any software setting.

Use a soft toothbrush or a special sticky tape (gel cleaner) to clean your mouth, as moisture from your breath settles on the membrane and causes oxidation or temporary decrease in volume, and do not use needles or sharp objects that can damage the protective mesh.

• 🧹 Carefully walk with a dry soft brush along the entire length of the speaker slot.
• 🧼 Use a little isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab (not abundantly!) to dissolve the fatty plaque.
• 🌬️ Blow the speaker with compressed air from the can, holding it at a 45 degree angle.

⚠️ Warning: Never use a vacuum cleaner to clean speakers! static electricity can kill the audio codec and powerful traction damage the membrane.

If you clean the sound better and you crack it, it means you've got a liquid inside or it's got dirt in the membrane, and then you can just take it apart and clean it professionally with ultrasound or replace it with a module, but 80 percent of the time, the external cleaning returns the factory volume.

Third-party applications for sound amplification

If the system is not enough, Google Play apps come to the rescue, with Volume Control GO or Precise Volume being the leader in this niche, which allows volume control in 1% increments, unlike the standard 15 steps of Android, and has its own amplifiers.

Another popular solution is the Volume Booster GOODEV app, which has a simple interface with one gain slider, but beware: setting the gain above 20-30% can lead to wheezing and even failure of the speaker. Use such programs only in extreme cases.

There are also applications with Clear Voice, or noise cancellation, that programmatically cut out low frequencies, leaving only the voice, which doesn't increase physical volume, but improves speech intelligibility, which often solves a user's problem better than just amplifying it.

Resetting settings and updating firmware

Sometimes a quiet sound is a bug of a particular version of MIUI or HyperOS firmware. Developers may accidentally understate levels in an update. Check for system updates in the Settings menu → About the phone. If you're on an early version of beta firmware, consider rolling back to a stable branch.

If the update doesn't work, reset all settings to factory settings, which won't delete your photos and contacts (if you pick the right one), but will return the system sound settings to their original state. Make sure to back up before you do that.

In rare cases, the problem is that there's a conflict between third-party apps that are intercepting audio control. Try running your phone in safe mode. If the sound gets louder in safe mode, then one of the apps you've installed is to blame.

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Integrated approach: cleaning the speaker + changing the region + setting the equalizer give a better result than using one method.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)