Redmi Note 9 Pro common issues and how to solve them

Hyper-production in Xiaomi’s factories never stops. And, just as we are got used to a certain midrange device from Redmi, here comes its successor. Redmi Note 8 was a great budget device, but what about Redmi Note 9 and its top segment model with the PRO as a suffix? The Redmi Note 9 Pro is a great bang for your buck, that’s for certain.

What about everyday use and issues that emerged, plaguing owners of this device? No worries, we got your back. We conducted in-depth research and provided you with a list of the most common issues along with solutions. All of you Redmi Note 9 Pro users — read below!

Note: All the issues mentioned in this article are individually reported cases, which doesn’t mean any of the problems will occur on other devices. If you’re looking to buy this phone, DO NOT consider these problems.

Table of contents:

1. Lift to wake not working
2. Battery draining fast
3. Instagram video stutters
4. Slow-motion videos are not recorded
5. Wi-Fi disconnecting with the screen off
6. Low volume on Bluetooth headphones
7. Display bleeding and image retention issues
8. The device won’t update
9. Bluetooth won’t connect
10. Notifications not coming through
11. Cellular signal issues
12. Camera exposure issues
13. OK Google not working
14. No HD support for Netflix and Amazon Prime
15. How to debloat your Redmi Note 9 Pro
16. Common troubleshooting steps for the Redmi Note 9 Pro

1. Lift to wake not working

Some Redmi Note 9 Pro users reported issues with the Rise to wake feature. This feature is quite handy and available on all contemporary Android devices, including the latest Redmi 9 lineup.

Firstly, make sure that the feature is enabled. Navigate to Settings > Display and enable Rise to wake there. If it still doesn’t work, the problem is a system bug resolvable with a simple reboot.

However, if you are still unable to address it, updating your firmware or resetting your device to factory settings should resolve the issue.

2. Battery draining fast

With its enormous 5020 mAh battery, the Redmi Note 9 Pro should provide users with a quite good SoT (Screen-on Time). However, Xiaomi’s MIUI is often hit or miss with the optimization and, for some, the battery depletes fast.

The most probable reason is the deep sleep integration, as the device is depleting even when the device is idle.

Firstly, we recommend updating your device. Don’t forget to send feedback and report issues to Xiaomi. Additionally, try some of our tips for preserving battery life on Android.

If nothing else helps, these steps might help you prolong battery life significantly:

• Turn off Wi-Fi and Mobile Data overnight.
• Disable Face Unlock.
• Disable unused apps from starting automatically. Navigate to Settings > Apps > Manage apps and individually disable Autostart on apps.
• Use manual brightness settings, it will save you a lot of battery.
• Try calibrating your battery by following the instructions we provided in the dedicated article.

3. Instagram video stutters

Issues with Instagram and Xiaomi devices appear to be quite common. Some users have problems with recording lengthy Stories (over 20 seconds), and others experience stutters while recording videos within the app.

Now, Instagram does lower the framerate but we can’t say with certainty why the videos will stutter. Make sure to reinstall the app and grant it all necessary permissions and look for improvement.

4. Slow-motion videos are not recorded

Xiaomi finally decided to put some more effort into the software part of the photo-taking capabilities of their devices.

Despite the great hardware, the lackluster software made users switch to Google Camera ports modded by third-party developers. Things are getting better with MIUI 12, but there’s still a lot of work to do. If you want to learn more about Gcam ports for your phone check our article.

Some Redmi Note 9 Pro users reported issues with the slow-motion videos which are not saving after being recorded.

We advise you to update your device and, like with most of the issues we placed on the list, send the feedback to Xiaomi informing them about the issue. You can also clear data and cache from Settings > Apps > Manage apps > Camera.

5. Wi-Fi disconnecting with the screen off

This one is, by far, the most common and the most excruciating issue that many of the Redmi Note 9 Pro users encountered. Namely, whatever users do and regardless of the Wi-Fi stability, it seems that their devices keep disconnecting.

