How to turn off screen lock when calling on Xiaomi: a step-by-step guide

The situation when the screen goes out during a conversation on a Xiaomi smartphone is familiar to many owners of devices based on the MIUI shell or HyperOS. This is due to the operation of the proximity sensor, which should save battery power and prevent accidental cheek pressing. However, this mechanism often works incorrectly, blocking the display long before the phone is held to the ear, or not returning the image back after the conversation is completed.

There are several ways to solve this problem, from simple calibration in the engineering menu to radical disabling of the function through the developer settings. In this article, we will discuss all the methods that will help you regain control of the screen during calls. It is important to understand that completely disabling the proximity sensor can lead to accidental resets of calls with the cheek.

Before we go into complex manipulations, we need to make sure that the problem is not caused by a banal dirt or protective glass. Often it is thick glass or the wrong case that blocks the light from the sensor, making the system think that the phone is in your pocket. If the physical cleanliness of the device does not cause questions, then we move to software settings.

Reasons for screen locking

The main culprit behind blocking the display is the proximity sensor, which is most often located at the top of the front panel on Xiaomi smartphones, next to the speaker, and it works simply by emitting infrared light and measuring the time it reflects back, and if the reflection returns too quickly, the system thinks that the object (your ear) is nearby, and turns off the screen.

However, MIUI is often software glitched when the sensor is not properly calibrated after updating or replacing the display, and background processes that block the sensor can also influence the sensor, and users often complain that the screen goes out immediately after dialing, even before the phone is brought to the head.

There is also the concept of a “pocket mode” that enhances the sensor sensitivity so that the phone does not turn on in the pocket, which sometimes conflicts with the normal call mode, creating a situation where it becomes almost impossible to unlock the screen during a conversation without using hands-free communication.

Basic sensor setting in the phone menu

The first step is to check the standard call settings. In some versions of Xiaomi firmware, you can turn off pocket mode or reset the sensor settings without logging into the engineering menu.

Click three dots or the gear icon in the top right to open the settings menu. Find the section that's associated with incoming calls or pocket mode. There may be a switch that locks the screen in your pocket. Disabling it often solves the problem of false positives.

If the standard menu doesn’t have the options you need, try resetting your network settings and calls. This won’t delete your contacts, but will return your call settings to factory values. The path to this menu is usually in Settings → About Phone → All Options → Reset your Wi-Fi, mobile network and Bluetooth settings.

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Before resetting your network settings, make sure you remember passwords from your Wi-Fi networks, as they will have to be re-entered.

Engineering menu and sensor calibration

The most effective way to solve the problem is to recalibrate the sensor through an engineering menu, which allows the system to correctly determine the distance to the object. To enter the diagnostic menu, a special code is used that works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices.

Open the Phone app and enter the combination ##6484##. If the code didn't work, try ##4636## or find the Service and Feedback (or "CIT") app in the general application list. In the menu that opens, look for the Proximity sensor.

Inside the test, you'll see the values 0.0 or 5.0. Your task is to cover the top of the phone with your hand (simulating a conversation) so that the value changes, and remove the hand so that it returns to its original state. If the values change, press the Calibration button. If the screen blinks red and green, the calibration was successful.

Once you've calibrated successfully, be sure to restart the device, which will force the system to apply new sensitivity factors, and in 90% of cases, if the sensor is physically fit, this procedure eliminates the locking problem.

Using third-party applications to control the sensor

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools don’t help disable the lock or calibrate the sensor, apps from the Google Play Market come to the rescue. There is a special software that can intercept the control of the sensor and force the screen to keep the screen on during a call.

One of the most popular solutions is the Proximity Sensor Reset/Fix app, or similar ones with names like "Approximation Sensor," which allows you to not only calibrate, but completely ignore the sensor readings in certain scenarios, and once you install the application, you need to give it special permissions through ADB or special features menus.

Alternatively, using native calling apps like Truecaller or Google Phone, they may have their own sensor-based data processing algorithms that are more stable than a standard MIUI call, and installing such an application could be a temporary solution before a firmware update is released.

Disconnection through developer and ADB settings

For advanced users, there is a way to disable the sensor via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) commands, which requires connecting the smartphone to the computer and having drivers installed, and allows you to penetrate the system settings deeper than the standard interface allows.

First, you need to activate the developer mode. Go to Settings. → On the phone and press quickly 7-10 once in "Version" MIUI" (or "Version." OS"). After the inscription "You became a developer" go to the → For developers.

Turn on USB debugging. Connect your phone to your PC and start the command line. To turn off the proximity sensor (which will make the screen burn always when you call), you can use a command that changes the state of the sensor, but in modern versions of Android this often requires root rights. A safer option is to reset the sensor settings via ADB:

adb shell settings put system proximity_on_click 0

This command can vary depending on the version of Android and the specific model of the processor (Snapdragon or MediaTek).Be careful: incorrect ADB commands can lead to unstable system operation. If you are not sure of your actions, it is better to limit yourself to calibration through the CIT menu.

Hardware problems and physical intervention

You can't rule out a physical breakdown. If the screen goes out chaotically, even when you're not holding the phone to your ear, or if it's pressed against your cheek, it's possible that the sensor is damaged. In Xiaomi smartphones, the proximity sensor is often combined with the speaker or is part of the display plume.

A common cause is to unplug the protective film inside the housing, which covers the sensor hole, and over time the glue dries up, the film moves away and covers the sensor, in which case no software adjustment will help — you will need to disassemble the device and remove the film or replace the plume.

⚠️ Note: Self-disassembly of the Xiaomi smartphone cancels warranty obligations. If the device is under warranty, contact an authorized service center for diagnosis.

It's also worth checking if you have a wide black-framed protective glass. Sometimes accessories manufacturers make the frame too wide and it physically covers the sensor at the top of the screen. Removing the glass often solves the problem instantly.

Specifics of different versions of MIUI and HyperOS

The behavior of the proximity sensor is highly dependent on the shell version. In older versions of MIUI (e.g. MIUI 11-12), the problem was solved by a simple switch in the settings. In newer versions, such as MIUI 13, 14 and the latest HyperOS, the algorithms became more complex and aggressive.

HyperOS has introduced new energy-saving mechanisms that can force the screen to go out at the slightest suspicion of a phone in the dark next to an object. Users note that new firmware only helps with a complete factory reset (with loss of data) or waiting for a patch from developers.

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The closest proximity sensor works on stock versions of Android (Android One), however, this is rare in Xiaomi, so calibration through CIT is the best way out.

If you upgraded to a new OS version and the problem appeared after that, it makes sense to roll back to the previous firmware version through the Mi Flash Tool site if the current version contains critical bugs.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions