How to Set Up Spam Filtering on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Spam in messages, annoying advertising calls and notifications from questionable apps are a headache for owners of Xiaomi smartphones based on MIUI. Despite the built-in protection tools, many users do not know how to activate them correctly or why they suddenly stop working. This article will help to understand the mechanisms of spam filtering on Redmi, POCO and Mi devices – from basic settings to hidden features that are not written in the official instructions.

We will look at not only the standard options in the Security menu, but also alternative methods, from manually locking numbers to using third-party applications with advanced features. Particular attention will be paid to the problems faced by users after the MIUI 14/15 updates – when filters suddenly reset or start skipping spam. All instructions are relevant for Android 12-14 devices and tested on Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12 and POCO X5 models.

Why Spam Is Passing Through Xiaomi’s Filters

Xiaomi smartphone owners often complain that the built-in protection can not cope with the flow of unwanted messages.

• 📱 Outdated spam number databases, local operators (MTS, Beeline, Television)2) Update the lock lists once in a while 1-2 The scammers change numbers every day.
• 🔄 Resetting settings after update. MIUI It is known that after major updates (for example, from 13 to 14 version) resets user filtering rules.
• 📧 Spam through messengers. Built-in filters only work with SMS and calls, but do not block messages in WhatsApp, Viber or Telegram.
• 🛠️ Google services disabled: Devices without Google Mobile Services (e.g., Chinese firmware) do not have cloud-based spam numbers.

Another common problem is false positives, where MIUI filters sometimes block legitimate messages from banks or services (such as SMS with a confirmation code), which is due to aggressive algorithms that Xiaomi borrows from Chinese partners, and the solution is to set up whitelists, which we will discuss below.

Standard Filtration Settings in MIUI

Starting with the basic tools that are available out of the box, depending on the version of MIUI, the path to settings may vary slightly, but the general logic is maintained:

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon).
2. Go to Spam Protection or Blocking and Filtering (on some firmware it is hidden in Settings → Applications → Application Management).
3. Activate the switches: 📞 Call filtering – blocks blacklisted numbers and suspicious. 💬 Filtering messages – analyzes SMS spam-like. 🌐 Cloud protection – uses Xiaomi and partner databases (Internet required).

On devices with MIUI 14+, the Smart Filter option has been introduced, which automatically sorts messages into categories: Transactions, Ads, Notifications, to enable it:

Settings → Messages → Smart Filtering → Enable

Call filtering enabled

SMS filtering activated

Updated spam number database (manually through "Update")

Added bank numbers to whitelist-->

Important: If the filters are activated, check if the background mode of the Security app is turned off.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Security and open the Battery.
3. Choose No Limits.

2. Through security settings

1. Launch Security → Protection against spam.
2. Select the Blacklist.
3. Click Add and enter the number manually (you can specify a mask, for example, +7999*** to block the range).

To filter SMS by keywords:

1. In the same section, Protect against Spam, select Message Filtering.
2. Activate the Keyword Filter option.
3. Add phrases like “you won”, “free loan”, “subscription renewal” (separate by commas).

Critical detail: If you use dual-sim mode, the number lock is only valid for the same SIM-The map that spam came to. The second card will have to duplicate the settings.

Setting up whitelists for important messages

Excessively aggressive filtering can block useful SMS messages, such as notifications from banks or delivery services.

1. Open Security → Spam Protection → Message Filtering.
2. Select the White List (or Exclusions in new versions of MIUI).
3. Add numbers or keywords (e.g. Sberbank, Ozon, Russian Post).

For corporate users, Enable Contact Messages is a useful feature, which automatically skips SMS from numbers stored in the phone book, and activates in the same section.

💡

If an important message is blocked, check the Spam folder in the Messages app. In MIUI 14+, it is hidden - to open it, swipe left on the chat list screen.

Third-party applications for extended filtering

Built-in MIUI tools are not always effective against modern spam, and specialized applications can help:

• 🛡️ Truecaller – detects spammers on a database of 300 million numbers, blocks SMS Minus: requires registration and access to contacts.
• 📵 CallApp is a Truecaller alternative with a stricter privacy policy and works without having to be linked to an account.
• 💬 SMS Filter focuses on filtering messages by regular expressions (for advanced users).
• 🔍 Hiya – uses machine learning algorithms to detect fraudulent calls.

When installing third-party applications, consider:

⚠️ Note: Some anti-spam applications (e.g. Truecaller) may conflict with built-in protection MIUI. If standard filters stop working after installation, disable duplicate functions in Security → Protection against spam.

For maximum protection, combine built-in and third-party tools, such as:

1. Enable basic filtering in MIUI.
2. Install Truecaller to recognize unknown numbers.
3. Add important contacts to the whitelist.

💡

Third-party applications are more efficient than built-in MIUI filters, but require more rights and can affect autonomy (due to background activity).

Spam filtering in messengers

The built-in MIUI tools do not protect against spam on WhatsApp, Telegram or Viber, and you will have to configure the protection in each application separately:

WhatsApp

• 🔒 Block the spammer: open the chat → ⋮ → Block it.
• 🛡️ Disable notifications from groups: Settings → Notifications → Group chat rooms → No sound.
• 🚫 Report spam: in the chat with the spammer click Notify.

Telegram

• 👥 Limit messages from strangers: Settings → Confidentiality → Calls. → No one.
• 🗑️ Automatically archive chats from bots: Settings → chat → Archive and remove notifications.
• 🛠️ Use the bot. @SpamBot spam-complaint.

In Viber and Facebook Messenger, similar features are hidden in privacy settings.The main rule is: never follow links in messages from unknown senders, even if they are masquerading as support.

Problems after MIUI Update and Solutions

Many users find that after updating the firmware, spam filtering stops working.

• 🔄 Blacklist resetting.
• 📵 Security App does not update spam number databases.
• 🚨 Notifications appear “Protection service stopped".

Decisions:

1. Reset the application settings Security: Settings → Applications → Application management → Security → Storage → Clear the data After that you will have to reconfigure the filters.
2. Manual update of spam number database: Security → Protection against spam → ⋮ → Update the database
3. Retracement to the previous version MIUI (If the problem has occurred after the update): ⚠️ Attention: Firmware rollback may cause data loss.Pre-backup through Settings → The phone. → Backup.

If the problem persists, check if the system services are disabled:

1. Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → ⋮ → Show all applications.
2. Find a Spam Protection Service (or Spam Protection Service).
3. Make sure it is on and not optimized by the battery.

FAQ: Frequent questions about spam on Xiaomi