How to turn on the keyboard of the Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones offer users many ways to interact with the interface, and audio feedback is one of the key elements of comfortable typing. The lack of a characteristic click when you press virtual buttons is often disorienting, especially those who are used to the tactile response of mechanical buttons. Device owners often face a situation where, after updating the system or resetting the settings, the audio of the print disappears, turning the process of typing into a silent action.

To solve this problem, you need to understand two levels of settings: the system layer of the MIUI shell (or HyperOS) and the parameters of the keyboard application itself, most often Gboard. It is important to understand that the volume of media that we adjust with buttons on the body does not always affect the system sounds of the interface. Keyboard sound on Xiaomi is regulated by a separate slider in the system sounds menu, which is often turned off by default. In this article, we will look at all possible causes of the absence of sound and provide step-by-step instructions for activating it.

And you can't ignore the possibility of software failures when the settings are supposedly right, but there's no sound. Sometimes, application version conflict or specific power saving settings can block audio feedback. We'll look at not only the standard ways of inclusion, but also the nuances that are specific to the Xiaomi ecosystem. Prepare for the fact that you'll have to visit several different menus to get the perfect result.

Differences between system sounds and keyboard settings

The first thing Xiaomi needs to learn is the separation of responsibility for sound between the operating system and the input application. Android, in conjunction with the MIUI shell, manages common parameters such as the volume of notifications, calls and system effects. However, the keyboard itself, whether it is a standard Gboard or a third-party SwiftKey, has its own internal settings that take precedence over the system in terms of key and duration of clicks.

Often users confuse the two levels by trying to add volume through side buttons while printing, which only increases the volume of music or video, but does not add the desired "click." System sound is responsible for the ability to make noise at all when touching the screen, while application settings determine the nature of this noise. If the system prohibits interface sounds, no settings inside the keyboard will help.

In addition, different versions of Xiaomi firmware (Global, China, EEA) may have different locations. In new versions of HyperOS, the sound logic has been reworked to minimize noise, so some options could be hidden or renamed. Understanding this hierarchy will help you find the right switch faster and not wander around the menu in vain.

Setting up soundtrack in Gboard

Since Gboard is the standard keyboard for most Xiaomi smartphones around the world, it’s a good place to start. Customizing the audio response is deep down the menu, and you can get to it in two ways: through the settings of the app itself or through the phone’s system menu. The second method is often more reliable, since it leads directly to the desired sub-item, bypassing unnecessary steps.

To activate the sound, you need to open any application that requires text input, such as Notes or Telegram. When the keyboard appears, find the gear icon on the top toolbar. If it is not, press and hold the comma or grease icon to call the settings menu. In the list that opens, select Settings, and then go to Preferences or Keyboard Settings.

Inside the settings menu, you're interested in the haptic and audible feedback unit, and that's where the keystroke sound switch is hidden. Make sure it's activated. You can also set the vibration duration if you want it in addition to the sound. Note that the volume slider in this menu may not be there, but it's regulated by the phone's system settings.

• 🔊 Open the keyboard settings through the gear icon on the Gboard panel.
• 🔊 Go to the “Preferences” section to access the basic parameters.
• 🔊 Activate the “Sound on Keypress” switch).
• 🔊 If necessary, adjust the vibration duration in the next menu item.

Importantly, some versions of Gboard for Xiaomi may have a bug where the audio settings are reset after the app update. If you see the switch on but no sound, try turning it off, restarting the phone and turning it on again, which will force the audio service associated with text input to restart.

Activation of system interface sounds in MIUI and HyperOS

Even if the keyboard itself is all-on, the sound won't appear without permission from the operating system. The MIUI shells and the new HyperOS have a separate volume channel for system sounds, which is often confused with the volume of the alarm or notifications. To make the keyboard sound appear, you need to make sure that the system allows the playback of the interface sounds.

Go to the basic settings of your Xiaomi smartphone. Find the Sound and Vibration section. Here you will see a few volume sliders. We are not interested in the media or calls, but system sounds. In some versions of the firmware, this item may be called "Additional Sound Settings" or hidden under the "Sounds and Tactile Feelings" menu.

⚠️ Attention: On some Xiaomi models with very loud speakers, the default keyboard sound can be made very quiet or cropped to avoid annoying the user.

