Previous articleMissing sound on Xiaomi phone: how to quickly return sound without service

The problem with the lost sound on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most common among users, you might notice that the phone stopped playing music, you couldn't hear the person during the call, or you lost the vibration. The reasons range from random pressing of a button to software failures, but in 90% of cases, you can solve the problem yourself without going to the service center.

In this article, we will look at all possible scenarios, from basic checks to deep system settings. It is important to understand that the algorithm of actions depends on the specific model (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Mi 11) and the firmware version (MIUI 14, HyperOS). If you are not sure about your model, check it in Settings → About the phone.

Before you start settings, answer the question: does the sound disappear completely (including alarms and notifications) or only in certain applications (for example, on YouTube or WhatsApp)?

Basic check: volume, silent mode and physical damage

Start with the obvious -- check the volume level. Xiaomi has separate regulators for media, calls and alarms. Often users accidentally turn down the volume for one of the types of sound without knowing it.

How to check:

1. When playing music or video, press the physical volume button (usually located on the left end of the phone).
2. Make sure that the slider is not in or near the 0 position.
3. If the screen displays the icon of the bell with the crossed speaker - the phone is transferred to silent mode.

Another common cause is contamination of the speaker or headphone jack, and dust, moisture, or small debris can block the sound, and inspect the speaker holes (usually located on the bottom end and top panel) and the Type-C/3.5 mm connector (if any) carefully brush them with a toothpick or compressed air.

Check the volume level for media/calls | Make sure that silent mode is not activated |Look at the speakers for garbage |Try to connect the headphones (if there is a sound in them - a problem in the speaker) |Reboot the phone-->

Note: If the phone falls or comes into contact with water, the problem may be hardware, in which case self-repair is not recommended – contact the Xiaomi service center.

2. Sound settings in MIUI: what could have gone wrong?

MIUI firmware (and the new HyperOS) offer extensive audio settings that sometimes get lost after updating or installing third-party apps, and let’s take a look at key settings worth checking.

The first is the sound profile. Xiaomi has three standard modes:

• 🔔 Sound – all notifications and media play at maximum volume.
• 📳 Vibration – the sound is turned off, but the vibration response is working.
• 🚫 No sound – complete shutdown of sound signals (except alarm clocks).

To change your profile, swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification bar and tap on the current mode (e.g., Vibration).

The second is individual volume settings, and in MIUI you can set volume separately to:

• 🎵 Media (music, video, games)
• 📞 Calls.
• ⏰ Alarm clocks
• 📢 Notifications
• 💬 Systemic sounds

To check these parameters, go to: Settings → Sound and vibration → Loudness.

💡

If the sound is only lost in a particular app (e.g. TikTok or Telegram), check the notification settings of that app.

The third is sound effects and amplifiers. Some Xiaomi models (like the Redmi Note 11 Pro or POCO F4) have a built-in audio amplifier that can conflict with applications. Turn it off in: Settings → Sound and Vibration → Sound Effects → Sound Amplifier.

3. Software failures: reboot, cache and safe mode

If the basic settings didn't work, the problem could be a software glitch, and let's start with the simplest one, rebooting the phone, which solves up to 30 percent of the sound problems, because it resets the temporary data in memory.

How to properly reboot:

1. Press the power button for 2-3 seconds.
2. In the menu that appears, select Reboot (do not turn off!).
3. Wait 1-2 minutes until the phone is completely turned off and re-energized.

If the reboot didn't work, the next step is to clear the cache of the system applications, and the cache may contain corrupted data that affects the sound playback.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show System.
3. Find Media, Sound or AudioFX apps (the names may vary).
4. Select Warehouse. → Clear the cache.

If the sound is lost due to a conflict with a third-party application, Safe Mode will help, and only system applications are running in this mode, which allows you to identify the "culprit." To enter Safe Mode:

1. Press the power button before the off menu appears.
2. Press the option to turn off for 2-3 seconds.
3. Confirm the transition to safe mode.

If sound appears in safe mode, remove the newly installed apps one by one until you find the problem.

4.Resetting the sound settings and a complete system reset

If previous methods didn't work, it's time for more radical measures -- resetting the audio settings or completely resetting the phone, and let's start with the first option, because it's less traumatic to the data.

Resetting the audio settings will return all parameters to factory values, but will not affect your files or applications.

1. Go to Settings → System and device → Resetting.
2. Select Reset audio settings (on some models, the option may be called Reset media settings).
3. Confirm the action.

If that doesn't work, you'll have to reset your phone completely, and this method will delete all the data from your phone, so back up first.

1. Save important data (photos, contacts, messages) to Google Drive or your computer.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose to erase all data and follow the instructions.

💡

Complete resetting is a last resort, only if other methods have failed, and you're sure the problem isn't hardware.

⚠️ Note: on some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) After the reset, you may need to re-assign your Mi Account. Make sure you remember your login and password!

5. Hardware problems: speakers, connectors, microphones

If the software methods failed, the problem could be hardware, and let's look at the most common malfunctions and how to diagnose them.

One is damage to the speaker, to test whether it works.

• 🔊 Call your phone from another device, and if you only hear the speaker through the speaker (top) and the bottom speaker is silent, it's malfunctioning.
• 🎧 Put your headphones on. If there's sound in them, the problem is with the phone speakers.
• 🔄 Check the sound in hands-free mode. If it works, the main speaker is malfunctioning.

The second is a problem with the Type-C or 3.5mm connector, and if the phone thinks it has headphones attached to it (even if it doesn't), the sound is blocked through the speakers.

• 🔌 Carefully clean the connector from dust and debris.
• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 🛠️ If the problem remains - you need to replace the connector (refer to the service).

The third is the microphone, and if you can't hear you while you're on the phone, but you can hear the other person, the problem is the microphone, check them through the voice recording app, or call another phone.

⚠️ Warning: If the phone was exposed to moisture (even if everything was dry), corrosion could damage the contacts of the speaker or microphone, in which case self-repair can aggravate the problem.

6. Update firmware and rollback to the previous version

Sometimes the sound disappears after a firmware update, which may be due to bugs in a new version of MIUI or HyperOS, in which case a rollback to the previous stable version will help.

How to check the current version of the firmware:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the MIUI version line (e.g. MIUI Global 14.0.5).

If the problem has occurred after the update, try going back to the previous version.

1. Download stable firmware for your model from the official Xiaomi website (Downloads section).
2. Rename the file to update.zip and place it in the root folder of the phone.
3. Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
4. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Select a firmware file.
5. Specify the downloaded file and confirm the installation.

Important: rolling back the firmware will reset all the data on the phone. Pre-back up through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.

If you’re not sure what you’re doing, the alternative is to wait for the next update. Often Xiaomi will quickly fix critical bugs in new firmware versions.

7. Specific problems for different Xiaomi models

Some Xiaomi models have unique sound problems, and we'll look at some of the most common ones.

For Redmi Note 10/11/12 and POCO X3/X4/X5:

For Mi 11/12/13:

For Redmi 9/9A/9C:

For POCO F3/F4/F5:

If your model is not listed, try the generic methods from the previous sections or look for information on forums (e.g. 4PDA or Mi Community).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)