How to block your phone number on Xiaomi Redmi

The problem of intrusive calls from collectors, advertising agents or just unpleasant interlocutors is familiar to every smartphone owner. Owners of Xiaomi and Redmi devices often look for a way to quickly limit the access of unwanted contacts, but the interface of the MIUI shell has its own peculiarities. Standard Android methods here can work differently than on pure systems, which causes confusion among users.

Locking a phone number on Xiaomi Redmi is not just removing a contact from a phone book. The MIUI blacklist is a powerful traffic filtering tool that allows you not only to hide calls, but also to block incoming messages. It's important to understand that a subscriber on this list will hear a beep or a reset, but your phone will not signal an incoming call.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods of spam isolation, how to use the built-in system tools, where to look for hidden lock settings, and what alternative methods exist for older firmware versions. The key is to activate the numbering and lock service, which by default can be disabled in your region.

Use of the built-in blacklist in the Phone app

The easiest and most reliable way is to use the functionality of the standard application “Phone”, which is preinstalled on all devices of the Redmi Note and Xiaomi Mi line. the interface may differ slightly depending on the version of MIUI (Global, China or EEA), but the logic of the operation remains the same for the entire ecosystem.

To start, you need to open the call app and go to the settings menu. Often users look for this feature in the general settings of the smartphone, which is an error. The incoming call filter is integrated directly into the caller. Click on the three dots or gear in the upper right corner of the screen to see the drop-down menu.

In the list that opens, select “Antispam Settings” or “Blocking” and this is where all incoming traffic is managed. The system will offer you several options: add a specific number, block all unknown numbers, or enable smart ad blocking.

⚠️ Note: When you activate blocking of all unknown numbers (those that are not saved in contacts), you may miss important calls from couriers or delivery services.

Once you go to the lock menu, you will see a list of already blocked contacts. To add a new one, click the appropriate button (usually a plus or add), and you can manually enter a number, select it from your call history, or find it in the phone book.

Configure through the Security app

In the MIUI shell, there is a separate system application called Security, which serves as the device's security control center and contains more advanced settings for call filtering and SMS, which is especially relevant if the standard call menu can not find the desired options.

Run an app with a green shield icon. Search the "Antispam" or "Block" section of the feature menu, and it displays the blocked threat statistics and detailed logs, and clicking on the settings (cogs) inside this section will give you access to the lock rules.

The system allows you to create complex scenarios, such as setting up lock numbers containing certain numbers or hiding missed call notifications from blacklisted individuals, which makes protection more flexible than standard Android tools.

This section often hides the “Keyword Block” feature, which is useful for combating the problem. SMS-You can add words like "credit," "winning," or "promotion," and messages containing them will be automatically deleted or hidden.

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Check your Spam folder regularly, as important confirmation codes from banks or services may sometimes be included.

Blocking of hidden numbers and unknown subscribers

A special category is called from hidden numbers (No ID) or codes unknown to the detector. Xiaomi and Poco smartphones have the ability to cut off such calls at the system level, which often helps reduce the level of telephone terrorism.

To activate this feature, go to lock settings (via Phone or Security app) and find the "Block Hidden Numbers" switch. Once activated, any calls where the detector does not transmit subscriber ID will be automatically reset.

The option to block all foreign numbers is also available, and if you don’t expect calls from abroad, enabling this feature will significantly reduce the number of robotic calls from scammers using international prefixes.

It is worth noting that some carriers provide their own blocking services, which can conflict with the settings of the phone, in which case the system locks the smartphone, since it processes the signal after it is received by the antenna, usually takes priority.

Use of third-party applications for filtering

When MIUI is not built in, users often turn to third-party solutions, popular apps like Truecaller, Calls Blacklist or GetControll offer advanced spam databases and more flexible settings, but installing them on Xiaomi requires additional action.

The main difficulty is the aggressive energy saving policy of MIUI, which can automatically “kill” the background processes of third-party blockers, which will cause calls to pass, and to avoid this, you need to manually configure permissions for the installed application.

Go to Settings → Applications → All apps, find your blocker and go to Activity Control. Select No Restrictions. Also be sure to give permission to autostart and work in the background.

Once properly configured, third-party applications are stable and can even more efficiently detect spam thanks to cloud-based databases that are updated by the user community in real time.

⚠️ Warning: By giving a third-party app access to your calls and contacts, you are entrusting it with personal information.

Comparison of locking methods on different versions of MIUI

The interface and location of settings can vary significantly depending on the operating system version. Owners of older Redmi models with MIUI 10-12 and new flagships with HyperOS or MIUI 14 can observe different menu logic.

In newer versions of the shell, Xiaomi is actively implementing its own artificial intelligence algorithms to detect spam. In older versions, the emphasis was on manually adding numbers to the blacklist or using antivirus databases. Avast/Tencent (Chinese-language).

Below is a table that helps you navigate the differences in functionality:

Understanding your firmware version helps you find the menu item you want faster. If you’ve recently updated, look for settings in the new places listed in the current guides.

Decision and additional recommendations

Despite the simplicity of the procedure, users sometimes face problems, such as a number added to a blacklist, but calls continue to flow, often due to the number recorded in contacts with different formats (for example, +7 and 8), the system can perceive them as different subscribers.

Check the format of the number saver. Unify them to an international standard. Also make sure the Phone app has all the necessary permissions in the system. A failure in the Contacts system application can also disrupt the filtering.

Another important aspect is the Do Not Disturb mode, which is not a complete blacklist, but can be useful at night. Unlike lockdown, it doesn't reset the call, but simply turns off the sound and vibration, leaving a visual notification.

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For guaranteed locking, always use a combination of the built-in MIUI blacklist and, if necessary, carrier-level lock.

If you change your phone number or want to temporarily turn off filtering, remember to go to the settings and clear the blocked list, otherwise you may lose contact with important people whose numbers may have accidentally been included in the list.