All Volume icons on Xiaomi: decryption, customization and problem solving

Why Xiaomi has so many volume icons and how to understand them

If you own a Xiaomi or a Redmi or a POCO smartphone, you've probably noticed that when you adjust the volume, you've got different icons on your screen: a cross-out bell, a speaker with waves, a phone in a circle, or just a vibrating icon. These symbols aren't random -- they signal a current sound profile that affects notifications, calls, and media. But why are there so many of them, and how do you not get confused?

The fact is that MIUI (Xiaomi's branded shell) offers a flexible sound management system that goes beyond the standard "loud/silent" system. It has separate regulators for media (music, video), calls, alarms and even system sounds, with each profile having its own visual designation. For example, the bell icon squared means not just silent mode, but completely disabling all notifications except the alarm clock and priority contacts - this is a key difference from the classic "vibration".

In this article, we’ll break down all the possible volume icons on Xiaomi, their hidden features, and also tell you how to fix typical crashes – for example, when the icon shows sound, but the smartphone does not emit sound or vibration.

The main volume icons and their values

There are at least 7 different sound icons on Xiaomi smartphones, and they fall into two groups: audio profiles (modes of operation) and volume levels (adjustment sliders).

• 🔔 The wave bell is the standard sound mode, and all notifications, calls and media play at the set volume.
• 🔔🚫 Crossed bell: silent mode (Do not disturb) Calls and notifications are disabled, but alarms and priority contacts (if configured) continue to work.
• 📳 The phone in the wave circle is Call Only mode, disables notifications from apps, but leaves sound for incoming calls.
• 🔕 Vibration is vibration mode. All notifications come without sound, only with tactile recoil.
• 🎵 A music sign or speaker is a volume control for media (music, video, games) that appears when you press physical volume buttons while playing content.
• 📞 The wave tube is the volume control for calls, and it's displayed when the volume changes during a conversation.
• ⏰ Wave alarm clock – separate volume setting for alarm clocks (available in Settings menu) → Sound).

It's important to understand that some icons can be combined, for example, if you turn on Do Not Disturb (🔔🚫), But they also increased the volume of the media (🎵), It's normal to have both icons on the screen at the same time. MIUI It shows that different types of sound have different rules.

Hidden functions of volume icons: what can be customized

Many users don’t realize that Xiaomi’s volume icons aren’t just indicators, but quick switches with extra options.

• 🔧 Long tap on the volume icon (in the notification bar) opens an extended audio menu where you can select a profile (Sound, Vibration, Do Not Disturb) and configure exceptions.
• ⚙️ Pressing the gear next to the icon (in some versions) MIUI) lead → Sound and vibration where fine settings are available, such as a separate volume for notifications and alarms.
• 📱 Swipe down the icon (on some models) reveals volume sliders for all types of sound: media, calls, notifications and system signals.
• 🔄 Fast switching between modes: if you double press the volume down button, the smartphone will automatically go into vibration mode (does not work on all devices).

Special attention should be paid to the regime Not to disturb (🔔🚫). You can set it up:

• 🕒 Set a schedule (for example, automatically turn off the sound at night).
• 👥 Add exceptions for individual contacts or apps (e.g., allow family calls).
• 📊 Select which notifications to show on the lock screen (even if the sound is turned off).

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If you often have to switch between sound modes, add the audio profile widget to the home screen. To do this, long tap on the free space of the screen → Widgets → find the Sound or Profile.

Table: Volume icons and their priorities

V MIUI So, for example, if you've turned on Do Not Disturb, but you've allowed calls from your favorite contacts in your settings, when you call them, your smartphone will ring despite the icon. 🔔🚫. Below is a table with a priority:

Note: If you have enabled Do Not Disturb with exceptions, but the icon on the notification bar is left 🔔🚫 — It's okay. The smartphone doesn't show "partially active" mode visually, but the internal logic works correctly.

