How to find and manage a blacklist on Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus: the complete guide

Why the blacklist on Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus can be hidden from view

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus often face a situation when you need to urgently block an annoying subscriber, but the standard MIUI settings do not show where the blacklist is located. The fact is that depending on the version of the firmware and shell, the path to this section may differ - or even be hidden under several layers of the menu. Moreover, after the MIUI updates, the interface sometimes changes, and the usual items move to other tabs.

Another common problem is that users confuse the blacklist with a message blocker or spam filter, and on Redmi 5 Plus, these functions can be managed separately, for example, a number can be blocked for calls, but at the same time, they can be blocked for calls. SMS It's going to come from him, and it's also worth considering that some versions of it are coming from him. MIUI (especially global) have reduced security settings compared to Chinese firmware.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can access the Redmi 5 Plus blacklist, including hidden methods through engineering menus and third-party apps, and learn how to not only view locked numbers, but also export them, recover from resets, and bypass MIUI limitations if standard methods don’t work.

Official way: where to look for a blacklist in standard settings

To start with the obvious, the standard way through the phone menu. On Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus with the original MIUI firmware (versions 9-12), the blacklist is usually in the Contacts or Phone app. Here's a step-by-step instruction:

1. Open the Phone app (the tube icon on the home screen).
2. Press three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Settings.
3. Scroll down to the Blocking Numbers or Blacklist section (the name may differ).
4. Here you will see all the locked numbers. To add a new one, click Add and select the contact from the list or enter the number manually.

If you have a global version of MIUI (e.g. MIUI Global 10.2) installed, the path may be slightly different:

• 📱 Through Contacts: Open Contacts → Three points. → Settings → Lockdown.
• 🔍 Through Search: Scroll down the notification panel and enter the search “blacklist” – the system will tell you a direct path.
• ⚙️ Through Settings: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Phone. → Lockdown.

Important: Some versions of MIUI may have blacklists called Lock Lists or Locked Numbers. If you don't find this section, try updating the Phone app through Google Play - sometimes that solves the problem.

Alternative methods: engineering menus and hidden codes

If the standard method did not work, you can try to access the blacklist through an engineering menu or special ones. USSD-This method is suitable for advanced users, because it requires caution - wrong actions can disrupt the phone.

The safest way is to use the code to access lock settings:

##4636##

After entering this code, a testing menu will open where you need:

1. Go to the tab Information about the phone.
2. Scroll down to the Lock Settings section (if any).
3. All blocked numbers can be displayed here, including system numbers.

A more risky but effective method is to use the engineering menu through code:

##36446337##

Attention: this menu is for service centers! You can see the advanced lock settings here, but it is not recommended to change the settings if you are not sure about their purpose - this can cause malfunctions in the communication module.

How to Restore the Blacklist After Resetting Settings

One of the most frustrating situations is when you reset your phone to factory settings and lost all locked numbers. luckily, there are several ways to restore a blacklist on the Redmi 5 Plus, even if there's no backup.

Method 1: Through the Mi Account

• 🔄 If you were logged in to Mi Account before the reset, check sync: Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization → Contacts and lockdowns.
• 📥 Turn on sync and wait for data recovery (may take up to 10 minutes).

Method 2: Through a backup of MIUI

If you have backups through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset, then:

1. Restore the backup (select the one created before the reset).
2. After recovery, check the blacklist in your phone settings.

Method 3: Through System Files (for Advanced)

The blocked numbers are stored in the blacklist.db file along the way:

/data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/

If you have root access, you can copy that file from another device or from an old backup. Without root permissions, this method doesn't work!

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Before resetting your settings, always export the blacklist manually: open a list of blocked numbers, take screenshots, or write them down in notes.

Third-party applications for managing the blacklist

If the built-in MIUI tools don't suit you, you can use third-party apps, and they offer advanced features like keyword blocking, lock schedule, log of attempts to call from blocked numbers, and even automatically add spammers from databases.

Top.-3 supplant 5 Plus:

Advantages of third-party applications:

• 🔍 More accurate filtering (e.g. locking all code numbers) +375).
• 📊 Statistics of calls and attempts to communicate from blocked subscribers.
• ☁️ Synchronize the blacklist between devices.

Disadvantages:

• ⚠️ Some apps require too much permission (access to contacts, SMS, call-book).
• 💰 Free versions may have ads or a limit on the number of blocked numbers.

Remove duplicate contacts

Check the reviews of the app on Google Play

Create a backup of the current blacklist

Turn off the built-in lock in MIUI, avoiding conflict-->

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after successfully adding a number to the blacklist, Redmi 5 Plus users may experience problems, and consider the most common ones and how to fix them.

Problem 1: Calls from a blocked number still pass

⚠️ Warning: If the lock is not working, check if the phone has a second call app (e.g. Google Phone or Dual Apps) in place, in which case you need to lock the number in both apps.

Decision:

1. Delete the cache of the Phone: Settings → Applications → Application Management → Phone → Clear the cache.
2. Check if the lock is disabled in the settings SIM-maps: Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Call settings → Number locking.

Problem 2: The blacklist goes missing after the MIUI update

This is a well-known error in some versions of MIUI to avoid data loss:

• 📲 Before updating, export the blacklist to the file (for example, via Blacklist Plus).
• 🔄 After the update, do not reset manually – wait for automatic synchronization with Mi Cloud.

Problem 3: You can’t add a number to a blacklist

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI There is a limit on the number of blocked numbers (usually up to 100).If you have reached the limit, delete old records or use a third-party app.

Decision:

• Check the free space in the phone’s memory – if there is a shortage of space, MIUI can block the addition of new entries.
• Update the Contacts and Phone app to the latest version.

How to hide the fact of blocking from the subscriber

Many Redmi 5 Plus users want to block unwanted calls, but also to do so in a way that is not visible to the subscriber. By default, when a call is blocked, the subscriber hears short beeps or a message that says "subscriber is unavailable." To hide the block, you can use the following methods:

Method 1: Redirecting to a non-existent number

Some applications (such as Call Blocker) allow you to redirect calls from locked numbers to a fictitious number, where the subscriber will hear long horns or a voice message “the number does not exist”.

Method 2: Quiet response mode

Some blockers have a Quiet Response option, where the phone picks up the call but doesn't sound, and then automatically resets it, which is like a regular reset for the subscriber.

Method 3: Use of operator services

Some operators (such as MTS or Beeline) have paid number-locking services at the network level, in which case the subscriber will receive a standard message "subscriber temporarily unavailable", which looks natural.

• 📞 To connect the service, send USSD-request, *111*77# for Beeline) or contact the operator.
• 💰 The cost of the service is usually 3-5 rubles per day.

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The hidden lock only works for incoming calls, and if you call a blocked caller, they'll see your number in the log.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions