How to block messages on Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Xiaomi’s current smartphones, which are running MIUI shells or the new HyperOS, offer users powerful tools to manage incoming traffic. One of the most relevant features is the ability to limit unwanted communication, whether it’s intrusive advertising or messages from specific contacts. Spam and fraudulent SMS have become a global problem, and it’s simply impossible to ignore built-in protections.

In this article, we will discuss how to block messages on a Xiaomi phone in various ways. You will learn about the standard system functions, the intricacies of the Security application and filtering methods that will help clean your smartphone of information noise.

Blocking can be required in a variety of situations, from stopping communication with former partners to protecting against bank phishing, it is important to understand that blocked messages do not disappear without a trace, but move to a special isolated section, which allows you to restore access to information if you need to, if the blocking was made incorrectly.

Using the Security App for Filtering

The main tool for managing incoming calls and messages in Xiaomi smartphones is the system application Security. This is where all the necessary settings are concentrated to create a blacklist and manage the behavior of the device when calls or SMS from unwanted senders.

To access the settings you need, open the Security app on the home screen or in the Tools folder. Find an icon called Blacklist or Lock. Depending on the version of MIUI firmware, the interface may vary slightly, but the logic remains the same for all models, whether it is a budget Redmi or flagship Xiaomi.

Inside the lock menu, you'll see a list of numbers and messages that have already been blocked, and you'll also have settings that allow you to automate the process, like "Block Hidden Numbers" or "Block Unknown Messages," which is especially useful if you're being attacked by massive spam from different SIM cards.

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For quick locking of the number right from the dialog, open the message, click on three dots in the corner of the screen and select Add to the blacklist.

Importantly, the settings in this section apply globally to all SIM cards installed on the device. If you use two numbers, the filtering rules will apply to both, making it easier to manage, but requires careful setting up exceptions.

Set up a blacklist through the standard Messages app

An alternative and often faster way to add a contact to an ignorant list is to use the Message application itself, which is convenient because it does not require you to switch to system security settings, but acts directly from the context of the correspondence.

Open the dialog with the contact you want to block. Click on the contact avatar or the three dots in the top right corner of the screen to call the action menu. In the list that opens, select Lock or Lock the number. The system will request confirmation of the action, after which the number will be entered in the database of prohibited.

Once blocked, all new messages from this subscriber will no longer appear in the shared feed, but they will not be deleted, but moved to a special folder Locked, which ensures that you do not lose important information if the blocking was made in a fit of emotion or by mistake.

• 📱 Direct lock: allows you to quickly stop the flow of messages from a specific sender without unnecessary clicks on the menu.
• 📂 Content isolation: All blocked SMS is stored in a separate storage, accessible only to you.
• 🔔 No notifications: The phone will not vibrate or make sounds when receiving a message from a blocked contact.

It is worth considering that some versions of MIUI shells may use different standard SMS applications. If you have Google Messages installed instead of system MIUI Messages, the algorithm of actions will be similar, but the menu interface may look different.

Automatic blocking by keywords and types

One of the most powerful features of Xiaomi’s security system is the ability to filter messages not only by number but also by content, which allows you to effectively combat advertising mailings, even if they come from different short numbers or service addresses.

To activate this feature, go to Security → Blacklist → Settings (cog icon).Look for Message Filter or Keywords. Here you can enter words specific to spam, such as “credit”, “winning”, “promotion”, “casino”. Any message containing these words will be automatically hidden.

It also offers a feature to block messages from unknown numbers that are not stored in your phone book, a radical but effective method that is often used to keep the phone quiet, leaving it accessible only to a narrow circle of people.

⚠️ Warning: Be careful when setting up keyword filtering.If you use too generic words (such as “code” or “confirmation”), you may miss important SMS messages from banks or delivery services.

It can also recognize the type of message, so you can set the rules so that only the promotional mailings are blocked, but transaction notifications or authorization codes are missed, and then select the appropriate categories from the filter menu and set the switches to the right position.

Managing blocked messages and restoring

All blocked messages are stored in a special section, often called the “Basket” or “Blocked History”, accessed through the Security application or through the settings of the Message application itself.

Within this section, messages are sorted by date and sender, and you can open any of them to read the full text, if a message was blocked incorrectly or was important, it can be restored, and then click on the message and select Restore or Do Not Block.

Recovered messages are returned to the main inbox and displayed as regular notifications, and you can completely delete the history of blocked messages to free up space in the device’s memory, although they take up a minimal amount.

Regular checks of this section are recommended at least once a week to ensure that important notifications from government agencies or banks are not filtered out by erroneous settings.

Blocking in the Google Messages app

Many Xiaomi users prefer to replace the standard app with Google Messages because of the cleaner interface and better support for the RCS standard. The locking process here is also very convenient and intuitive.

Open the dialog you want to block. Click on the contact name at the top of the screen to go to the person's profile. Scroll down and find Lock and Spam. By activating the Block switch, you will prevent that number from texting you or making calls.

In the settings of the Google Messages app itself (through three dots in the corner), there is a Spam Protection section, where you can enable smart filtering that automatically detects and hides suspicious messages by flagging them as spam. Google's algorithms are constantly updated, which makes this method very effective.

• 🛡️ Smart protection: artificial intelligence analyzes text and sender, identifying known schemes of fraudsters.
• 🚫 Silent lock: messages from spammers do not wake up the phone and do not appear in the chat list.
• 📝 Spam Report: You can submit a report to Google to improve protection for all users.

If you use this app, it will control the incoming stream.

⚠️ Note: When you change your SMS application, the old lock settings from the system application may not be transferred automatically.

Third-party applications for enhanced protection

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools aren’t enough, Google Play offers a host of third-party solutions, with apps like Truecaller, Call Blocker, or Should I Answer all having extensive databases of spammer and scam numbers.

These programs work at the system level, intercepting incoming calls and messages before they are processed by the standard interface, and can block entire categories of numbers, such as all numbers starting with certain codes or numbers labeled by other users as “Ads.”

However, using third-party software requires broad permissions, and the application needs access to your contacts, call history and text content to work effectively, raising privacy concerns, so only choose proven solutions with a good reputation.

Installing such software can slightly increase battery consumption, since the application must constantly run in the background, analyzing incoming traffic in real time.

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The built-in MIUI/HyperOS tools provide 90% of the protection needed, and third-party applications should only be installed if you encounter very specific spam that the system skips.