Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the challenge of keeping themselves safe from intrusive calls, advertising, or unwanted communication. The built-in features of the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS system provide powerful tools to filter incoming calls, but access to a full list of blocked contacts is not always obvious. Many users ignore certain numbers for years without even knowing that they are on their personal blacklist.
Understanding how to manage this list is critical to controlling your digital security: Accidentally blocking an important contact or skipping a call due to a settings failure can be a serious inconvenience. In this article, we will detail all the ways to view and edit the database of banned numbers on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices.
We'll look at standard methods through call menus, hidden engineering codes, and specialized applications, and we'll focus on the differences between different firmware versions, because the Security Center interface can be very different. Get ready to dive into the technical details of how telephony works on Android.
โ ๏ธ Warning: Before making a massive change to your lock settings, it is recommended to check if the number of an important contact or emergency service is accidentally blocked.
Standard access through the Security app
The most reliable and complete way to manage filters is to use the system application Security. This is where all the algorithms for spam protection are concentrated, and this is where the easiest way to see the full list of blocked subscribers is from. The interface can vary depending on the regional version of the firmware (Global, EEA, Russia), but the logic remains the same.
First, you need to find a green shield icon on your desktop, and inside the app, you need to scroll down to the Antispam section, and you can see the statistics of blocked calls and messages, and if you click on the gear in the top right corner, or if you select the Blacklist, you will be taken to the exceptions management menu.
- ๐ฑ Open the Security app on the home screen.
- ๐ก๏ธ Go to Antispam (usually at the bottom of the screen or in the center).
- ๐ Click on the Black List to view all records.
- โ๏ธ Use the menu (three dots) to add or delete numbers.
Inside this menu, you'll see the All tabs, Calls tabs, and Messages tabs, and if you switch between them, you can filter only voice calls or only voice calls. SMS-The system allows not only to see numbers, but also to view the history of attempts to communicate from them, if the appropriate logging option was enabled.
Control of lockdown through standard dialing
An alternative and faster way to get to the right settings is to use a regular โcaller,โ which is convenient when you urgently need to check the status of a particular contact or add a new number to the forbidden list right while you are talking or viewing your call history.
Open the Phone app and notice the menu hidden under three dots or stripes in the top right corner. In the drop-down list, you need to find the "Blocking Settings" or "Antispam" item. In some versions of MIUI, this item may be simply called "Black List".
Here, the functionality duplicates the capabilities of the security application, but is presented in a more compact form: you can quickly activate the Do Not Disturb mode for all unknown numbers or enable the blocking of hidden numbers.
Way: Phone โ Menu (three dots) โ Settings โ LockThe feature โBlock by Keywordsโ deserves special attention, which allows you to filter not only specific numbers, but also specific numbers. SMS-messages containing certain phrases, such as bank names or the words "credit", "winning" are a powerful tool in the fight against modern spam.
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Use lock patterns to automatically disable calls from numbers starting to specific prefixes often used by robot callers.
Use of hidden codes and engineering menu
For advanced users who want to access deep telephony settings, there are special ones. USSD-codes and commands for the engineering menu, and they allow you to see how the system handles calls at the level of the communication module, bypassing standard interfaces.
One of the most powerful codes for Xiaomi devices is ##4636##. By entering it in the dialer, you will be taken to the testing menu. Select Phone Information. You can find advanced forwarding and lock settings here, although a direct list of numbers is not usually displayed here, but you can see the status of services.
There is also code ##8255## that runs the old Task Manager, but in the context of locking it is less useful.More relevant is the use of code ##86569## (not working on all models), which opens a hidden voice control menu and is sometimes associated with call filters.
| Team/Code | Function | Works on | Risk of error |
|---|---|---|---|
| ##4636## | Phone testing menu | All Android/Xiaomi | Low. |
| ##8255## | GTalk Service Monitor | Old MIUI | Medium. |
| ##6484## | CIT (Iron Testing) | All Xiaomi. | Low. |
| ##64663## | Engineering Menu (MStar) | Some models | High-pitched |
Be very careful when changing the settings in the engineering menus. Incorrect configuration of the network or radio module can lead to loss of signal or unstable operation of the smartphone. If you are not sure about the value of the parameter, it is better not to touch it.
Working with contacts and block groups
Managing a blocked list often requires working with groups rather than individual numbers, and the MIUI shell allows you to create rules that apply to contact categories, especially for separating personal and work spaces or isolating suspicious callers.
To add a contact to the blacklist directly from the phone book, open the card of the right person. At the bottom of the screen or in the menu (three dots), find the option โAdd to the blacklistโ. After that, all calls and messages from this subscriber will be blocked automatically, even if their number changes (subject to synchronization).
There is also the option of importing and exporting lock lists, which is important when switching to a new Xiaomi phone. List files are usually stored in hidden system directories, but can be transferred through Mi Cloud backup or third-party contact backup utilities.
- ๐ Open contact in the Contacts app.
- ๐ซ Select the lock option in the action menu.
- ๐ For mass management, use the Settings menu โ Blacklist.
- ๐พ Make backup copies of lists before resetting settings.
Where do the blocked messages go?
Third-party applications and integration with spam databases
Staff funds are sometimes not enough, especially if you are attacked from different numbers every day, in such cases, third-party solutions come to the rescue that integrate into Xiaomiโs system and use global spam databases. Popular applications like Truecaller, Getcontact or Yandex.Definition can significantly expand the functionality of the blacklist.
When you install these apps, Android will ask for permission to manage calls and access contacts. Once you grant the permissions, the app will take over the filter function, and you will be able to see the list of calls marked with "Spam", "Advertising" or "Finance" before you even answer the call.
But third-party software has its nuances: First, it consumes battery life because the app is constantly active; second, you transmit your calls to third-party servers; Xiaomi's settings can limit the background activity of these programs to maintain autonomy.
โ ๏ธ Note: When using third-party number identifiers, your contacts can be uploaded to the application's shared database.
Solving problems: when a number is not blocked or displayed
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the number added to the blacklist continues to call, or a missing contact appears again, this can be caused by malfunctions in the telephony service or a conflict between the system blocker and a third-party application.
The first step in diagnosis is to clear the cache of the Phone and Security app. Go to Settings โ Apps โ All apps, find the desired app, select Memory and click Clear Cache. This will not delete your contacts, but will reset temporary program errors.
If the problem persists, check to see if Do Not Disturb mode is enabled with exceptions, which allows calls from favorite contacts to be made even if they are blacklisted from other apps, and make sure that the Security app has all the necessary permissions in the permissions menu.
โ๏ธ Diagnostics of blocking
In rare cases, network resets help. Go to Settings โ Connection and Sharing โ Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth. This action will return call settings to factory values, which often eliminates software filtering glitches.
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If built-in methods donโt help, the cause may be an application conflict โ try to remove all third-party number detectors and use only the system functionality of MIUI.