How to lock the screen on Xiaomi during a call: all working methods

Have you ever encountered a situation where, during a phone conversation on Xiaomi, you accidentally press buttons on the screen, or you put a smartphone to your ear, and the sensor responds to the touch of the cheek, activating the speakerphone or transferring the call to hold? This problem is familiar to many owners of touchscreen devices. Fortunately, in Xiaomi, Redmi and smartphones. POCO There are several ways to lock the screen while you’re talking – both built-in and using third-party apps.

In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of locking the screen on devices running MIUI 12/13/14 and Android 11-14, including hidden firmware functions, gestures and automation. You will learn how to configure lock on models from Xiaomi Mi 11 to Redmi Note 12, and what to do if the standard methods do not work.

Why is Xiaomi’s screen not automatically locked when you call?

Many users expect the smartphone to lock the screen itself when approaching the ear, as is implemented on some Samsung or iPhone devices. However, in Xiaomi, this feature is often disabled by default or does not work correctly.

• 🔹 Absence of proximity sensor or its malfunction (relevant for budget models like Redmi) 9A).
• 🔹 Problems with sensor calibration after update MIUI.
• 🔹 Power saving settings that limit sensor performance.
• 🔹 Failures in firmware, especially after manual downgrade version MIUI.

Before you start setting up the lock, it is worth checking whether the proximity sensor on your device is working.

1. Open the Phone app and type ##6484## (on some models, ##0*###).
2. Select Sensor Test → Proximity Sensor from the testing menu.
3. Close the top of the screen with your hand – if the sensor is working, the color of the indicator will change from red to green.

If the sensor does not respond, the problem may be in the hardware (for example, after the phone falls) or in the software, in which case the lock will have to be adjusted manually or with additional applications.

Method 1: Use of proximity sensor (set up automatic lock)

If your Xiaomi proximity sensor is working, you can enable automatic screen locking during a call, which is hidden in the MIUI settings and does not work on all models, but it is worth a try.

Instructions for MIUI 12/13/14:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the phone app in the list and tap it.
3. Go to Permits. → Additional authorizations.
4. Activate the Switch to Change System Settings (if any).
5. Go back to the basic settings of the phone and open Settings → System → Additional settings → Special features → Approximation Sensor.
6. Enable the option to Lock the screen during the call (the name may vary depending on the version of MIUI).

1.Make sure there is no protective film or cover covering the sensor on the screen

2. Check the sensor through the engineering menu (##6484##)

3. Update MIUI to the latest version

4. Reset sensor settings in Settings → About Phone → Resetting → Reset sensor settings-->

On some devices (such as the POCO X3 Pro or Redmi Note 10), this path may be different. If you don't find the right item, try an alternative method:

1. During the call, pull down the notification panel.
2. Slip the call settings icon (cog next to the call timer).
3. Turn on the option to Lock the screen when approaching.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14 based on Android 13+ This feature may conflict with navigation gestures. If the screen starts to turn on/off arbitrarily after activation of the lock, turn off the gestures and use the classic navigation buttons.

Method 2: Locking the screen with the power button (manual method)

The easiest and most versatile way is to lock the screen manually with the power button, which works on all Xiaomi models, regardless of the MIUI version or the state of the sensors.

How to do this:

• 📞 During the call, press the power button once (do not hold it down!).
• 🔒 The screen will go out, but the conversation will continue.
• 🔄 To unlock the screen, press the power button again and swipe your finger upwards (or enter the password if the lock is set).

This method has one drawback: if you use a fingerprint scanner on the power button (like on the Xiaomi Mi 10T or POCO F3), a casual touch can unlock the phone.

1. Go to Settings → Lock screen → Fingerprint.
2. Turn off the Unlock option when you press the power button.

💡

If the power button on your Xiaomi is running late, check the power saving settings. In Settings → Battery → Power saving mode, turn off restrictions for system applications.

On some models (such as the Redmi Note 9 Pro), a single tap of the power button can activate the Google Assistant voice assistant.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management → Google.
2. Select Permissions → Additional authorizations.
3. Turn off the Start from the power button.

Method 3: Screen lock gesture (for MIUI 12 and later)

Recent versions of MIUI have the ability to assign gestures to lock the screen while calling, a feature not available on all devices, but if your smartphone supports navigation gestures, try the following method:

Activation of the lock gesture:

1. Open Settings → System → Gestures → button gestures.
2. Select Double Touch to lock (or Lock Gesture).
3. Turn on the option and assign a gesture – for example, double-tapping on the bottom of the screen.
4. When making a call, use this gesture to block the screen.

On devices with AMOLED-screens (for example, Xiaomi 12 Pro or POCO F4 GT) You can set the gesture "swipe down the ambient display":

• 🔘 Go to Settings. → Always on screen (AOD) → Gestures.
• 🔘 Turn Swipe down to lock.
• 🔘 During the call, swipe down the switched-off screen (without pressing the power button).

⚠️ Note: On some firmware, lock gestures may conflict with the "Raise to Wake Up" function. If the screen spontaneously turns on, turn off this option in Settings. → Lock screen → Raise to wake up.

Method 4: Applications for Automatic Screen Locking

If the built-in methods don't work or you need a more flexible setup, you can use third-party apps.

Let’s look at the example of Gravity Screen:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Run it and provide all the necessary permissions (including Special Access to Manage Lock).
3. Go to the settings and enable the option to Lock the screen during the call.
4. Adjust the sensitivity of the proximity sensor (recommended value - Medium).
5. In the Exceptions section, add the Phone app so that the lock only works during calls.

Automate will need to create a stream (Flow) according to the following template:

Trigger: Phone → Call status → Start of outgoing / incoming


Action: Device → Screen → Turn off the screen




Condition: Sensors → Approximation Sensor → Closed

⚠️ Note: Apps like Gravity Screen can increase battery consumption 5-10%, Because they're constantly asking for sensors. MIUI 14 Add them to the list of Secure Applications (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Auto-start) so that the system does not close them in the background.

Method 5: Locking the screen through ADB (for advanced users)

If you are willing to use the developer tools, you can set up automatic screen locking during a call through ADB. This method does not require root rights, but will require connecting the phone to a computer.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on USB Debugging on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times to become a developer) → Developer settings → Debugging over USB.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer.
3. Download Platform Tools and open the cmd in the folder with adb.exe.
4. Follow the command to check the connection: Adb devices should appear the name of your device.
5. Enter the command to allow screen locking during the call: adb shell settings put global proximity_delay 0
6. Reboot the phone.

Then the proximity sensor will lock the screen as soon as the phone approaches the ear, and if you want to return the standard behavior, do this:

adb shell settings put global proximity_delay 2000

This method is especially useful for devices where the proximity sensor is unstable (for example, on the Redmi 9T or POCO M3). However, beware: incorrect ADB commands can lead to system failures.

Problems: The screen is not locked or is locked too late

If neither of these methods worked, the problem could be in the hardware or software, and let's look at typical scenarios and their solutions.

On devices with MIUI 14 based on Android 13 can help reset sensor settings:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Reset sensor settings.
3. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

If the problem persists, check if the sensor is disturbed by a protective glass or film. On some models (for example, Xiaomi 11 Lite NE), the sensor is too close to the edge of the screen, and even a thin film can block its signal.

💡

Before resetting or firmware your phone, back up your data via Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset. This will save your contacts, messages and app settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about screen locking on Xiaomi

Important: On Xiaomi devices with MediaTek processors (such as Redmi 9 or POCO M2), the proximity sensor may not work stable due to the features of the hardware platform, in which case it is recommended to use manual lock or applications like Gravity Screen.