How to put a photo on a call to the full screen Xiaomi

Personalizing the smartphone interface is not just a tribute to fashion, but a way to make the device truly your own, turning a standard gadget into a unique tool. Owners of Xiaomi devices often face the desire to see the face of the caller not in a small circle, but on the entire display, which is especially true for older people or just for aesthetics. Standard functionality of the shell of MIUI or the new HyperOS allows you to implement this feature, but the settings can be hidden or require the use of specific applications-callers.

The process of installing a full-screen photo depends on the version of the operating system and the preinstalled application for calls, since different regions use different Google Dialer or MIUI Dialer. If standard system tools fail to achieve the desired result, you can always resort to the help of proven third-party solutions from Google Play. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods, from basic contact settings to advanced customization utilities.

It should be noted that the quality of the image display depends on the resolution of the original file and the pixel density of the screen of your smartphone. For the best effect, it is recommended to use high-quality photos where the person’s face occupies the center of the frame, which will allow the system to properly crop the image without losing important details when incoming call.

Basic configuration through the standard Contacts app

The easiest and most reliable way to install a subscriber’s image is to use the built-in functionality of the Contacts app, which works on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models, regardless of the firmware version, as it is system. However, in order for the photo to be displayed on the full screen, rather than as a thumbnail, you need to properly prepare the original image and choose the correct save format.

To start, open the Contacts app and find the right subscriber in the list or search. Click on the contact name to go to their card, then select the Change option (usually indicated by the pencil icon). In the editing menu that opens, you will see a round area for the avatar - click on it to download a new image from the gallery.

When you select a photo, the system will suggest framing the image. It's critical to leave room around your head, because when you call in, the interface can overlap the edges of the photo with controls. Make sure that the face occupies a significant portion of the frame, but not pressed to the edges, otherwise, when you zoom in to the full screen, important details can be cut off.

There is a nuance associated with data synchronization. If your contacts are saved in a Google account, then the photo installed will also be uploaded to the cloud and displayed when you call from other devices where you log in to this account. This is convenient, but it is worth remembering that updating the photo on the server can take some time, so on the smartphone itself changes can be seen instantly, and on other devices – with a delay.

⚠️ Warning: If the photo doesn't show up on the full screen after you install it, check the contact settings. MIUI Restriction on displaying only avatars from the phone book, ignoring photos from social networks.

Use the Google Phone (Google Dialer) app

On global firmware versions and in many models shipped to Europe and India, the standard caller is the Google Phone app, which features a clean interface and integration with the search giant's services, but has its own peculiarities in configuring the visual design of calls. Unlike the MIUI Dialer, there are fewer options for background customization, but the basic feature of full-screen photo is implemented well.

To set up a photo, make sure that the Google Phone app is set as the default app for making calls. Go to Settings → Apps → App Management → Three dots at the top → Default apps → Phone and select a Phone with a blue handset icon or a gray Google handset. After that, open the contact, click three dots in the corner and select Change, then add a photo.

There's a full-screen photo feature in the Google Phone app that activates automatically when you have a high-quality image in contact, but if you have a theme installed that forcefully changes the call screen, the system photo may overlap, so you either need to change the theme to a standard one or you need to turn off the effects in the Topic app.

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Use vertical portrait format photos for better results. Horizontal shots will be cut at the edges, which can spoil the composition.

It is important to consider that Google Phone is actively using the Google Contacts database. If you have changed a photo in your local phone storage, but the contact is synced with Google, the system may try to replace your local photo with what is in the cloud. So it is best to make changes through the web interface contacts.google.com or by making sure that sync works correctly in both directions.

Settings in the application MIUI Phone

For users who have a native MIUI phone preinstalled (often found in Chinese versions and some global builds for the CIS), the process can be characterized by the presence of additional visual effects. This application allows you not only to put a static photo, but also to customize its display depending on the topic, but sometimes requires manual activation of the full screen function.

Open the Phone app (blue icon) and go to settings by clicking on three bars or a gear. Find the Incoming Calls or Display section. There may be a full-screen display switch or the like. If there is no such option, then the app relies solely on contact data and the current theme of the design.

In some cases, users have a problem with a photo of a contact being displayed but the background around it remains blurry or black.This is a feature of MIUI design, where the emphasis is on the avatar. To get around this limitation, you can use themes from the MIUI Themes store that support full-screen display of contact avatars.

Use of third-party applications for calls

When Xiaomi’s standard tools don’t meet the user’s needs, specialized apps from the Google Play Store come to the rescue. Programs like Truecaller, Call Contacts – Photo & Caller ID or ExDialer offer advanced personalization capabilities, including video installation on a call, slideshows from photos and complex display effects.

One of the most popular solutions is the Call Contacts app, which asks for permission to access contacts and phone, and in the application settings, you need to select Full Screen mode and specify the folder where the photos of contacts are stored, or allow access to the entire gallery, which allows you to ignore the limitations of the system phone book.

• 📞 Truecaller – identifies numbers and shows a photo from its huge database, but full-screen photo requires a premium subscription.
• 🖼️ Call Contacts – specializes in displaying photos, has flexible trimming and scale settings.
• 🎨 ExDialer – completely replaces the call interface, allowing you to put any themes and photos, but can consume more resources.

Using third-party calls requires careful permission settings. Android has strict security policies, so once you install the app, you will need to manually allow it to access Contacts, Phone, and Memory. Without these permissions, the app will not be able to pull up the photo and display it when you call it, showing only the standard interface.

⚠️ Note: Third-party calling apps may conflict with Xiaomi’s system-based spam-call blocking features.If you notice spam calls are no longer filtered, check the lock settings in the Security app.

Working with design themes and their impact

MIUI and HyperOS shells are famous for their visual flexibility, and themes play a key role here. Many users don't know that an active theme can force the screen of an incoming call to change, ignoring a photo of a contact you have installed or displaying it in a small window. This often happens with themes that have complex design of the call interface.

If you want a full-screen photo, you should use a standard theme or theme labeled "Classic" or "Stock." In the theme store, you can use filters when searching, but the easiest way to check the description is if the the theme author writes "Custom Dialer", then the behavior of the call screen will be determined by the the theme, not the system.

To return to the standard display, follow the following steps:

1. Open the Themes app on your desktop.
2. Go to the profile (human icon) and select Topics.
3. Find a Classic theme or a Free Theme → Choose a standard theme MIUI.
4. Click Apply and restart the device.

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The theme takes precedence over the system settings of contacts, and if the photo is not on the full screen, 90% of the time the active theme with a custom call screen is to blame.

Solving problems with display and quality

Even after the right setup, users can encounter artifacts: photos are stretched, blurred or side-shifted.This is often due to a mismatch in the proportions of the smartphone screen and the original image. Modern Xiaomi have elongated screens with an aspect ratio of 20:9 or 19.5:9, whereas most photos are taken in 4:3 or 16:9.

To eliminate blur, use graphics editors to pre-process the photo. You need to fram the image so that the face occupies the central vertical axis, and on the sides there is space that will be cropped. Also make sure that the resolution of the photo is not too low - for modern FullHD screens and above, it is desirable to use images of at least 1080×1920 pixels in size.

Another common problem is caching. The system can save a smaller copy of the avatar to quickly load the contact list. If you have updated the photo but see the old one, try clearing the Contacts and Phone app cache. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Contacts → Clear → Cash.

• 🔍 Check if the mode is not "Saving traffic" or "Simplified mode", they can reduce the quality of graphics.
• 🔄 After replacing the theme, always reboot the device completely, not just logging in to the menu.
• 📐 Use apps to crop photos with fixed proportions of your smartphone screen.