Xiaomi allegedly acknowledged the issue but to no avail, as even after updates, the problem persists.

You can check our article about Wi-Fi issues on Android. Maybe you’ll find a solution there.

6. Low volume on Bluetooth headphones

Unlike many flagships, the Redmi Note 9 Pro comes with a headphone jack. Nonetheless, some users will still utilize Bluetooth to reproduce audio wirelessly. And, that’s where the issues start for some.

It seems that the volume on wireless headphones or speakers is too low even on the highest setting. If that’s the case for you, we suggest navigating to Developer options and tweaking a few settings there. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose System.
3. Open About phone.
4. Locate the Build number and tap it 7 times in succession to enable Developer options.
5. Now, you should see Developer options in Settings > System.
6.  Scroll down until you reach the Networking section.
7. Once there, enable (toggle ON) the Disable absolute volume option.
8. Reboot your device and you should have more control over the volume of Bluetooth devices.

If that didn’t solve the problem, check out our article about low Bluetooth volume on Android.

7. Display bleeding and image retention issues

The worst thing that can happen to an LCD IPS display is screen bleeding, where one (or multiple) screen edges show stripes of white light.

This is not as common but some Redmi Note 9 Pro users are seeing this problem on their devices. It seems that the displays that have this factory flaw are the ones with Tianma LCD panels.

Xiaomi and its subsidiaries tend to use Tianma Electronics-made LCD panels a lot and there are no reports about this problem on a plethora of available devices. However, if you are experiencing this issue, ask for a replacement.

To check if the screen bleeding exists, put on a dark image on your background and look at the screen edges at an angle. In regards to image retention, we think that this isn’t as common and that reports are too scarce.

8. The device won’t update

MIUI is often hit or miss but, in comparison to some other OEMs, Xiaomi (Redmi and Poco, too), tends to provide a lot of timely updates. It takes some time to fix all the things but, in general, the user experience is getting better and more polished with every new iteration.

However, what to do if your device won’t update? Some users are having a hard time, as their device won’t install updates although they are informed that updates are available.

Firstly, we recommend restarting your device. If that doesn’t help, check the available storage and network connection.

Finally, you can reboot your device into Recovery and wipe the cache partition by following the steps at the bottom of this article.

9. Bluetooth won’t connect

Reports of Bluetooth connectivity issues are rather scarce but there are still users having a hard time connecting. It seems that the problem, specifically, affects users that try to connect their Redmi Note 9 Pro to a Car Media to play music.

For some of them, the Bluetooth connection is unstable or certain devices (Bluetooth speakers and earbuds) won’t connect at all.

If you are among those users, make sure to try the steps we listed below:

• Restart your device.
• Unpair and pair your handset again with the device.
• Disable Bluetooth A2DP Hardware Offload in Developer Options.
• Reset Network Settings.

10. Notifications not coming through

The problem with notifications for certain apps is not exactly just an MIUI thing. For example, a bug with Gmail causes users to miss push notifications for received emails on some premium Samsung devices, as well.

However, since we are covering the Redmi Note 9 Pro, we’ll try and focus on this device solely.

There are two things you can do on your side and they include checking in-app settings first and then system notification settings after. If necessary, do so for each app that’s bothering you.

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose Apps.
3. Select Manage apps.
4. Open the app that doesn’t provide you with notifications from the list.
5. Select Notifications.
6. Ensure that all notifications for various app segments are enabled. You can tweak settings additionally (disable sound or vibration, set custom tones, etc.).
7. After that, get back to Settings and open Display and Status bar.
8. Make sure to enable the “Show notification icons” option.
9. Reboot your device and look for improvements.

You can learn more about addressing notification-related issues in this extensive article.

11. Cellular signal issues

Good, stable cellular signal reception and reliable network coverage are often neglected when talking about modern smartphones.

