Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face intrusive calls from spammers, ad agencies or scammers. Fortunately, MIUI and the new HyperOS have a powerful system tool built in to filter unwanted traffic, but many users do not even realize that they have a ready-made solution that does not require the installation of third-party applications.
To manage calls effectively, you need to know where the security settings are hiding, and the standard mechanism works at the system level, allowing it to cut off calls before the phone starts ringing, saving battery power and your nerves.
In this article, we will discuss in detail how to find a lock log, add specific numbers to the blacklist, and fine-tune the security settings. You will learn how Do Not Disturb mode differs from full-fledged anti-spam and how to avoid missing important calls from couriers or colleagues.
Where is the blocked call log located?
The first thing that you want to know is where the calls that the system has deemed spam go, and they don't disappear without a trace, they're stored in a log, and you can get to it through the standard Phone app, which is part of the Security suite.
Click on the phone icon on your desktop. In the upper right corner, you'll see a three-dot icon or a gear, which is the settings menu. In the list that opens, you'll need to find "Block" or "Antispam," and that's where you'll find all the history of rejected calls. SMS-message.
Importantly, the interface may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI. In some firmware, access to the journal is via a separate Security app (green zipper icon), and you need to select the Antispam section inside it, and then go to the history section.
The log shows the date, time and number of the subscriber, and if you accidentally block an important contact, you can quickly unlock it right from that list, and the system tags the calls if the database identifies them as "Advertising" or "Fraud."
⚠️ Note: The lock log has a limit on the number of entries. Old entries can be automatically deleted, making room for new ones.
Step-by-step instructions for setting up the blocker
Basic protection is often on by default, but it may not be strict enough for the current situation. To view the current status and change the rules, go to the Antispam menu and click on the gear icon in the corner of the screen. Here opens the filter control panel.
First, activate the "Spam Block" switch, without which all other settings will not work. Next, the system will suggest selecting a database source to identify unwanted numbers. For Russia and CIS countries, the most effective local database or cloud services, if they are available in your region.
Set up a response to hidden numbers. Many scammers use the number detection function (AON) to hide their ID. In the settings menu, find the "Block Hidden Numbers" option and activate it. This will radically reduce junk calls, but beware: some organizations (such as banks or government agencies) may also hide the number.
☑️ Checking the anti-spam settings
To maximize efficiency, we recommend that you enable a smart lock. The algorithm analyzes the behavioral factors of the caller. If the number is complaining en masse, other users complain, your phone will automatically reject the call. This works as a collective immunity against telephone terrorism.
Working with a blacklist: manual addition
Automation doesn't always work perfectly. Sometimes a particular number gets called constantly and needs to be locked manually. Xiaomi's blacklist allows you to create customized rules for each subscriber, you can completely ignore the person or just hide the notifications of their calls.
To add a number manually, open a lock log or call history. Click on the desired number and select the option "Add to blacklist." Alternatively, through the anti-spam settings, select "Blacklist" → "Add." Here you can enter the number manually or select from the contacts.
There are several modes of processing calls from the blacklist:
- 📞 Reject everything: the caller will hear short beeps or the signal is “busy”, your phone does not even vibrate.
- 🔕 Reject with notification: the call is reset, but you see the missed log (marked as blocked).
- 📩 Send. SMS: You can set up an automatic response that tells you that the number is locked.
The mask lock feature is worth noting, and if you are called from different numbers of the same operator or city code, you can set a template, for example, blocking all numbers starting with +7999 will help to weed out a whole group of spammers.
How to unlock the number if it is needed urgently?
Setting up a whitelist and exceptions
Aggressive filtering is good until you miss a call from a doctor or a customer, and to avoid such situations, MIUI has a Whitelist concept, and contacts on this list can reach you even in Full Lock or Do Not Disturb mode.
In the Antispam menu, find the Whitelist (sometimes called Permitted) section, which can be used to add contacts from the phone book or enter numbers manually, and will ignore any bans on those subscribers, a critical setting for those in the service or emergency services industry.
There is also a smart contact exception, which allows you to activate the "Do Not Block Contacts" option in your settings, and if you save a person's number in your phone book, the system automatically considers them to be trusted and skips a call, even if the number is listed in spam databases.
Do Not Disturb mode has its own exceptions that work in parallel with anti-spam. In the audio settings, you can allow repeat calls: if the same person calls a second time within 3-5 minutes, the phone will miss the call, assuming something urgent has happened.
| Type of list | Principle of action | Priority | What to use for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blacklist | Complete locking of selected numbers | High-pitched | Specific spammers, former, creditors |
| Whitelist | Allowing calls to selected contacts | Maximum | Relatives, important customers, emergency services |
| Antispam (base) | Automatic screening based on known numbers | Medium. | Advertising, telemarketing, robots |
| Hidden numbers | Blocking calls without a determinant | Depends on the settings. | Anonymous calls, scammers |
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Use the White List with caution, adding too many contacts can nullify the effectiveness of spam protection, as many promotional numbers can be recorded on your account as “Pizza Delivery” or “Taxi”.
Lockdown SMS-messages and keywords
Spam attacks not only through calls, but also through SMS. Bank, store and lotteries can fill memory and distract attention. Xiaomi’s built-in messaging filter can recognize such messages and hide them in a separate Spam folder without displaying them in a shared list.
To activate the protection, go to the Messages app, click on the menu (three dots) and select Antispam. Here you can enable keyword filtering. This is a powerful tool to block messages containing certain phrases, such as “credit”, “winning”, “promotion”, “betting”.
You can create your own rules. If you're tortured by notifications from a particular service, add a short name (e.g., a short name, INFO or SMS-All messages from such addresses will be silently deleted or quarantined.
Remember to check spam folder periodically, sometimes confirmation codes from sites or notifications from delivery services that the system mistakenly considered advertising, and critical OTPs from banks are usually not blocked by the system, even if the sender is labeled as spam, but rechecking is not a problem.
Third-party applications vs Built-in anti-spam
Many users are wondering whether to install additional applications like Kaspersky Who Calls, NumBuster or GetContact, if the phone already has built-in protection? built-in antispam Xiaomi works at a deep system level, which gives it an advantage in reaction speed and resource consumption.
Third-party apps often require broad permissions to access contacts and calls, which can raise privacy questions, and they can also conflict with the system blocker by creating double notifications or skipping calls due to priority conflicts.
However, third-party solutions have their advantages:
- 🌍 Global databases: Some services have more relevant number databases for specific regions than the standard database MIUI.
- 🎨 Interface: more convenient visual style of number determination when incoming call.
- 🔍 Search: the ability to search for information about the number on the Internet right during the call.
If you decide to use a third-party app, be sure to disable Xiaomi's built-in call blocker to avoid conflicts. leave SMS filtering only on or use a hybrid approach, but keep an eye on the device.
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In 90% of cases, the built-in MIUI/HyperOS functionality is sufficient to fully protect against spam, and installing additional applications is only justified in regions with very specific spam that are not caught by standard databases.