WhatsApp notifications on Xiaomi have gone: how to return and why it happened

Why WhatsApp is Silent on Your Xiaomi

Have you noticed that WhatsApp has stopped making sounds when new messages are coming in, even though everything used to work?This problem is more common on Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and Mi) than on other brands — and not only because of the messaging setup, but because of aggressive MIUI power optimization, conflicts with system resolutions, or even bugs of specific versions of the firmware.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible causes, from the banal blackout in the settings to the hidden limitations of MIUI that are not mentioned in the official documentation, you’ll get step-by-step instructions with pictures (for key steps) and a table of compatibility with different Xiaomi models, and if the problem is in the firmware, you’ll learn how to get around it without resetting your phone.

Let's start with the simplest: checking basic settings. Even experienced users sometimes miss the obvious!

1. Check notification settings in WhatsApp

The first thing you need to do is make sure that the audio isn't turned off directly in the messenger itself. Open WhatsApp and go to the messenger: ⚙️ Settings → Notifications → Notifications of communications

Please note here:

• 🔔 Notification Sound – not “No Sound” but one of the standard signals (e.g., “Default” or “WhatsApp notification”) should be selected").
• 📱 Vibration – if switched off, sometimes it affects the sound reproduction.
• 🔄 Repeat notifications – check if the value of “Never” is worth it".
• 👥 Exceptions for groups – it is possible that the sound is turned off only for group chats.

If it's okay here, but it's still not sounding, the problem is deeper, in the Android settings or MIUI settings. Let's move on to the next step.

2. Android notification system settings

MIUI is known for aggressively controlling background processes, and WhatsApp is often caught, and even if the messenger itself is on, the system can block it from playing.

Open Settings → Applications → App Management, find WhatsApp and check:

• 🚫 Notifications – must be enabled (switch at the top).
• 🔊 Sound – In the Notification Categories section, select Messages and make sure the sound is not turned off.
• 🔋 Auto-Run – must be allowed (otherwise the application will not be able to work in the background).
• 🔄 Background activity – Enable “Allow background activity".

Pay special attention to Battery → Battery Optimization. WhatsApp should be on the “No Limits” list here, otherwise the system will suspend its operation, and notifications will come without sound (or with a delay).

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If there is no “No Limits” item in the Battery Optimization list, select “All Apps” and manually add WhatsApp to the exceptions.

3. Firmware problems MIUI: buggy

Some versions of MIUI (especially MIUI 12.5 and MIUI 13 based on Android 11/12) contain bugs that cause notifications from messengers to come without sound, which is due to the work of the Mi Push Framework service, which is responsible for handling push notifications.

How to check if this is your problem:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and remember the build number.
2. Check if your version is on this list of problems:

If your model and firmware version are in the spreadsheet, try the solution. If not, read on.

4. Conflict with other applications

Sometimes the sound of notifications on WhatsApp disappears due to conflict with other programs that manage notifications or sound.

• 🎵 Third-party equations (e.g., Poweramp, VLC) — They can take over the audio channel.
• 🛡️ Antiviruses (Avast, Kaspersky) – block background activity of messengers.
• 🔕 Applications for blocking notifications (Notification History, AutoNotification).
• 🎮 Gaming accelerators (Game Turbo) MIUI) — Turn off the sounds to "immerse in the game".

To test this hypothesis:

1. Close all third-party apps through Recent → Close everything.
2. Restart your phone in Safe Mode (press the power button → “Safe Mode”).
3. Check if the sound is on WhatsApp, and if it is, it's one of the apps that you installed.

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In safe mode, only system applications are running, and if a sound appears, delete third-party programs one at a time until you find the culprit.

5. Reset notification settings and cache

If the previous steps didn’t work, the problem may lie in corrupted application data or system files.

Reset notification settings for WhatsApp:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → WhatsApp.
2. Click Notifications → Reset settings (bottom of the screen).
3. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

Clearing WhatsApp cache and data:

⚠️ Warning: Data cleanup will delete chat history if no backup is made! Use this method only if you are ready to lose messages.

1. In the same menu (App Management → WhatsApp) click Storage.
2. Choose Clear cache (safe) or Clear data (deletes messages!).
3. Once cleaned, reconfigure the notifications in WhatsApp.

If that doesn’t work, the last radical method is to reset all phone settings (see next section).

Make backup chats on WhatsApp (Settings → Chat → Backup)

Save contacts in a Google account

Remember Wi-Fi passwords (or take screenshots)

Get out. SIM-card and memory card (if any)-->

Extreme measures: phone reset or flashing

If the notifications never sound, the problem may be system-level, and it can help:

Reset to factory settings (without data loss if backup is made):

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Reset Settings (not “Erase all data!”).
3. After the reboot, reset WhatsApp.

Fastboot Flashing (for advanced users):

If the reset didn't help, it might have damaged the firmware itself.

1. Download the official firmware for your model from the Xiaomi website.
2. Use the Mi Flash Tool to flash in Fastboot mode.
3. After installation, do not recover data from the backup – first check the sound in the “clean” system.

⚠️ Attention: Fastboot flashing erases all data, including files in internal memory. If you are not sure about your skills, contact the service center.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the sound of WhatsApp notifications on Xiaomi