How to Change the Inbound Call Screen on Xiaomi with MIUI 12: All Ways From Standard Themes to Hidden Chips

The incoming call screen on Xiaomi with the MIUI 12 shell is the first thing your interlocutors see when calling you. The standard design with a white background and minimalist animations is not popular with everyone: some want to add personalization, some want to improve the visibility of information, and some even dream of full customization. Unfortunately, MIUI 12 does not offer the same wide possibilities for changing the call screen as newer versions of the shell (for example, MIUI 14 or HyperOS), but there are options.

In this article, we will analyze all available ways to modify the call screen on Xiaomi with the help of the MIUI 12 — From official settings to workarounds using third-party apps and hidden system features, you will learn how to change backgrounds, animations, fonts and even add your own images, despite the limitations of the shell. 2020–2022 years (Redmi Note) 9/10, Mi 10/11, POCO X3 Other risks that may arise from deep customization.

Standard Call Screen Settings in MIUI 12: What You Can Change Without Third-Party Tools

To start with, what does MIUI 12 offer for incoming call screen customization? Unfortunately, the options are extremely limited compared to the more recent shell versions. From the Settings menu → Sounds and Vibrations → Call screen, you will find only a few options:

• 🎨 Color theme: Choosing between light and dark display mode (affects background and text).
• 🔄 Animation: Switching between standard animation (waves) and static screen.
• 📞 Name Display: Enabling/disabling the display of a contact name or number.

On some models (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro or Mi 11 Lite), the call screen background option may appear on this menu, but it is not available to everyone. If it is not available, do not despair: we will look at alternative methods later.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition (e.g. Xiaomi) 11T) Some of the settings may be hidden due to performance optimizations. Check the shell version in Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI.

If your model does not support changing the background through standard settings, move to the next section - there we will consider workarounds.

2.Use MIUI themes to customize the call screen

One of the safest ways to change the look of a call screen is to install a theme from the official MIUI Themes store. Many themes include not only wallpaper and icons, but also unique designs for the incoming call screen, including animations, fonts and color schemes. Here's how to do this:

1. Open the Themes app (icon with brush).
2. Go to the Call section or search for the call screen.
3. Select your favorite theme and click Apply.
4. Confirm the changes – some themes require a phone reboot.

Important: Not all themes are compatible with MIUI 12. To avoid problems, filter the results from the shell version:

• 🔍 In the search for the store, enter them MIUI 12 call screen.
• 📌 Check user reviews – they often indicate whether the theme works on specific models.
• ⭐ Preference is given to topics with a rating above 4.5 and the number of downloads. >10 000.

⚠️ Note: Some topics may conflict with system fonts or animations, causing slowdowns when an incoming call is applied. If after using the theme, the phone starts laggit when calling, return the standard theme to Settings → Topics → By default.

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Before you install a new theme, back up your current settings in Settings → Additional → Backup. This will help you roll back quickly if the new theme causes a crash.

3. Manually changing the background of the call screen through the file system (for advanced users)

If standard methods don't work, you can try to manually replace the background of the call screen by replacing the system files, which requires root rights or ADB, as well as accuracy - an error can cause the phone module to crash.

Here is a step-by-step instruction for devices with an unlocked bootloader:

1. Download and install the MIUI Modding Tool (or any file manager with root support).
2. Cross the path: /system/priv-app/TeleService/TeleService.apk/res/drawable-xxxhdpi/ Here xxxhdpi may vary depending on your device’s screen resolution (e.g. xxhdpi for Full). HD).
3. Find files with names: incall_bg.png — call-screen; incall_bg_dark.png — background; incall_avatar_frame.png — contact-frame.

Create backup copies of original files (copy them on the file). SD-card).

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Replace the files in the folder and restart the phone.

If you don’t have root rights, try ADB:

adb pull /system/priv-app/TeleService/TeleService.apk/res/drawable-xxxhdpi/incall_bg.png


adb push your image.png /system/priv-app/TeleService/TeleService.apk/res/drawable-xxxhdpi/incall_bg.png




adb reboot

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 12.5 and above system files can be protected by dm-verity, and changing them without disabling the check will lead to bootloop.

4. Third-party applications for customizing the call screen

If manual methods seem too risky, you can use third-party apps that offer flexible call screen settings. Here are the most proven options for MIUI 12:

• 📱 Call Screen Customizer (Play Market): allows you to change backgrounds, fonts, button positions and add animations. Works on top of the standard interface, but may conflict with some versions of the interface. MIUI.
• 🎨 Caller Screen Theme: specializes in themed designs (e.g., neon, retro, minimalism) Requires permission to overlay other applications.
• 🔧 MIUI Call Background Changer (requires root): Directly modify system files through a user-friendly interface. Supports preview.

When using third-party applications, consider the following nuances:

• 🔋 Some applications consume an extra battery due to constant work in the background.
• 🛡️ To work properly, you may need to disable battery optimization for the application in Settings → Battery and productivity → Optimizing the battery.
• 📵 On devices with MIUI 12.5 Enhanced customization applications can be blocked by security.

Check compatibility with MIUI 12 on the Play Market app page

Disable battery optimization for the application

Make a backup of your phone’s contacts and settings

Test the app in "guest mode" (if available)-->

5. Hidden MIUI 12 chips: how to enable experimental call screen functions

MIUI 12 has a few hidden features that you can activate through ADB or an engineering menu, one of which is advanced call screen animation, which adds ripple effects and gradients.

1. Connect your phone to your PC and activate USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (7 times click on MIUI Version), then go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers.
2. Open the command line on PC and type: adb shell settings put global call_screen_animation_style 2 where 2 — Animation identifier (available values: 0 — standard, 1 — wavelength, 2 — gradient).
3. Reboot the phone.

Another hidden option is to show additional information on the call screen (such as the last message from a contact) to enable it:

adb shell settings put global call_screen_show_last_message 1

A list of all the hidden commands for MIUI 12 can be found in official Xiaomi documentation or on forums like XDA Developers. However, beware: the wrong commands can cause the phone module to malfunction.

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Hidden MIUI 12 features often depend on regional firmware. If the command fails, check the software version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (e.g., "Global", "China", "EEA").

Alternative solutions: widgets and workarounds

If none of the above methods work, consider alternative approaches:

• 📲 Widgets on the lock screen: some launchers (for example, Nova Launcher) allow you to add widgets with information about calls to the lock screen.
• 🎵 Custom melodies and vibrations: While it doesn't affect the visual part, unique call sounds can compensate for the lack of screen customization. → Sounds and vibrations → The melody of the call.
• 🔄 Update to the new version MIUI: If your device supports the upgrade MIUI 13/14 or HyperOS, there will be more options for customizing the call screen (for example, dynamic wallpaper and animations based on contacts).

For POCO or Redmi owners with MIUI 12, there is another trick: some custom firmware (like Pixel Experience or LineageOS) offer much more flexible call screen settings, but installing them requires unlocking the bootloader and can take away your warranty.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

When customizing the call screen on MIUI 12, users often face the following problems:

If after customization, the call screen stopped showing at all, try:

1. Remove recently installed themes or applications.
2. Reset the settings of the Phone application in Settings → Applications → Phone → Storage → Reset.
3. Restore the original system files (if you manually changed them).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)