You call on a big business, you hold your phone to your ear, and the screen suddenly goes out, leaving you in the dark whether the person heard or the communication was interrupted. The problem of spontaneously turning off the display during a call is familiar to many Xiaomi owners, from the budget Redmi Note to the flagship Mi 13 Ultra. In 80% of cases, it is not a hardware defect, but a malfunction of software settings or sensors. But how to precisely determine the cause and fix it without going to the service?
In this article, we'll look at all possible scenarios, from the banal contamination of the approach sensor to the hidden bugs of MIUI firmware. You'll get step-by-step instructions with illustrations, a table of compatibility solutions for different Xiaomi models, and tips for preventing problems. Special attention will be paid to the hidden setting "Call Screen", which the manufacturer hides in the depths of the menu. If you've already tried to reboot the phone or clean the speaker, here you will find methods that are not written on the forums.
1. Approximation sensor check: the main cause of the problem
In 9 out of 10 cases, the screen goes out because of a malfunctioning proximity sensor, a small sensor next to the front camera that detects when you bring your phone to your ear. If the sensor is contaminated, damaged or calibrated incorrectly, the system mistakenly "thinks" you're talking, and turns off the display. Here's how to check this:
- 🔍 Visual inspection: Take a flashlight and shine it on the area next to the front camera, and the sensor looks like a small circular hole (sometimes covered by glass), and if you see dust, leaks, or scratches, the problem is found.
- 📱 Testing through the Engineering Menu: Enter the code ##6484## (for MIUI 12-14) or ##4636## (Select Proximity Sensor and see the values when you approach your hand.
- 🛠️ Calibration: If the sensor is working but shows incorrect values, it can be recalibrated via the Sensor Test app (available on Google Play).
On some Xiaomi models (such as the POCO X3 Pro or Redmi 9T), the proximity sensor is combined with a light sensor. If the screen not only goes out during the call, but also adjusts the brightness incorrectly, this confirms the diagnosis, in which case cleaning with alcohol or replacing the protective glass often solves the problem.
2. Hidden MIUI settings: how to turn off automatic screen shutdown
Xiaomi hides some options to "protect users from themselves," one of which is to adjust the behavior of the screen during a call.
- Open Settings → System → Additional (on MIUI 14, the path may differ: Settings → Screen → Advanced settings).
- Scroll down and find the Screen item during the call (Screen off during calls).
- Select the option Do not disable or Always on (depending on the version of MIUI).
If this item is not available, your firmware is not supporting it, and an alternative method will help:
Enable Developer Mode (7 times press "Version" MIUI" on the telephone")|
Open "Settings → For Developers" and find "Debugging by USB" |
Connect your phone to your PC and enter adb shell settings put global screen_off_during_call 0|
Reset the device-->
Important: after the MIUI update, this setting may reset. We recommend checking it after each major update. On Xiaomi models with Android 13+ (for example, Xiaomi 13 Lite), the path to settings may change - search for it through the settings (the icon of the magnifier at the top of the screen).
3. Software failures: resetting settings and software updates
If the proximity sensor is fine and the settings don't work, the problem may be a system failure.
- 🔄 Resetting the settings of the Phone application: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management. Find the Phone app (or Contacts on some firmware). Select Storage → Erase Data and Stop It. ⚠️ Note: This will delete your call history, but will not affect your contacts (they sync with Google or Mi Account).
- 📲 Update MIUI: Go to Settings. → The phone. → Update the system and check the firmware's relevance. POCO The way may be settings → Update of the PO.
- ⚙️ Resetting all settings: last resort - Settings → The phone. → Reset settings. Pre-reverse through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.