Inside the sound menu, find the Touch Sounds or Interface Sounds switch. It should be active. Also check if no sound or no disturbance is set, as they often block system sounds even if the volume sliders are twisted to maximum. Do not disturb mode has its own fine settings where you can allow or disable system sounds.

If you use a different theme than the standard one, check the description. Some third-party themes for MIUI may not contain sound files for the keyboard or have conflicts with the system audio packages, in which case the sound may not be physically reproduced, since the sound file is not in the theme resources.

Solving Sound Problems After System Update

An update to Xiaomi’s operating system is always a lottery for custom settings. Quite often, after switching to a new version of Android or a major MIUI update, users find that the keyboard sound is gone, because new versions can reset application configuration files to factory values, where the sound is often turned off for the sake of “digital detox” and silence.

First of all, after the update, it is recommended to check whether the energy saving mode is activated in aggressive mode. The system can limit background processes and audio responses to save battery power. Try turning off the energy saving mode and check for sound. If the sound appears, then the problem was precisely the limitations of the power system.

The second step is to clear the keyboard app cache. The accumulated temporary files may conflict with new system libraries. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find Gboard (or your keyboard) and select Clear Cache. Don't confuse it with Clear All Data, otherwise you'll lose learned words and dictionaries.

There is a rarer issue with access rights: After a major security update, Xiaomi may have revoked the keyboard's right to use system sounds, go to the permission settings of the keyboard application and make sure it has access to all the necessary functions, although direct permission for "sound" is usually not there, indirectly this can be affected by access to the microphone or system.

Use of third-party keyboards and their configuration

If you don’t like the standard Gboard or you have a different keyboard installed on your device, the algorithm will be similar, but the paths may differ. Popular alternatives such as SwiftKey, Yandex Keyboard or Chaozhuyin have their own audio processing engines, which also depend on Xiaomi’s system settings.

In keyboards from Yandex or SwiftKey, the sound settings are usually in the Settings section» → «Sound and vibration" within the application itself. The keyboards feature is the ability to select different audio packages, such as the sound of a mechanical typewriter or a soft digital click, make sure that you select a specific sound profile rather than the value of "No sound».

When using third-party solutions on Xiaomi, there is often a problem with autostarting. The system can “kill” the keyboard process to save memory, which may not be able to activate the sound the next time the screen is turned on. To avoid this, open the keyboard application, click on three points in the menu of recent applications and select “Stick” or “Lock” to prevent the system from unloading it from memory.

• 🔊 Check the sound settings inside the third-party keyboard application itself.
• 🔊 Make sure you have an active sound profile (theme) selected).
• 🔊 Lock the keyboard app into memory to avoid crashes when starting.
• 🔊 Check the compatibility of the theme design MIUI side-keyboard.

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Expert advice: If you use a third-party keyboard and the sound is unstable, try setting the phone battery settings to set the application to "No Limits" mode, which will prevent the system from forcing the process to stop.

Diagnostics of hardware problems and speakers

Sometimes the problem is not the software, but the physical condition of the device. If the keyboard sound is missing, but the notifications and music are playing normally, this may indicate a specific malfunction in one of the speakers (often the upper conversational one through which system sounds are displayed on some models).

To enter the test, dial ##6484## in the ringer. In the menu that opens, select the Speaker test. Check if the top speaker is working. If the test has sound and the system does not, the problem is 100% software. If there is no sound in the test, it may be contaminated or damaged.

It is also worth checking whether the speaker is covered with a protective glass or a case. Some thick protective glasses do not have a cutout for the upper speaker, which makes the sound deaf and quiet, creating the illusion of its absence.

⚠️ Warning: Before using the engineering menu codes, make sure you don't change any other settings. Logining to the testing menu is safe, but accidentally changing the settings in other sections of the engineering menu can lead to unstable phone operation.

In rare cases, the sound may be lost due to Bluetooth devices being connected. If a wireless headphone or speaker is connected to the phone, the sound of the keyboard can be played there, rather than on the phone speaker. Turn off Bluetooth and check for sound. This is a common situation where the device "thinks" that the audio should go to an external device.

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Main conclusion: 90% of the time, the lack of sound on the Xiaomi keyboard is a desynchronization of settings within the Gboard app and the general system settings of MIUI. Checking both levels solves the problem.

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