How to enable locking unfamiliar numbers on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Spontaneous calls from advertising agencies, persistent offers of banking services or outright spam are all problems faced by every smartphone owner. Xiaomi device owners often wonder how to effectively protect themselves from unnecessary noise without missing an important call from a courier or employer. Fortunately, the MIUI shell and its modern counterpart HyperOS have built-in powerful filtering tools that do not require the installation of third-party applications.

In this article, we'll take a look at all the ways you can set up incoming call locks, and you'll learn not just to turn on quiet mode for everyone, but to flexibly manage contacts, hide from unknown subscribers, and configure smart filters, so you can keep your nervous system and focus on the really important things while your phone automatically cuts off unwanted connections.

We’ll look at both standard features and hidden features that not everyone knows about, and setting them up properly is a way to keep things quiet in the digital space. Below are the step-by-step instructions that are relevant to most of today’s Redmi, Poco and Mi models.

Use of the built-in "Security" application

The main security tool in the Xiaomi ecosystem is the system application Security, which combines antivirus, memory cleanup and, most importantly for us, call blocker. This is where the most delicate settings are located to create a reliable spam shield, accessed through the icon with a green shield, which is installed by default on all devices of the brand.

To get started, you need to open the application and find the Antispam section, some versions of the firmware may call it "Blocking" or have a shield icon with a ban, and here the system offers several layers of protection, you can choose to lock all hidden numbers completely or set up a whitelist, allowing only selected contacts from the phone book to call.

⚠️ Warning: When you turn on the "Block All" mode, make sure that important services (such as taxis or delivery) do not use hidden numbers, otherwise you may miss the courier.

Inside the anti-spam menu, there's also a spam database that updates automatically. If you plug this feature in, the phone will check the incoming number against a cloud-based list of known scammers and flag them with red or reset the call automatically. This is especially useful for those who are on the phone often and don't have time to check every unknown contact.

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Periodically check the lock log in the Security app to make sure the system doesn’t make mistakes and lock the numbers you need.

Configure through the standard call interface

A faster way to limit callers is to use the settings of the Phone app itself, which is less radical than locking them out through the security center, but allows you to quickly turn on Do Not Disturb mode for unknowns. To get to the desired menu, open the dialing app and tap three dots or a gear in the corner of the screen.

In the list that opens, select Settings, and then look for Lock or Call Ban. Here, the interface may vary slightly depending on the Android version and shell. On new versions of HyperOS, the logic is saved, but the visual design has become more minimalist. You will be offered several options for filtering incoming ones.

• 📞 Blocking everyone: a complete ban on incoming, the caller will hear the beeps or the signal of employment.
• 📵 Contacts Only: The phone will only respond to numbers stored in your address book.
• 🔇 Quiet mode: the call passes, but the phone does not make sound and does not vibrate, displaying the missed.
• 📝 Blacklist: Manually adding specific numbers that are not accessible to you.

Using Contact Only is the most effective way to combat intrusive advertisers, but it is worth remembering that in an emergency (for example, if you need to urgently contact a doctor or police from an unfamiliar number), you may not be available, so it is better to activate this mode for rest or work when maximum concentration is required.

Do Not Disturb as a Temporary Measure

If you need to temporarily cut off the outside world without going into flight mode, the Do Not Disturb feature is ideal. Unlike hard lock, this mode allows you to set exceptions, for example, you can allow repeated calls from the same number within minutes, which is relevant for emergency cases.

You can activate mode through the notification curtain or in the Sound and Vibration settings. In the advanced MIUI settings, you can create a schedule. The smartphone will enable blocking strangers at night or on weekends. It is a convenient way to set up a digital detox without undue effort on your part.

It's important to distinguish between a normal number lock and a silent mode. In the first case, the caller immediately receives a reset or the buzzer is busy. In the second case, the call may pass, but your phone will be silent. In order to completely isolate yourself from strangers, it's better to combine these methods using a hybrid filtering scheme, where the system blocker cuts off spam, and the Do not disturb mode hides the noise.

Blocking through Google Phone

On global firmware and new Xiaomi models, the standard call has been replaced by a Google app. The logic here is a little different, but the functionality remains rich. To turn on protection, go to the Phone app settings (three dots in the corner) and select Locked numbers.

Here you will find the Unknown Numbers switch, which activates any calls from numbers that are not in your notebook will be automatically blocked. Google also offers a Spam Filter feature that uses artificial intelligence to recognize suspicious activity and flags such calls in red.

⚠️ Warning: Enabling filtering of unknown numbers in Google Phone may result in blocking calls from courier services using virtual numbers.

The advantage of using Google services is that you keep updating spam databases, and if a number is flagged as fraudulent by thousands of users around the world, your phone will know about it instantly, which is more effective than manually blacklisting, because the reach of the database is enormous.

Hidden codes and USSD-request

Beyond the settings of the smartphone itself, locking can be arranged at the cellular operator level, which means that the call will not even reach your device, unloading the network and battery. Every major operator (MTS, Beeline, MegaFon, Tele2) has its own codes and services to protect against spam.

For example, to activate a lock-in number detector, it is often enough to enter a short code or connect a service through an operator's application, which is especially true if you use a button phone or an old smartphone where MIUI is limited, but it is worth considering that some services may be paid.

There are also universal USSD-codes to hide your number from outgoing ones, but incoming calls are better to use the settings of the operator's device or service. The combination of methods gives the best result: the operator cuts off obvious spam at the entrance to the network, and the phone filters the residual noise.

• 📱 Antideterrent service: hides your number, but does not protect from incoming.
• 🛡️ Spam protection: paid service of the operator, blocking advertising bases.
• 🚫 Network blacklist: Adding a number to the ISP-side lock.

Third-party applications for enhanced protection

If built-in tools are not enough, the market offers a variety of identifiers, led by Truecaller, Yandex.Definition, and Kaspersky Who Calls, which operate on the principle of crowdsourcing: users tag numbers themselves, creating a giant database.

Installing such an app on Xiaomi requires care. MIUI is aggressive to background processes and can kill the security app to save energy. To prevent this from happening, you need to go to the battery settings, find the installed application and select the Unlimited mode, and you need to give all the requested permissions to access contacts and call logs.

The main disadvantage of third-party solutions is privacy. By installing such software, you often agree to transfer your phone book to the developer's servers. (weighing the risks), for most users, Xiaomi and Google's built-in tools are enough, which do not require the transfer of personal data to third parties.

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The built-in MIUI and Google tools provide a sufficient level of protection for 95% of users without the need to install additional software.

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