Xiaomi shows connected headphones, although they are not: reasons and fix

You take out a Xiaomi smartphone to listen to music or answer a call, but suddenly you find that the headphone icon is displayed on the screen, even though you didn't plug them in, the sound is only going through the speaker (or not at all), and the system persistently signals a "connected device," a bug that occurs on models from the Redmi Note 10 to the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, and its causes are rooted in both software failures and hardware malfunctions.

80 percent of the time, the problem is solved without going to the service center -- just reset the audio settings or clean the connector. But if the phone is constantly "seeing" the headphones even after the reboot, it can indicate damage to the contacts or the audio codec chips. In this article, we'll look at all the possible causes and give step-by-step diagnostic instructions, from simple to complex.

Why Xiaomi mistakenly identifies headphones?

Xiaomi smartphones use Qualcomm audio chip (in most models) or MediaTek, which is responsible for recognizing connected devices through a 3.5 mm connector or USB-C. The error occurs when the system receives a false connection signal.

• 🔌 Pollution or oxidation of contacts in the connector (dust, moisture, corrosion).
• 🖥️ Failure of the software: damage to files /system/etc/audio_effects.conf or the sound driver cache.
• 🔧 Mechanical damage to the connector (flex board, cold soldering).
• 🛠️ Failure of the audio codec (more often after falling or getting liquid).
• 📱 Conflict with the shell MIUI (especially after updates).

On USB-C models (such as the Xiaomi 12T or Redmi K50), the problem may be that the headphone adapter is not working properly, and the system recognizes it as a permanently connected device, even if the adapter has been removed for a long time.

How to check if there is a hardware or software problem?

Before you carry your phone for repair, do a home diagnostic, which will save you time and money.

Step 1. Check the connector.

• 🔍 Check the connector for dust, dirt, or deformation (use a flashlight).
• 🧲 Clean your contacts with a toothpick or compressed air (do not use metal objects!).
• 🔌 Put your headphones on and move the plug a little bit. If the icon appears/disappears, the problem is unstable contact.

Step 2. Test in safe mode

Upload your phone to Safe Mode (hold the power button → Safe Mode) and if the error is gone, it’s third-party software (such as a sound management app) that’s to blame.

Step 3: Check through the Engineering Menu

Enter the code ##4636## → select Audio → Audio Information. If the Headset bar is "1" without headphones, it confirms a hardware malfunction.

7 Ways to Fix the Error “Hearphones Connected”

Start with the simplest methods and move on to the hard ones if the problem is not solved.

1. Reboot and reset sound settings

Sometimes it's enough to reboot your smartphone to make the system forget about the false connection.

1. Go to Settings. → Sound and vibration.
2. Select “Additional Settings” → “Reset Sound Settings”.
3. Confirm the action and restart the device.

2. Cleaning the cache and data of the “Phone” application

The failure may be related to the system application com.android.phone.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Phone → Storage → Clear Cache and Clear Data.

Check the backup of contacts

Write down passwords from Wi-Fi

Take a picture of the screen settings

Disable two-factor authentication in applications-->

3. Update or roll back firmware

The error often appears after MIUI updates. Check the relevance of the firmware:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. If a new version is available, install it.
3. If the problem has occurred after the update, try to roll back to the previous version via Fastboot.

Attention! Firmware rollback may cause data loss. Pre-create a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.

4. Reset all settings (without loss of data)

If previous methods have not worked, do a soft reset:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Resetting settings.
2. Select “Resetting” (not “Reset to factory!”).
3. Confirm the action.

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After resetting, check the headphones in YouTube Music or Spotify – some users note that the error disappears only after the audio application is launched.

5. Verification through ADB (advanced)

If you are familiar with ADB, follow the commands to reset audio settings:

adb shell settings put global headset_blacklist_enabled 1


adb shell settings put global headset_blacklist " "

After the reboot, the phone should stop “seeing” the headphones.

6.Bleaking the connector with alcohol

If the problem is oxidation of contacts:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Apply isopropyl alcohol (90%+) on a cotton swab.
3. Clean the contacts in the connector carefully (don’t press hard!).
4. Let it dry for 10-15 minutes.

⚠️ Attention! Do not use vodka or cologne - they contain impurities that can aggravate corrosion.

7. Replace the audio chip or connector

If none of the methods helped, the problem is likely to be in the hardware:

• 🔧 The connector is damaged. 3.5 mm/USB-C (replacement).
• 🛠️ The audio codec is defective (e.g. Qualcomm) WCD9340 or Realtek ALC5682).
• 🔌 Breaking tracks on the board (after falling or moisture).

Cost of repair:

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If the phone is warranty, do not disassemble it yourself! Contact the authorized service center Xiaomi - repair warranty will cost free.

Frequent questions and myths about the error

There's a lot of conflicting information on the Internet about this problem, and we're going to look at some of the most common questions and misconceptions.

Myth 1: “It’s enough to blow the connector”

Pulling with compressed air removes large particles of dust, but does not help with oxidation or fat pollution. Deep cleaning requires alcohol and mechanical action (for example, a toothpick).

Myth 2: "It's a virus"

Viruses rarely affect hardware functions such as earphone recognition, and if an antivirus (like Dr.Web or Kaspersky) doesn’t find threats, it’s not the problem.

Myth 3: “You have to put it in the service right away.”

In 60% of cases, the error is fixed by software (reset or update) and the service center is only needed if you have exhausted all the options from this article.

What do you do if nothing helps?

If the phone still "sees" the headphones, even though they are not:

1. Try another launcher (like Nova Launcher). Sometimes the bug is related to the MIUI shell.
2. Install custom firmware (like Pixel Experience or LineageOS) that is risky, but can solve the problem at the kernel level.
3. Contact the service to check: 🔌 Integrity of connector contacts under a microscope. 🛠️ The operation of the audio codec through the oscilloscope. 🔧 Condition of soldered joints on board.

⚠️ Attention! If the phone has stopped playing sound at all (even through the speaker), it may indicate a short circuit in the audio track!

FAQ: Answers to popular questions