Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face intrusive calls from spammers, scammers or just unpleasant interlocutors. Fortunately, the shell of MIUI and the new HyperOS has a powerful built-in protection mechanism that allows you to easily enter unwanted contacts into the isolation unit.
Many users have long been searching for where their calls went missing after blocking, or don’t understand how to set up automatic keyword filtering. In this article, we’ll detail where Xiaomi’s blacklist hides, how to add a number manually, and how to set up smart rules to cut off ads. You’ll learn about the hidden features of the standard Security app and learn how to manage access to your device at a professional level.
By understanding the basic settings, you can significantly improve the comfort of using your smartphone, no more interruptions during important meetings or sleep, and we will look at not only the standard methods, but also the nuances of working with contacts in different versions of firmware, so that the manual is useful to every owner of equipment of the Chinese brand.
Where to find a blacklist in the Security app
The main tool for lock management in Xiaomi smartphones is the system application Security. It is preinstalled on all devices of the brand and has a green icon with a shield. This is where all the antivirus settings, memory cleaning and, importantly for us, the call and message filter are concentrated. To get to the desired menu, you need to open this application and find the Antispam section.
The interface may vary slightly depending on whether you have a global (Global), European (EEA) or Chinese (China) version of the shell. In some cases, the section may be called “Block” or have a ban icon. Once you log in to the “Antispam” section, you will see the statistics of blocked calls and the settings button, which is usually located in the upper right corner of the screen.
⚠️ Note: If you use a third-party call (such as Google Phone or Truecaller), a built-in blacklist MIUI may not work for incoming calls because the control intercepts another application.
Access to advanced settings is often hidden behind an additional menu, and by clicking on a gear or three dots in the corner, you will be taken to the Lock Settings menu, where you can activate the blacklist itself, adjust the behavior when a call is received from a blocked subscriber (reset, horn or silence), and choose whether you need to notify you of communication attempts.
How to Add a Number to a Blacklist by Manual
There are several ways to put a particular phone number on the list of unwanted. The fastest method is through the call log. Open the standard Phone app, find the incoming spammer call in history and click on it to reveal details. In the menu that opens, select the option "Block" or "Block" option.
The second way is to use an address book, go to Contacts, select the person you want, and in the action menu (usually three dots or the "More" button), find the lock point, which is convenient if you want to block someone whose number is already stored in your memory, but you no longer plan to communicate with them.
The third option is manually entered through security settings, which is the most reliable method if the number is not preserved in history or you want to block an entire range. In the Security app, go to Antispam → settings (cogs) → Blacklist. Press Add and enter the number manually.
☑️ Checking lockdown
Once added, the number immediately enters the system database, and from that point on, all attempts to communicate from this subscriber will be interrupted automatically according to your settings.
Set up automatic lock and filters
Manually blocking every spammer is tedious and inefficient. MIUI It offers powerful tools to automate this process, and you can use the antispam menu to enable keyword filtering. SMS or the contact name contains a word from your list (e.g., “credit”, “winning”, “casino”), the message will be automatically hidden and the call is blocked.
Hidden number blocking is also available. Many fraudsters use the AON function to hide their ID, and you can check the blacklist settings to "Block Unknown Numbers" or "Hidden Numbers," and be careful, this can cut off calls from couriers or doctors who call from working mobile phones.
| Type of filter | Description of action | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Blacklist. | Blocking specific numbers | Used for known spammers |
| Keywords | Blocking by text SMS | Add the words: credit, rate, loan |
| Hidden numbers | Blocking calls without ID | Include with caution |
The Smart Lock feature uses cloud databases from Xiaomi and antivirus companies to identify phone marketing and fraudulent centers, and when enabled, the phone will automatically flag and often block calls flagged as spam by other users.
Managing blocked contacts and history
Periodically, you need to check the contents of the blacklist. You may have accidentally blocked an important contact or changed the owner of the number. To view the list of all blocked subscribers, go to the Security application → Antispam → menu (three dots) → Blacklist.
This shows you a complete list of all the restricted numbers, you can delete them one by one by swiping left, or you can use editing mode for mass removal, and you can also see the Block History tab, which shows who tried to reach you when.
An important feature is the ability to view blocked SMS. Even if the message did not arrive in the main drawer, it is stored in quarantine. In the section "Antispam" look for the item "Blocked SMS", which is useful if you are waiting for the confirmation code from the bank, and it is lost among the advertising noise.
⚠️ Note: Messages from the quarantine box are deleted automatically after 30 days (the period may vary depending on the version). MIUI). Important information must be stored manually.
If you decide to unblock a contact, it will simply disappear from the blacklist and the connection will be restored to its full extent. No additional action is required to activate the number.
Problems with the blacklist and their solution
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the blacklist stops working, calls pass, SMS arrive despite the number in the lock database, most often this is due to a system update or a conflict of access rights, new versions of Android and HyperOS have made the rights to read the call log and manage calls more stringent.
The first thing to do when a crash happens is to check the permissions for the Security and Phone app. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, look for Security, and make sure it has access to contacts, calls, and SMS. Without these permissions, the filter will not physically be able to intercept the incoming signal.
The second common cause is a failure in the system process com.android.phone. In this case, it helps to clean the cache of the application "Phone" and "Contacts." Don't be afraid to do this, your saved numbers will not disappear, only temporary files and display settings will be reset.
It's also worth checking if Do Not Disturb mode is enabled, and in some configurations, it takes precedence over or conflicts with blacklist settings, and make sure that the "Do Not Disturb" rules don't allow all contacts to skip calls.
Third-party applications for enhanced protection
Xiaomi’s regular tools are good, but sometimes they’re not enough to fight aggressive spam, and in such cases, Google Play’s dedicated apps come to the rescue, with Truecaller, NumBuster and Kaspersky Who Calls being the market leaders.
These apps use their own giant databases of numbers that are updated in real time by the user community, and they can identify not just “Spam,” but a specific organization: “Pizza Delivery,” “Bank Call Center,” “Crackers,” and integration with Android allows them to intercept a call before a standard call can process it.
But installing these programs requires broad permissions, they'll see all your contacts and call history, and they'll send that data to their servers for verification, and that's a matter that each user decides on for themselves, and for maximum privacy, it's best to limit yourself to the built-in MIUI.