How to permanently disable the automatic speaker switch off on Xiaomi: the full guide

Have you ever encountered a situation where, while listening to music or talking on speakerphone, Xiaomi suddenly turns off the sound in the speaker? This feature - so-called "hearing protection" or automatically turning off the speaker during prolonged use - can be annoying, especially if you often use the phone as a speaker or during conference calls. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to turn off this feature, including hidden MIUI settings and system tricks.

The problem is relevant for most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models based on MIUI 12-14 and Android 10-14, and in some firmware the option is hidden so deep that it is almost impossible to find it without instructions. We tested the solutions on Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi Note 12 and POCO F5 — all methods work, but may vary slightly depending on the version of the shell.

Why does Xiaomi automatically turn off the speaker?

The automatic speaker shutdown feature was introduced in MIUI as part of a policy to protect users' hearing, which the developers intended to prevent:

• 🔊 Hearing damage from prolonged listening to loud music (according to WHO standards, a safe level of no more than 80 dB for 40 hours per week).
• 🔋 Overheating of the speaker, which can occur when continuously operating at high volume.
• 📵 Battery discharge as speaker consumes a significant amount of energy.

However, in practice, the function often fails to work properly, such as during important hands-free calls or when listening to podcasts, and in some versions of MIUI, the trigger timer is set to 30-60 minutes, which is too small for many use cases.

Interestingly, Android has no pure (without MIUI) feature, which is only a feature of Xiaomi’s shell, so owners of smartphones of other brands (such as Samsung or Google Pixel) do not face this problem.

Method 1: Disconnect via sound settings (official method)

The easiest way is to use the built-in MIUI settings, but it doesn't work on all models, because the latest versions of the shell may not have the option hidden.

1. Open the Settings. → Sound and vibration.
2. Scroll down and find the section Sound Safety or Hearing Protection.
3. Slip on the option Automatic turn off speaker (can be called Timer speaker or Limit speaker time).
4. Turn the slider to the off position or select Never.

If there is no such item, try an alternative path:

• 🔍 Go to Settings. → Special facilities → Improvement of sound.
• 🔕 Check availability of the option Restrict playback time.

Settings → Sound and vibration → Sound safety

Settings → Special features → Improvement of sound

Settings → Additional → System timers

Settings → Annexes → Permits → Microphone/Dynamic-->

Important: On some devices (e.g. Xiaomi 12T or Redmi K50), this option may be blocked at the firmware level, in which case you will need to use one of the alternative methods described below.

Method 2: Use of an engineering menu (for advanced users)

If standard settings don’t work, you can try turning off the feature via the Engineering Mode, a method that requires caution, as incorrect changes can cause the phone to malfunction.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##36446337###
2. You will be taken to Engineer Mode. Go to Hardware Testing → Audio.
3. Find options related to Speaker Timeout or Auto Speaker Off.
4. Set the value 0 (disabled) or Disable.
5. Save the changes and restart the device.

⚠️ Note: On some models (POCO X3, Redmi 9: The engineering menu may not contain the necessary options, and incorrect actions in Engineer Mode may lead to loss of warranty or unstable performance of speakers.

Method 3: Disconnect via ADB (without root rights)

If previous methods did not work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB) – a debugging tool that allows you to change hidden system settings without superuser rights.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version. Go back to Settings → Additional → Developer. Activate USB Debugging.

ADB-driver

adb devices

(Your device should be displayed).

adb shell settings put global speaker_timeout_enabled 0

Reboot the phone.

If the team doesn’t work, try an alternative:

adb shell settings put system speaker_auto_off 0

⚠️ Attention: After update MIUI settings modified through ADB, They might get reset. In this case, you'll have to do it again. ADB may cause some functions to fail (such as hands-free or multimedia).

adb shell settings list global | grep speaker

This will help you find the exact parameter responsible for the timer on your model.-->

Method 4: Editing system files (requires root)

For root-right users, there's a radical method, which is editing the system files that make the speaker work, which is the most reliable, but also the most risky way to make a mistake, and you can actually make your phone go down.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/vendor/build.prop or /system/build.prop
3. Find the lines that contain ro.audio.speaker.timeout or persist.audio.speaker.off
4. Change the value to 0 or add a new line: persist.audio.speaker.timeout_enabled=0
5. Save the file, set the rights to 644 (rw-r--r---) and restart the device.

If you don’t have the right lines in build.prop, check the files in the folder:

/system/etc/audio_platform_info.xml

or

/vendor/etc/audio_effects.conf

⚠️ Attention: Editing system files can lead to bootloop (loop loading) or loss of speaker functionality.Be sure to backup through the backup before making changes TWRP Or OrangeFox.

💡

If you are not sure about your root skills, you should use methods 1-3. Editing system files is an extreme measure that can void the warranty and lead to irreversible consequences.

Method 5: Using Third-Party Applications

If you don't want to go through the settings, you can use third-party apps that block the speaker from automatically turning off. Here are the most proven options:

For example, SoundAssistant is sufficient:

1. Open the application and go to Settings → Additional.
2. Find the option to turn off the speaker timer (or similar).
3. Activate it and provide all necessary permissions.