How to find and set up a blacklist on Xiaomi Redmi 9

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face intrusive calls from advertising agencies or scammers. To effectively combat this evil, MIUI has a built-in locking tool that many users look for in the standard phone book but can’t find. In fact, managing unwanted contacts is put into a separate system module integrated with the Security app.

On Redmi 9, this feature is stable and allows you to flexibly configure filters for incoming calls and SMS messages. Understanding the logic of how the MIUI shell works will help you quickly lock any subscriber and forget about constant interruptions at the wrong time. In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways to access these settings.

It's worth noting that the menu interface may vary slightly depending on the version of the firmware installed, whether it's a global Global ROM or a Chinese version. However, the basic algorithm of actions remains the same for all devices of the brand, the main thing is to know in which part of the system the desired switch is hidden.

Direct access via the Phone application

The fastest way to blacklist a number is to do it directly from your call history, which doesn't require a deep dive into the system menus and only takes a few seconds, and it's perfect when you've just received an unwanted call and you want to instantly stop any further attempts at communication.

To do this, you need to open the standard Phone app and go to the tab with the history of calls. Find the number you want to block in the list and click on it to open the additional menu or just hold your finger on the number. In the context menu that opens, select Lock or the icon of the crossed-out circle.

Once confirmed, the number automatically enters the database of blocked contacts, and MIUI silently rejects any future call from that number, and the subscriber will hear horns or employment messages, depending on your operator's settings.

⚠️ Note: When blocking through call history, the number is added to the blacklist without the possibility of pre-setting rules (for example, blocking only SMS.

If you want to see a full list of those who are already denied access to you, you need to go to the settings of the application itself. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the dialing screen and select Settings. Next, look for the Blocked section, which displays all the statistics and the list of numbers.

In this section, you'll see not only manual locks, but also automatically blocked spam calls if you have the appropriate function enabled, which is a single control center where you can delete a number from the list or, conversely, add a new one manually by typing it from the keyboard.

Use of the Application Security

The main repository of filtering settings in Xiaomi smartphones is the system application Security. This is where all the powerful security tools, including antivirus, memory cleanup and, of course, the blacklist, are concentrated. Access to these features is often hidden from the user’s eyes until he begins to search for them purposefully.

Open the Security app (green icon with shield). At the top of the screen, you'll see a number of icons to find the Blacklist. If there's no Blacklist on the app's home screen, click on the settings gear in the top right corner or scroll down the tool list to find the module you want.

Inside the blacklist menu, you'll see three main tabs: Locked, History, and Settings. The Locked tab lists all the numbers whose calls and messages are blocked. The History tab logs all communication attempts from those numbers, allowing you to monitor who tried to reach you when.

The Settings tab inside the blacklist deserves special attention, where you can activate the Do Not Disturb mode, configure hidden number blocking or enable smart spam blocking. Keyword Blocking allows you to screen out SMS with certain text, which is extremely useful for combating advertising mailings.

Also available in this section is the "Block All Unknown Numbers" feature, which can be used to prevent not only spam, but also important calls from couriers or doctors whose numbers are not in your notebook, and only use this mode during periods of emergency.

Blocking through the Contact Menu

Another method of controlling access to your communications is built directly into the Contacts app, which is useful if you want to block a person who is already saved in your phone book, or if you edit a subscriber's card and decide to restrict their access.

Open the Contacts app and find the person in the list. Click on the name to open the full contact card. The bottom of the screen or menu (three dots in the corner) should have the option to Block.

It is important to understand the difference between deleting a contact and blocking it: Deleting simply erases the record from the phone’s memory, but leaves the communication channels open, while blocking keeps the contact, but makes it invisible to the call and message notification system.

If you decide to unlock a contact, you will have to go back to the Security -> Blacklist -> Blocked. There, selecting a number, you can click the Unblock button and the connection will be restored in full.

Setting up smart locks and filters

Android-based MIUI has advanced spam detection algorithms, and to make them work as efficiently as possible, you need to configure filters correctly, so you can not just block specific numbers, but cut out entire categories of unwanted calls.

In the blacklist menu, go to the settings (cogs), here you will find the Filters item. In this section, you can activate the hidden number lock, which is important for those who often call from blocked identifiers, and here you can configure the lock of international numbers if you are not waiting for calls from abroad.

The spam database is also worth noting. Xiaomi uses cloud databases to identify fraudsters. Make sure that the blacklist settings include updating those databases, which will allow the phone to automatically tag and block numbers that other users have already complained of as spam.

For users who want full control, the Schedule Lock feature is available, although it is poorly implemented in the standard blacklist, it can be combined with Do Not Disturb mode. In the blacklist settings, you can select an option that, when Do Not Disturb mode is turned on, will block all calls except those on the favorites.

⚠️ Warning: Enabling aggressive filters can lead to missing important calls.Always check the History tab on the blacklist to make sure legitimate calls are not hit.

Third-party applications for blocking

The Xiaomi Redmi 9's built-in features are powerful, but sometimes the functionality of the regular blacklist is not enough, for example, if you need more complex lock logic or integration with external databases, in such cases, applications from Google Play come to the rescue.

Popular solutions like Truecaller and Getcontact offer huge number-definition databases that can not only block spam, but also show how your number is recorded by other people (although these are privacy issues), such applications require permission to access calls and contacts.

When installing a third-party blocker, MIUI can aggressively kill the process to save battery, so you can go to the application settings, select the Battery, set the No Limits mode, and you can also lock the application in memory by swiping down the menu of running tasks and pressing the lock.

Using third-party solutions has its pros and cons. On the one hand, you get a powerful tool, on the other hand, you trust your data to third parties. The built-in Xiaomi blacklist is safer because it works locally on the device.

Frequent problems and their solution

Despite the stability of the work, users sometimes face a situation when the blacklist stops functioning properly. Calls pass, SMS arrive, even though the number is listed in the lock, most often the problem lies in the failure of the system application Security or antivirus.

The first thing you need to do is check the permissions of the application. Go to Settings -> Applications -> All Applications. Find the Security app and make sure it has all the necessary rights, especially access to contacts and call logs. Without these permissions, filtering won't work.

The second step is to clear the cache. In the same Security app information menu, click Memory and select Clear the cache. Don't worry, this won't delete your settings, but it can fix software errors that interfere with the lock module.

If the problem persists, try updating system components. Go to Settings -> About Phone and check for MIUI updates. Often security patches contain patches for system applications, including the phone book and security module.

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If the blacklist stopped working after the firmware update, try resetting the Phone and Contacts app settings through the application management menu.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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The blacklist in Xiaomi Redmi 9 is a system tool integrated into the Security app that allows you to flexibly manage incoming calls and messages without installing additional software.