How to prevent calling unfamiliar numbers on Xiaomi: a complete guide

Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphone owners often face intrusive calls from advertising agencies, scammers or simply unknown subscribers. MIUI’s regular shell and the newer HyperOS have powerful built-in filtering tools that many users don’t even know about, and ignoring these capabilities leads to a waste of time and nerves, and sometimes financial risks.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available ways to block incoming calls, learn how to set up a blacklist, activate Do Not Disturb mode, and use hidden system features to maximize spam protection, and look at both standard methods and advanced settings available through the engineering menu and third-party software.

Customizing your phone is the first step to digitally hygiene your device, and using filters to make sure you only receive calls that matter, and here are steps to help you forget about terrorism.

Use of built-in lock function in MIUI and HyperOS

The most effective and safe way to combat unwanted calls is to use native features of the system. Xiaomi developers have implemented a powerful security module in the shell, which does not require installing additional software. To access the settings, you need to open the standard Phone application and go to the settings menu.

Inside the menu, you'll find the partition that filters calls. The interface may vary slightly depending on the version of the operating system, but the logic remains the same. You'll need to activate a switch that will block calls from numbers that are not in your address book, a key feature for those who want silence.

The system will offer several options when such a call arrives, you can choose to reset a full call, send a busy signal or silently ignore without notice, and it is important to understand that once this option is activated, the caller will hear a beep or a message about the absence of a subscriber, depending on the selected scenario.

• 📱 Open the Phone app and click on three dots in the corner of the screen.
• 🛡️ Go to the “Block” or “Antispam” section».
• 🔇 Activate the switchboard "Block unknown numbers».
• ⚙️ Set the system response to a blocked call (reset or ignore).

⚠️ Note: When you enable full lock of unknown numbers, you may miss an important call from a courier, doctor or emergency services if their number is not saved in contacts.

Setting up the "Do Not Disturb" mode for silence

If you need temporary isolation from the outside world or you're in an important meeting, the best solution is Do Not Disturb. Unlike full lockdown, this mode allows you to flexibly configure exceptions, you can only allow calls from selected contacts or re-calls from a single number for a short period of time.

To activate this mode, lower the notification curtain and find the corresponding crescent icon. A finer setup is available through the system settings menu. Here you can schedule the phone to automatically go quiet at night or during business hours. This is especially useful for owners of Redmi Note and Poco F series smartphones.

One of the most useful features is the Repeat Call rule, which is that if someone calls you for the second time in a row within three minutes, the system will miss that call, considering it urgent, it's insurance in case of an emergency when the person needs to contact you immediately.

Manual addition of numbers to the blacklist

When a particular number becomes intrusive, it must be added to a personal blacklist, which blocks all kinds of communication with the subscriber: calls and calls. SMS-The process of adding is simple and takes a few seconds, but effectively solves the problem with a specific troublemaker.

There are several ways to put a number on the blocked list, and the easiest way to do this is through a call history, find an unnecessary number, click on it or on the information icon next to it, and select the lock option, and the system will confirm the action, and this subscriber will not be able to reach you again.

You can also add numbers directly from your contact list or through lock settings, by manually entering the number, which is true if you know the fraudster's number but he didn't call you, or if you want to block a whole range of numbers by entering them one at a time, and you can manage the list in the same menu where you set up automatic filtering.

• 📞 Go into the history of calls and find the right number.
• 🚫 Click on the “Block” or “Add to the blacklist” button».
• ✅ Confirm the action in the pop-up window.
• 📝 For manual input, go to lock settings and select “Add number».

Use of codes and hidden functions

For advanced users who want to get maximum control, there are special features. USSD-One effective method is to activate the forwarding of all voice calls to a non-existent number or voicemail, provided that it is "busy" or "unavailable" if you are the one who drops the calls yourself.

However, the most effective hidden tool is the test menu, where you can enter a special code in the dialer, you can access the network settings. Be very careful: changing the parameters in this menu without understanding their purpose can lead to loss of communication or unstable operation of the communication module. We recommend using only verified codes to activate standard lock functions.

Some telecom operators provide their own spam blocking services that are activated via the USSD-These teams are network-level and independent of your smartphone, and you can find out the current codes for your operator on the official website or by contacting customer support.

##002# – Disable all types of redirects (reset call settings)
#4636## - Testing menu (use with caution)

⚠️ Note: Entering codes in the engineering menu can change the settings of the radio module. Do not change the preferred network type or frequency parameters if you are not sure of your actions, otherwise the phone may stop catching the network.

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Save the ##002# code in your notes. This is a universal command to reset all redirects if you accidentally set them up incorrectly or took a phone with someone else's settings.

Third-party applications for spam protection

When built-in tools are not enough, specialized applications come to the rescue, with Truecaller, GetContact and Yandex.Spectrum leading the market, using huge databases, crowdsourced (created by users), which allows you to identify and block even those numbers that changed owners yesterday.

The main advantage of these apps is that you can see the name of the caller before you answer, even if the number is not in your contact book, and they tag calls with "Spam", "Advertising", "Finance" or "Fraudsters", and installing such software significantly improves digital security, turning your Xiaomi into a smart filter.

But privacy is a good thing to remember. Many of these apps require access to your phone book and call history to update their databases. Please read the privacy policy carefully before installing. For most users, the balance between convenience and privacy is in favor of installation, but the choice is always yours.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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Comprehensive protection is achieved by combining built-in MIUI filters, Do Not Disturb mode and a third-party application-definition database.