Many China-made devices are not supporting all bands in Western countries, which means that network coverage isn’t the best or some carrier-based features are missing.

Some European Redmi Note 9 Pro users have had a hard time with the network coverage, with the lackluster network reception.

In addition, the device might get hot and the battery will deplete rapidly, searching repetitively for a stable signal.

If that’s what’s bothering you, as well, we recommend restarting your device periodically. In addition, make sure that your SIM card is properly placed, and try switching between the slots. If none of that helps, try some of the solutions listed in our article about data issues on Android.

12. Camera exposure issues

Some users reported strange issues with the stock MIUI Camera focus and exposure. This is an isolated problem, but it still bothers some users. One of them went as far as replacing its Redmi Note 9 Pro.

If you are troubled by this issue, try clearing the Cache from the Camera app, wiping cache partition data, and updating the firmware. If that doesn’t help, consider restoring factory settings on your device.

You can also try Gcam ports for your device and go with them. Usually, they bring better results than the stock camera app. It shouldn’t be hard to get and install the modded Google Camera APK.

Alternatively, check our article about camera issues on Android for more solutions.

13. OK Google not working

Google Assistant comes preinstalled on every Android device (except recent Huawei handsets) and it usually, after you set it up, works without issues. Nonetheless, there are reports about OK Google/Google Assistant not working for some Redmi Note 9 Pro users.

For some, the Assistant is not responding with Voice commands. Have in mind that this might be caused by the Wi-Fi bug, as Google’s services require a stable connection.

If you are among the affected users, try using these steps to fix the issue completely:

• Check the Wi-Fi.
• Clear cache from the Google app from Settings > Apps > Manage apps > Google.
• Check Voice match recognition in the Assistant settings.
• Restart your device.
• Select Google as the default Voice assistant in Settings > Apps > Manage apps > 3-dot menu > Default apps.

You can learn more about issues with Google Assistant and ways to solve them in this dedicated article.

14. No HD support for Netflix and Amazon Prime

Chinese ROMs don’t come with the Widevine L1 which means that they can stream content only in SD (Standard Definition) and not HD. However, all devices with Global ROMs or regional ROMs should support HD for Netflix and Amazon Prime.

If you are seeing Widewine L3 instead of L1 (check with the DRM app that can be found on Play Store), we encourage you to check your ROM. Most custom ROMs don’t support HD streaming so, if that’s important to you, choose custom ROMs wisely.

15. How to debloat your Redmi Note 9 Pro

As a side note, if you find MIUI to be too bloated (too many unnecessary system apps), learn how to debloat it and make it both faster and cleaner while significantly improving battery life. Learn more about debloating Xiaomi and Poco devices in the dedicated article.

16. Common troubleshooting steps for the Redmi Note 9 Pro

Enter Developer options

1. On your Redmi Note 9 Pro, open Settings.
2. Select My device.
3. Tap All specs and tap 7 times on the Build number.
4. Then navigate to Additional Settings > Developer options.

Boot the device into Safe Mode

1. Turn the device off.
2. Press and hold the Power button and then, once the Xiaomi logo appears, release the Power button and press and hold the Volume Down button.
3. To exit Safe mode, just reboot your device again.

Wipe cache partition

1. Power off your device.
2. Press and hold the Power button + Volume Up until the MI welcome screen appears. Let go of the Power button and keep holding the Volume Up button.
3. Once you get into Recovery mode, use the Volume buttons to get to the Wipe Cache Partition option. Press the Power button to confirm the selection.

Reset the device to Factory Settings

Note: If you’re not entirely sure what you’re doing, check our article about resetting an Android phone to factory settings.

1. Backup all important data to Google Drive, your PC, or external storage.
2. Open Settings.
3. Choose My device.
4. Open Backup & reset.
5. Choose Erase all data (factory reset).
6. Tap Erase all data and confirm the selection when prompted.

With that said, we can call it a wrap. If you want to discuss this article further, but also find more content like this, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in February 2022. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.