How to turn on noise cancellation on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Today’s Xiaomi smartphones are equipped with advanced audio processing algorithms that can significantly improve communication quality even in the noisiest conditions. When you are on a busy street, on the subway or in windy weather, background sounds can completely drown out the voice of the interlocutor, making conversation impossible, and it is at these moments that the noise reduction system built into the software of the MIUI or HyperOS shell comes to the rescue.

Activation of this feature is not always obvious, as manufacturers often hide the necessary switches in the depth of system settings or activate them by default depending on the use scenario. Understanding how to turn on noise cancellation on the shaomi is critical for users who often conduct business negotiations or simply appreciate comfort during communication. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods for improving sound quality.

It’s worth noting that the efficiency of algorithms depends not only on the software setup, but also on the hardware of your device. Xiaomi and Redmi Note series flagship models often have dedicated chips for audio processing, while budget segments rely on software emulation.

The principle of active noise reduction in smartphones

The noise-suppression technology relies on sophisticated real-time analysis of incoming audio, and the microphones capture not only your voice, but also the surrounding hum, and then a special algorithm picks out the frequencies that are characteristic of human speech and cuts everything else out, a process called digital signal processing (DSP) and takes a fraction of a second.

Xiaomi devices have different levels of filtering. The basic layer works constantly during phone calls, removing static noise and low-frequency hum. More advanced algorithms, such as AI Noise Reduction, use machine learning to recognize the user's voice and ignore the voices of strangers nearby.

⚠️ Warning: Excessive activation of aggressive noise reduction modes can cause your voice to be distorted, making it metallic or intermittent.

It is important to understand the difference between noise cancellation when playing (when you listen to music) and when recording (when you are heard). In the first case, the system smoothes out the frequency peaks, in the second case, it actively filters the input stream. The settings for these two modes are often in different sections of the menu.

Setting up noise reduction during phone calls

The most common scenario that requires user intervention is poor hearing during a conversation. In modern versions of the MIUI shell and HyperOS, the call's sound settings can be hidden or integrated into the general settings of the system. First, make sure that you have the basic voice cleanup feature enabled.

Go to your smartphone's settings menu and find the audio section. The path may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same. You'll need to find Sound and vibration, and then go down to the extra settings, and there's often a switch that's responsible for improving quality.

If a standard switch isn't enough, you should pay attention to special speaker modes. Some Xiaomi models allow you to choose a speaker profile where the "Speak" or "In your pocket" mode automatically activates increased noise cancellation, which is especially useful if you are talking through a headset or speaker.

For users who are often in very noisy places, it is possible to activate the microphone sensitivity mode, this is done through an engineering menu or special applications, but it requires caution, the main goal is to find a balance between the volume of voice and the level of background cutting.

Use of noise reduction modes in headphones

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi Buds or Black Shark wireless headphones have access to more flexible settings through the company’s app. Connecting compatible headphones automatically opens access to the control menu, where you can choose from several modes of active noise reduction (ANC).

To manage these settings, you need to use the Xiaomi Earbuds app or the built-in widget in the notification curtain (in new versions of HyperOS).

• 🔇 Active noise reduction mode – completely cuts off external sounds, ideal for transport.
• 👂 Transparency mode – skips external sounds, allowing you to hear the environment without removing headphones.
• ⚖️ Balance mode is a compromise option, slightly muting the noise, but retaining the security.
• 🚫 Turned off – all algorithms are disabled, sound is transmitted without processing.

Note that transparency mode also uses microphones to analyze external noise, so it consumes more battery power. If you need maximum battery life, it is better to switch to off mode or standard noise cancellation. Xiaomi algorithms also know how to automatically switch modes depending on the pressure in the ear (only for flagship models).

Improve the quality of video and voice recorder recording

When you shoot video on a smartphone camera, the quality of the recorded sound often suffers from wind or crowd noise. The Xiaomi Camera app has built-in tools to minimize these problems. To activate them, open the video settings (the gear icon or three stripes in the corner).

Find a setting that's associated with recording sound or a microphone, and depending on the model, it might be called Wind Noise Reduction or Audio Zoom, and activating this feature directs the microphones to the object that you zoom in on, ignoring the lateral sources of sound.

The situation is similar for a recorder. The standard recorder application has multiple profiles: "General", "Interview", "Lecture". The choice of profile "Interview" or "Lecture" automatically includes algorithms for suppressing background hum and echo, which allows you to get a clean recording of speech even in an empty audience or on the street.

If there are not enough built-in tools, you can use third-party apps from Google Play that have more powerful filters, but they require access to the microphone and may conflict with the MIUI system settings, so their use should be justified.

Comparison of Xiaomi models by microphone quality

Not all of the Chinese giant's smartphones are equally good at handling noise, but the difference lies in the number of microphones, their location, and the power of the processor that processes sound. Below is a chart showing the differences in noise reduction approaches across the different series of devices.

As you can see from the table, flagship models use additional sensors and more sophisticated neural networks to process sound, which allows them to not just cut frequencies, but to intellectually reconstruct voice. Budget models rely on standard algorithms that can sometimes eat up some of the voice along with the noise.

When choosing a smartphone for frequent conversations, you should pay attention not only to the characteristics of the screen and battery, but also to reviews about the quality of communication, often in this aspect lies the difference in price between models of the same year of release.

Diagnostics and solution of microphone problems

If you've turned on all the settings, but the noise reduction isn't working or isn't working properly, maybe the problem is hardware or pollution. First, check the microphone holes on the ends of your smartphone. They're often clogged with dust or pile from your pocket, which jams the sound and knocks down the noise reduction algorithms.

⚠️ Note: Do not use sharp objects to clean microphones, so as not to damage the protective mesh and membrane inside.

For software diagnostics, you can use the built-in hardware test. Enter ##6484## in the dialer number (if supported by your firmware version) or go to Settings → About Phone → All Options → Version of the kernel (multiple tap). In the engineering menu, select the Microphone test and check the recording in different modes.

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Use the Scotch method to check: Put your finger on the main microphone (usually at the bottom) and talk. If the sound is still there, then the system switched to the top microphone, which confirms the switching algorithms work.

Problems can also arise after a system update, in which case it helps to reset the audio settings or completely reset the device. Before drastic measures, try simply restarting the smartphone, as the background processes of the audio service may have stalled.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The effectiveness of noise reduction on Xiaomi depends on the combination of the purity of the microphones, the correct profile settings and the capabilities of a particular smartphone model.