What to do if the volume icons do not match the real sound

One of the most common problems on Xiaomi is when the sound icon is displayed on the screen (🔔), But the smartphone doesn't make any sound or vibration, or vice versa, the icon shows silent mode (🔔🚫), But the notifications still come:

• 🔇 Failure in the sound settings. Go to Settings. → Sound and vibration → Reset the sound settings (if there is one). If not, reset all settings (Settings) → The phone. → Resetting settings, but without deleting data).
• 📵 Application conflict: Some programs (e.g. messengers or optimizers) can block sound. → Annexes → Permit management → Sound.
• 🔊 Hardware malfunction speaker. If the sound is only lost in the speaker (but it works in headphones), the plume may have gone off or the mesh has become contaminated. Try cleaning the speaker hole with a soft brush.
• 🔄 Firmware failure. MIUI to the latest version or reset to factory settings (don’t forget to make a backup!).

Another common situation is that after the MIUI update, the volume icons were lost when you pressed physical buttons, and this is due to a change in the display logic in the new versions, to bring back the old interface:

1. Go to Settings → Special Options → Hearing → Volume Adjustment.
2. Turn off the option of Separate Volume Adjustment (if enabled).
3. Reboot your smartphone.

Check the physical volume buttons (whether there is a sticking)

Make sure there is no active schedule.

Turn off Bluetooth headphones (sometimes the sound goes away on them)

Try to play sound in safe mode (to check for conflicts with applications)

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How to set the volume icons for yourself

If you're annoyed by the current display of volume icons or want to make it easier to control the sound, MIUI has a few hidden settings. Here's what you can do:

• 🎛️ Turn off vibration when you adjust volume. Go to Settings. → Sound and vibration → Vibration when pressed and deactivate the option Vibration when changing volume.
• 🔄 Change the order of the volume control. MIUI You can choose which slider appears first (media or calls.
• 📱 Remove volume icons from the lock screen. This is done through Settings. → Lock screen → Notifications on the lock screen where you can turn off the display of media elements.
• 🔔 Create your own sound profile. → Sound and vibration → Audio profiles (if any) can be saved by a combination of settings (e.g., "Work": vibration for notifications) + call-in).

POCO and some Redmi models have an additional feature called the game sound mode, which automatically turns off notifications and increases the volume of media when games are launched, to adjust it:

1. Open Settings → Special features → Game acceleration.
2. Select the sound settings in the games.
3. Activate the option to Increase media volume and set exceptions for important notifications.

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Do Not Disturb with exceptions allows you to create a “smart” silent mode that will not miss important calls or messages, but will filter out spam.

The difference in volume icons on different Xiaomi models

Not all Xiaomi smartphones display volume icons the same way, for example, on the flagships of the Xiaomi 13/14 series, the icons are more minimalistic and appear as a floating window, and on the budget Redmi Note - in the classic form of sliders.

• 📱 Flagships (Xiaomi) 12/13/14, Mix: Volume icons are displayed as a round window with animations. There is an up/down swipe gesture for quick switching between profiles. Supports separate volume control for each application (for example, a quiet sound on YouTube, but loud on Spotify).
• 💰 Mid-size segment (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5): Classic volume sliders with icons on the right. No gestures for quick profile switching. Separate volume adjustment is only available after you turn on in the settings.
• 🪙 Budget models (Redmi) A2, POCO C55): Simplified icons without animation. No way to configure exceptions in Do Not Disturb. Vibration badge (🔕) may not be displayed when activated through volume buttons.

On devices with MIUI 14 and later, we have the Adaptive Sound feature, which automatically adjusts the volume to the ambient noise. → Sound and vibration → Adaptive sound: When you activate this option, an additional icon will appear next to the volume icon. 🎧 wave-shaped.

If you’ve been upgrading your smartphone from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14 and notice that the volume icons have changed, don’t worry – this is part of the new design. To bring back the old look, you can install an alternative launcher (such as POCO Launcher) or use themes from Theme → My Themes.

Frequent questions about volume icons on Xiaomi

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If the volume icons are not working properly after all the manipulations, check if third-party audio control applications (such as Volume Booster or MacroDroid) are installed.