Where to find a blacklist in Xiaomi: a complete guide

Many Xiaomi smartphone users face intrusive calls from scammers or advertising agencies, which seriously interferes with the comfortable use of the device. Fortunately, the shells of MIUI and the new HyperOS have a powerful tool for filtering unwanted contacts that does not require the installation of third-party software.

In this article, we will take a look at all the ways to access lock settings so you can quickly restrict access to unwanted subscribers. We will look at both standard methods through the settings menu and hidden features that often go unnoticed, which will allow you to fully control incoming traffic and forget about intrusive advertising.

You don't need special permissions or complicated manipulations to get started, all the tools are available immediately after you unpack your phone, and you just need to know which part of the system application you need to look at to open the list of locked numbers. Let's move on to the specific setup steps.

Searching through the Security App

The main tool for managing calls and messages in Xiaomi smartphones is the system application Security. This is where all the functions of the antivirus, memory cleaning and, importantly for us, the call blocker are concentrated. To get to the desired section, find the icon with a green shield on your desktop and launch it.

Once you open the app, scroll down to Tools, and there are a lot of useful tools in this block, and you can find Antispam, and you can click on it, and you can go to the call filtering and SMS control center, and you can see the blocked call statistics and the blacklist settings.

The interface may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same. At the top of the screen you will see switches to block different types of threats, and below you will see buttons to manage lists. It is the Blacklist or Locked button that gives you access to editing the base of unwanted contacts.

• 📱 Open the Security app on the home screen.
• 📉 Scroll down to the Tools block».
• 🛡️ Find and click on the Antispam icon».
• 🚫 Select the “Black List” item in the lower menu or in the control panel.

⚠️ Warning: If you don’t see the Antispam item in the tool section, click on three dots in the corner of the screen and select Edit to add an icon to the app desktop.

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For quick access, add the Antispam widget to your phone’s desktop via the widget menu to see lock statistics without logging in to the app.

Configure via the call menu

There's a faster way to access lock settings that doesn't require you to search for individual applications, you can manage the blacklist directly from the dialing interface or call log, and this is especially useful when you need to urgently lock the number that just got the call.

Open the standard Phone app and go to the call log tab or click on the three dots (menu) in the corner of the screen. In the drop-down list, select Settings, and then find the Lock section. This duplicates all the features available in the security application, but accesses them faster.

In this section, you'll see a list of already locked numbers and the ability to add a new contact manually, which allows you to flexibly configure the rules: you can only block hidden numbers, all unknown contacts, or specific phone numbers from your database, which gives you complete control over who can reach you.

It's important to note that changes made through the call menu are instantly applied to the entire system. You don't have to confirm actions or restart the device. The database is updated in real time, providing strong protection against repeated calls.

How to Add a Number to a Blacklist Manually

Manually adding a number is necessary when you know exactly who you want to get rid of, but that subscriber has not called you yet in the current session, or you want to block an entire group of numbers with a specific code.

Click the plus button or select Add. You will see a field where you can type in your phone number manually or select a contact from your phone book, and it supports both international and local input, making it easier to do so.

In addition to specific numbers, you can lock them by mask, for example, you can lock all numbers that start with a specific prefix, which is useful for combating robot callers that use the numbers of a single operator or region.

Once added, the number immediately enters the lock database, you can return to this list at any time to delete the contact or change the settings for its locking, and the flexibility of the settings allows you to adapt the protection to any use case.

Automatic blocking of spam and unknowns

In addition to manual controls, Xiaomi smartphones offer powerful automatic filtering tools. Antispam menus have switches available to lock all hidden numbers or all numbers that are not in your phone book.

There's also a smart database that automatically updates in the background, so if a lot of users flag a certain number as spam, your phone will get an updated database and block calls from that number automatically, and you need an Internet connection to work with this feature.

You can choose the severity of the filtering in your settings, you can allow calls from contacts even if they are identified as spam by the system, or you can block anything that is not on the whitelist, which is in the Settings section inside the anti-spam menu.

• 🤖 Enable Smart Antispam to Automatically Update Databases.
• 📵 Activate “Block Hidden Numbers” for total silence.
• 📂 Set up contact exceptions from your notebook.
• 🌐 Allow the application to access the network for current spam databases.

⚠️ Note: When enabling locking all unknown numbers, make sure you don’t wait for important calls from couriers or delivery services that may be calling from undefined numbers.

Checking the log of blocked calls

Sometimes users block a number by mistake or want to know who tried to reach them in their absence, and the Antispam app provides a detailed event log, which differs from a regular call log in that it only displays those attempts that were interrupted by the security system.

The log shows the call time, the caller number and the type of lock (manual or automatic) you can listen to a voice message if the caller left it, or view text that was intercepted by the filter, which helps to understand whether you missed something important.

You can quickly add a number to the blacklist from the log if it is not already listed, or, conversely, unlock it, and the "Clear Records" feature is available, which allows you to delete the history of blocked events so as not to clutter the memory with logs.

Regularly checking this log is useful for setting up more accurate filters, so if you see that the system misses a lot of advertising calls, you might want to update your databases or improve your security.

Table of locking functions in MIUI and HyperOS

To compare the locking capabilities of different versions of Xiaomi firmware, let’s look at the basic parameters. Understanding the differences will help you to set up the device correctly and avoid confusion in the menu.

As you can see from the table, the functionality remains similar, but in the new HyperOS shell, some settings have been moved for more consistency, and it is important to keep an eye on system updates, as spam detection algorithms are constantly being improved.

The use of built-in protection is preferable to third-party applications, since they have deeper access to the call system and do not consume battery power in the background. The system blocker operates at the kernel level of telephony, which guarantees that calls are skipped only from authorized contacts.

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Xiaomi’s built-in tools provide more stable locking and lower battery consumption compared to third-party apps from the Play Market.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)