Modern smartphone owners Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco regularly face intrusive mailings. Casino advertising, loan offers or fraudulent links come in dozens a day, interfering with the normal operation of the device. Blocking SMS from unknown numbers on Android becomes not just a convenience, but a necessity for the preservation of nerve cells and data security.
MIUI (and its new version of HyperOS) has powerful built-in tools to combat unwanted content. You don’t have to download third-party software, because the basic functionality of Security covers 95% of the needs of the average user.
In this article, we will break down all available filtering methods, from standard system settings to advanced automation scenarios, learn how to create whitelists, customize smart keyword filters, and use Google Messages to maximize spam protection.
Use of the built-in "Security" application
The central security element in the Xiaomi ecosystem is the system application Security. This is where the Blocker is located, which manages incoming calls and messages. To get started, you need to launch an application that usually has a green icon with a shield and go to the Blocker section.
The interface may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same. After you log into the blocker menu, select the tab responsible for SMS messages, and here you can see the log of blocked events, if they have already been received, and the filtering rules settings.
⚠️ WARNING: If you’ve just turned on your smartphone or updated your firmware, the locking functions may be deactivated by default. be sure to check the switches in the blocker settings menu.
The key advantage of the built-in solution is deep integration with the system. Unlike third-party applications, the system blocker has higher access rights and can stop messages even before they appear as a notification on the lock screen.
- 🛡️ Blacklist: allows you to manually add specific numbers from which spam comes.
- 🔒 Blocking Hidden Numbers: The feature screens out messages from senders hiding their own identity ID.
- 🌏 Region Blocking: Opportunity to ban messages from specific codes of countries where spam is most often sent.
The rules are set up through the Settings menu (cogs) inside the Blocker app, where you can select the level of filtration rigor. For example, Smart Lock mode analyzes the content and the sender using cloud databases.
Filter settings and locking rules
To effectively combat mailings, it is not enough to simply turn on a general lock. You need to fine-tune the rules so that you do not miss important messages from banks or delivery services, but cut off advertising noise. In the blocker settings menu, find Message Filter.
The first thing you do is you activate the option to block messages from unknown numbers, and the system will analyze the sender number: if it's not in your phone book, the message will be placed in the Spam folder or deleted, which is the most radical, but effective method.
A more flexible tool is keyword filtering, so you can create a list of words that automatically locks the message into the text, especially when it comes to gambling or microloans.
- 💬 Keywords: add the words “credit”, “winning”, “casino”, “promotion”, “bonus».
- 📞 Short numbers: Enable the option to block messages from short service numbers (usually 4-5 figure).
- 📩 Email-to-SMS: Some operators allow sending SMS with email, such messages can also be filtered.
☑️ Set up the perfect filter
It is important not to overdo the keywords, and if you add a word that is too common, you risk blocking a useful notification, for example, the word "code" may appear in a text message from a bank when you log in.
⚠️ Note: When adding keywords, the system does not distinguish between the register of letters. The word "Action" will block the message with the word "Promotion", "Promotion" or "Action».
To access blocked messages, you don’t need to delete the rules. All filtered messages are saved in a separate folder inside the Messages app or in the Blocker itself, from which they can be restored in case of a filtering error.
Blocking through the standard “Messages” app
On many global versions of Xiaomi firmware, the standard SMS application is Google Messages. It has its own, very powerful spam protection engine that works independently of the MIUI system unit. To activate it, open the application and click on the profile avatar.
In the drop-down menu, select Message Settings, and then go to Spam Protection. You need to activate the "Filter Spam" switch. Once enabled, all suspicious messages will automatically move to the "Spam and blocked" folder.
Google's algorithms use machine learning and a huge database of user complaints around the world, and if a number is tagged as spammy by just a few people, you'll probably not even see a notification of the message coming.
| Function | MIUI system unit | Google Messages | Third-party annexes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keyword Blocking | Yeah (handheld) | No. | Yeah (often paid) |
| Cloud room database | Yes (regional) | Yeah (global) | Depends on the base. |
| Integration into the system | Deep. | Medium | Surface. |
| Battery consumption | Minimum | Low. | Medium/High |
If you prefer to use Google’s app, it makes sense to disable duplicate features in the system unit to avoid conflicts or double notifications, but often working together will yield the best result.
What to do if an important message is spammy?
Use of third-party blocking applications
In some cases, embedded tools are not enough, especially if you encounter very aggressive spam that constantly changes numbers, then specialized applications from Google Play come to the rescue, the leaders in this niche are Truecaller, Should I Answer? and Sms Blocker.
These apps work on crowdsourcing, and when a user tags a number as spam, that information is instantly shared, and your phone is protected from millions of known spammers around the world.
But installing these programs requires permissions, and it requires access to your contacts, call history, and messages to work, and it's necessary to check numbers against the database, but from a privacy perspective, it's a risk.
- 📱 Truecaller: the largest number base, but requires registration and has a lot of advertising in the free version.
- 🛡️ Should I Answer?: A completely free, open source app with a good base of negative numbers.
- ⚙️ SMS Blocker: Lightweight Blocker with flexible rules, no Internet access required for basic filtering.
⚠️ Warning: Do not install multiple active blockers at the same time, which can cause one application to block the other, or messages will start arriving with a long delay.
Once a third-party blocker is installed, Android can periodically kill the process to save energy, so that this does not happen, you need to go to the battery settings, find the application and set the operating mode No restrictions.
Set up notifications for blocked contacts
One of the common problems is that the user is not aware of the arrival of the blocked message. By default, Xiaomi can simply silently reject SMS. To be aware of events, but not distracted by calls, you can configure the display of notifications.
Go to the Messages app settings via the smartphone settings menu (Applications → All Apps → Messages → Notifications). Find the notification category associated with spam or blocked messages and allow them to be displayed, but turn off the sound and vibration.
So, in the notification curtain, a quiet icon will appear that a message has come from an unknown number, you can check its contents at any time without interrupting the current affairs with an audible signal.
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Use Do Not Disturb mode with exceptions: Set your phone to only send text messages and calls from contacts in the phone book, and ignore everyone else at a given time (e.g., at night).
It is also useful to set up pop-ups. Some versions of MIUI have a pop-up feature for important notifications. For spam, it is better to turn this feature off so that banner ads do not overlap the screen.
Frequent Problem Solving and FAQ
Even when set up correctly, there may be nuances, such as messages from banks coming from different short numbers, and manual locking of each is ineffective, in which case it is better to use filtering at the beginning of the number or keywords if the bank warns about mailings.
Sometimes users complain that after updating the firmware settings are reset. Indeed, large Android or MIUI updates can return privacy settings to factory values. After each major update, it is recommended to audit the settings of the blocker.
If you've changed SIM-card or operator, make sure that locking services are not duplicated at the carrier level.Some operators provide their paid "antispam" services, which may conflict with the phone's settings.
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A comprehensive approach combining the MIUI system unit, Google Messages filters and the careful use of third-party databases gives maximum protection against SMS spam.
Remember, no filter is 100% guaranteed. Fraudsters are constantly changing tactics, so critical thinking and attention to the content of messages remain the main tool for security.