How to watch the blacklist on Xiaomi Redmi 5: all the ways and nuances

The Xiaomi Redmi 5, despite its venerable age (released in 2017), remains a popular device among users who value reliability and simplicity. One of the popular features is a blacklist that allows you to block unwanted calls and messages, but finding it on the menu is not so obvious, especially if you have updated your firmware or reset your settings to factory.

In this article, we’ll cover all the current ways to view the Redmi 5 blacklist (including the versions with MIUI 9, MIUI 10 and MIUI 11), as well as how to add/delete numbers, why the lock may not work, and what to do if the blacklisted partition disappears after the update. We will also focus on the nuances for two SIM- cards and interaction with messengers like WhatsApp or Telegram.

Where is the blacklist in the standard menu Xiaomi Redmi 5

Most versions of MIUI for Redmi 5 have a blacklist hidden in the phone app settings, but its location may vary depending on the firmware version.

• 📱 Method 1 (MIUI 9/10): Open the Phone app → click on three dots (⋮) in the upper right corner → select Settings → Lock numbers.
• 🔄 Method 2 (MIUI 11): Go to System Settings → Applications → Application Management → Find Phone → Number Lock.
• 📞 Method 3 (alternative): In the Contacts app → click on your avatar at the top → Settings → Lock.

If none of the ways worked, you may have system-level locking disabled on your device, which can happen after you reset your settings or install custom firmware, in which case you can try enabling it through Settings → Applications → Permissions → Number Lock.

How to Add a Number to a Blacklist on Redmi 5

Adding a number to the blacklist on Xiaomi Redmi 5 takes less than a minute, but there are a few nuances: for example, you can block both specific numbers and unknowns or numbers with certain prefixes.

Addition of a specific number:

1. Open the Phone app and go to the Call Log.
2. Find the number you want, click on it and select Lock (or ❌ icon).
3. Confirm the action in the window that appears.

Blocking Unknown Numbers or Prefixes:

• 🔢 Go to Phone Settings → Lock numbers.
• 📵 Activate the switch to Lock Unknown Numbers.
• 📌 To block the prefix (e.g., all numbers with +7999), click Add → enter the mask (e.g., +7999*) → save.

Make sure the number does not belong to the bank or support team.

Check if the number has been blocked before (duplicates do not work)

Keep the number in contact if you plan to unlock it later.

Restart your phone after mass lock (for changes)-->

Important: on Redmi 5 with MIUI 9, prefix locking is unstable, sometimes skipping calls with similar numbers. If critical, use third-party apps like Truecaller.

Viewing and managing the blacklist: step-by-step instructions

When a number is added to a blacklist, it automatically goes to a special section where it can be controlled: unlock, edit, delete, and here's how to get there and what you can do there.

How to open the blacklist:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Press three points (⋮) → Settings → Number locking.
3. At the top of the screen you will see the tab Blacklist – tap it.

What can be done on the blacklist:

If the blacklist does not show all blocked numbers, try synchronizing your data with your Mi Account account:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi account.
2. Select Sync and enable Contacts and Locks.
3. Wait 1-2 minutes and update the blacklist page.

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If the blacklist is empty but you have blocked numbers, check if the phone app settings are reset. Go to Settings → Apps → Phone → Warehouse → Data Reset (don’t click unless you’re sure!).

Blacklist for SMS and messengers: individual settings

Many Redmi 5 users are faced with the fact that call blocking does not apply to SMS or instant messenger messages, which is due to the fact that each application manages the locks independently, and we will understand how to configure spam protection in all popular services.

Blocking SMS in the standard application "Messages":

• 📩 Open the Messages app.
• 🔍 Find a spam message, click on it and select Block the sender.
• 📵 To see all locked numbers, go to Settings → Spam and Lock.

Configure the lock in messengers:

Note that the lock in messengers does not sync with the system blacklist of Xiaomi. If you need to block the number everywhere, you will have to do it in each application separately.

Redmi 5 blacklist issues and solutions

Despite the simplicity of the feature, Redmi 5 users often encounter errors: blacklisting does not open, locking does not work or numbers disappear after an update, and these are the most common problems and ways to fix them.

1.The blacklist is empty, although the numbers have been blocked

⚠️ Warning: If you recently upgraded MIUI to a new version, you may have reset your Phone app. Check if sync with Mi Account is enabled (see section above). If not, lock the numbers again.

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📱 Update the Phone app via Play Market (if it is updated separately from firmware).
• 🗑️ Clear the app cache: Settings → Apps → Phone → Storage → Clear the cache.

2.Blocking does not work for incoming calls

• 📵 Make sure that the number lock settings have enabled the option to block incoming calls.
• 🔕 Check if the number is added to the exceptions (sometimes after the contacts are imported).
• 🛠️ If two SIM- cards are used, locking can only work for the main one. To fix: Go to Settings → SIM- cards and mobile networks. Select SIM for which you want to apply locking. Turn on the option Apply lock to all SIM (if any).

3.Numbers disappear from blacklist after reboot

⚠️ Warning: This is a problem that is common with Redmi 5 with custom firmware or root rights. If you've been installing unofficial software, try returning stock firmware via Fastboot or Mi Flash Tool.

• 🔧 Check the integrity of system files: go to Settings → About Phone → System Update → Three dots (⋮) → Check for updates (sometimes the system itself finds and fixes errors).
• 📥 Back up the blacklist (export to file) and reset the Phone application settings.

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If the blacklist problem occurred after the MIUI update, try rolling back to the previous firmware version. To do this, download the desired version from the official Xiaomi website and scroll through Recovery (without loss of data).

Third-party applications for extended locking

If you don’t like the standard blacklist on Redmi 5 (for example, because you don’t have a keyword lock or geolocation), you can use third-party apps that offer more features but require additional permissions.

Top-3 applications for blocking calls and SMS:

• 🛡️ Truecaller -- blocks spam numbers from the database, identifies scammers, supports Russian. Minus: requires registration.

How to set up Truecaller on Redmi 5:

1. Download the app from the Play Market and register.
2. Go to Settings → Lock.
3. Activate options: 📞 Block calls 📩 Block SMS 🌍 Use a global spam database

Add numbers manually or trust automatic locking.

Before installing third-party apps, check their permissions. For example, Truecaller requests access to contacts, call logs and SMS – this is necessary for work, but can cause concerns among users who care about privacy.

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If you use Truecaller, disable the option to Send Spam Data in your privacy settings, which will prevent your contacts from being transferred to the cloud.

Blacklist and two SIM- cards: nuances of settings

Xiaomi Redmi 5 supports two SIM- cards, but the default number lock can only apply to one of them. This often causes confusion: the user blocks the number, but calls continue to arrive on the second SIM.

How to apply the blacklist to both SIM- cards:

1. Open the Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks.
2. Select the Call Settings for each SIM separately.
3. Make sure that the number lock option is enabled for both cards.
4. If you don’t have an option, use a third-party app (such as Blacklist Plus) that supports multi-SIM.

What to do if the lock only works for one SIM:

• 🔄 Reboot your phone — sometimes it helps sync settings.
• 📱 Check if different versions of the Phone app are installed for each SIM (this happens after updates).
• 🔧 Reset network settings: Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Resetting network settings.

If you are using a corporate SIM- card, the lock may not work due to operator policy, in which case contact the mobile provider support and request the activation of the network-level Blacklist service.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the blacklist on Xiaomi Redmi 5