How to turn on the second speaker on Xiaomi: all the ways for stereo sound

Have you noticed that your Xiaomi smartphone only plays sound through one speaker, even though it should support a stereo system? This problem is common on many Redmi, POCO and Mi models, from the budget Redmi Note 10 to flagships like Xiaomi 13. Most often, the second speaker does not remain silent due to hardware failure, but simply disabled at the software level.

In this article, we’ll break down all the working ways to turn on the second speaker: from standard audio settings to hidden engineering menus and commands. ADB. You will also learn why stereo sound may disappear after updates and how to fix it. MIUI 14/15 — In new versions of the shell, the activation algorithm of the speakers has changed.

Why the second speaker doesn’t work: the main reasons

Before you try to turn on the second speaker, it's important to understand why it's silent. 80 percent of the time, the problem is software-based, but sometimes it's hardware-related. Here are the key reasons:

• 🔊 Disabled in settings: In some firmware MIUI stereo sound is turned off by default to save charge.
• 📱 Update: After the update to MIUI 14/15 or HyperOS sound settings may reset.
• 🛠️ Engineering menu: In the factory, the second speaker is sometimes turned off via service commands (e.g., for testing).
• 🔧 Connector damage: If the phone fell or came into contact with moisture, the speaker connector could oxidize.
• 🎵 Application conflict: Some players (for example, VLC PowerAmp or Forced to Switch Sound to Mono.

Typically, hardware malfunctions are manifested by a complete lack of sound in one of the speakers, even in the engineering menu. If the speaker even occasionally works (for example, when calling), the problem is precisely software.

⚠️ Attention: Before any manipulation, check to see if the speakers are clogged with dust. Often users confuse muffled sound with a malfunction. Clean them with a soft brush or compressed air.

Method 1: Enabling stereo sound through standard settings

To start with, the simplest method that works on most Xiaomi models with MIUI 12 and later, does not require superuser rights or PC connectivity.

Open the Settings app and go to Sound and Vibration. Scroll down to Sound Quality or Sound Effects (name depends on the version of MIUI). There should be a Stereodynamics or Double Speaker switch. If there isn't, your model doesn't support software switching (go to the following methods).

Check out the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone

Make sure the sound is not turned off by a physical button (on some models)

Close all applications that play audio (YouTube, Spotify, etc.)

Connect the headphones and turn them off - sometimes it resets the sound settings-->

If there is a switch, but the second speaker still does not work:

1. Activate Stereodynamics mode.
2. Reboot the phone.
3. Test the sound in different applications (music, video, games).
4. If the sound only appears in some apps, check their settings (for example, Mono mode can be enabled on YouTube).

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO X3 Pro) Stereodynamics only appears after charging, due to power consumption restrictions.

Method 2: Engineering Menu (MTK and Qualcomm)

If standard settings didn’t work, try turning on the second speaker through an engineering menu, which works on MediaTek (Helio G series) and Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, but you need to be careful – wrong actions can disrupt the phone.

Instructions for MediaTek:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Enter the code ##36446337## (or #4636## for older versions).
3. Go to the Hardware Testing → Audio section.
4. Select LoudSpeaker Mode and set the Stereo value.
5. Save the settings and restart the phone.

Instructions for Qualcomm Snapdragon:

1. Enter the code ##845##.
2. Choose the Manual Test → Speaker Test.
3. Activate the test of both speakers (Speaker 1 and Speaker 2).
4. If there is sound, but in normal mode does not work – go back to the main menu and select Restore Default.

MediaTek (Helio, Dimensity)

Qualcomm Snapdragon

Other (specify in the comments)

I don't know.-->

Method 3: Activate through ADB (for advanced users)

If previous methods have failed, the most reliable, but also the most difficult, method is to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the phone to the computer and enabling debugging mode.

You'll need:

• 💻 A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB Tools.
• 📱 Initiated Debugging Mode USB (In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI Press 7 times, then return to Additional → For developers).
• 🔌 Cable USB Type-C (preferably original).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command prompt (cmd) in the ADB folder.
2. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
3. Give permission to debug on the phone (pop-up window).
4. Enter the command to activate stereo sound: adb shell settings put global stereo_speaker_enabled 1
5. Reboot your phone: adb reboot

If the second speaker doesn’t work after the reboot, try an alternative command (for some POCO models):

adb shell am start -n com.android.settings/.Settings\$SoundSettingsActivity


adb shell input tap 500 1000 # Tap Emulation on screen (coordinates may differ)




adb shell settings put global dual_speaker_on 1

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If the ADB commands are quieter, check the Dolby Atmos settings in the Sound and Vibration section. Sometimes automatic optimization conflicts with manual stereo activation.

Method 4: Reset the sound settings (if nothing helps)

If all previous methods failed, the last chance to return stereo without going to the service is to reset the audio settings to the factory, which won't delete your data, but will return all audio settings to the default state.

How to reset the sound settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show System.
3. Find the audio settings app (or Audio Settings) and open it.
4. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.
5. Reboot the phone.

After the reboot:

• 🔄 Check the performance of speakers in Settings → Sound and vibration → Sound quality.
• 🎧 Connect and disable headphones (this sometimes "wakes up" the second speaker).
• 📱 Install updates for the application MIUI Sound Recorder (sometimes it blocks stereo).

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi models 12T Redmi Note 11 Pro+ Resetting the audio settings may disable Dolby Atmos. After the procedure, go to Settings → Sound. → Dolby and select a Music or Movie profile.

Xiaomi models where the second speaker often turns off

Some Xiaomi smartphones are particularly prone to the problem of disabled stereo sound, and here is a list of models on which users most often experience this malfunction:

If your model is on this list, try the methods listed in the Solution column first. For the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ and other HyperOS devices, it is also recommended to roll back one version of the firmware - sound bugs are often found in new builds.

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On Dolby Atmos models (like the POCO F4 GT), turn off the Dolby audio processing first, then try activating the stereo speakers. In 60% of cases, this is the conflict.

What if the second speaker never worked?

If none of these methods worked, the problem is probably hardware.

1. Check the speaker for physical damage: 🔦 Light a flashlight into the speaker grille - if dust or moisture is visible, cleaning is required. 🎵 Turn on maximum volume and hold your ear to each speaker. If there's a sound, but it's very quiet, maybe the contact has gone.

Test your phone in safe mode

Press the power button → Power off → Hold your finger on Turn off until you request Safe Mode. If it's running stereo, one of the apps installed is to blame.

Contact the service center.

If the speaker doesn’t make any sounds even in the engineering menu, the problem is likely to be:

• 🔌 Oxidation of contact plates.
• 🔊 Damage to the speaker itself (membrane rupture).
• 📱 Defect of audio chip (occurs after falls).

On HyperOS, a rollback to the previous firmware version via MIUI bootloader can also help.