Many Xiaomi brand owners, including the Redmi and Poco lineups, face a highly annoying situation during phone calls: The device's screen suddenly goes out when you hold the phone to your ear, which is normal for the proximity sensor to work, but often the screen doesn't light up back when you remove the device.
As a result, you hear the person you're talking to, but you can't complete the call, or turn on speakerphones, or dial a number on the keyboard, because of aggressive software algorithms or a sensor that thinks your ear is still holding the phone.
Fortunately, the MIUI shell and its modern version of HyperOS have the ability to manually control this setting, and in this article we will detail how to turn off the screen lock when you call, taking you through all the stages of settings, from simple switches to deep engineering calibration.
Reasons to Lock the Screen During a Conversation
The main culprit behind the blackout effect is the proximity sensor, which is a small infrared sensor, usually located at the top of the display or in the frame around it, and its task is to determine the distance to the object and turn off the touchscreen and display when you approach the face, so that you do not accidentally cheek-drop or dial extra numbers.
But Xiaomi smartphones often have a software glitch that can get the sensor down, which can react to a safety glass, a high-sided case, or even a head angle change, and sometimes the problem is that it's contaminated at the top of the screen where the sensor is hidden.
Another reason could be a conflict of third-party applications that intercept call management, such as various number detectors or “smart” spam blockers, which may incorrectly command the system to block the interface.
- 📱 Incorrect calibration of the proximity sensor after a drop or replacement of the screen.
- 🛡️ Dense protective glass or film covering the infrared port of the sensor.
- 📞 Conflict of the system application “Phone” with installed analogues from Google or other developers.
- 🦠 Software bug in the current version of the firmware MIUI.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling the proximity sensor completely will cause the screen to burn at all times during a conversation, which increases battery consumption and can lead to occasional cheek pressing, such as a hold call or speaker switching on.
Set up a standard phone application
The first step before you get into the engineering menu is to check the settings of the application itself, through which you make calls. Depending on the region and the firmware version, your Redmi can be a standard dialer from Xiaomi or a clean Google Phone.
If you have a standard interface, look for the phone icon (green handset) on your desktop. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner or select Settings in the menu. Here you will find the section related to incoming calls or general application behavior.
Inside the settings, look for "Disconnect the screen while talking" or "Disable the screen while talking." In some versions of MIUI, this switch is hidden deep in the Advanced Settings menu. If you find one, just turn it to the "Off" position.
For Google Phone users (blue or white icon), the path may be different: you need to open the app settings, go to Incoming Calls and find the Approximation Sensor option, and you can also try to deactivate the feature, although Google often hides this feature by relying on Android system settings.
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If the app doesn’t have the right switch in its settings, try clearing the Phone app cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Phone → Clear → Clear the cache. This won’t delete contacts, but it can fix the software glitch.
Use of the Engineering Menu for Calibration
If standard settings don't help, a deeper approach is needed. Xiaomi's engineering menu allows for precise sensor calibration, which is often more effective than a complete shutdown.
Open the Phone app and dial the combination ##6484##. If the code didn't work, try ##4636## or #8255##. On different models, such as the Redmi Note or Xiaomi Mi, the codes can vary. Once you enter the code, the CIT (Customer Integration Test) menu will open.
In the test list, look for the Proximity Sensor. Click on it. You'll see a screen with two digits: Distance and Status. Ideally, when nothing covers the top of the phone, Distance should be 5.0 cm and OK status.
To calibrate, press the Calibration button, and the system will ask you to remove your hand from the sensor first (the screen may blink), then close it with your palm, and if the values stabilize after calibration, the problem can disappear without completely shutting down the function.
☑️ Checklist before calibration
Disconnection through special applications
In newer versions of the HyperOS and MIUI 14+ shell, developers often remove the ability to directly disable the sensor through standard settings or engineering menus, in which case third-party utilities from the Google Play store come to the rescue.
One of the most popular solutions is the Proximity Sensor Reset & Fix app, or Sensor Box for Android, which has the right to change the system settings of the sensors, and then launch the app and find the Fix or Reset button.
There are also blocking applications that intercept the sensor signal and keep the screen from going out, such as Screen Off Pro or dedicated modules for root-right users, but installing such programs requires careful attention to permissions.
It is important to understand that using third-party software to manage system functions can lead to unstable operation of the device, and if after installing such a program the phone begins to behave strangely, it must be removed immediately.
| Name of method | Difficulty | Efficiency | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Settings of the application Phone | Low. | Medium | Absent. |
| Engineering Calibration (CIT) | Medium | Tall. | Minimum |
| Third-party annexes | Low. | Tall. | Advertising, access to data |
| Reset to factory settings | Tall. | Maximum | Loss of all data |
What to do if the engineering menu is not opened?
Radical measures: resetting and updating
If none of the above methods worked and the screen is still dying out, it may be a deep system failure, in which case it is worth considering updating the system or, in extreme cases, resetting.
Check for updates in Settings → About Phone → MIUI. Often Xiaomi releases patches that fix sensors. If you have a beta version of the firmware, you better upgrade to a stable branch.
A full Hard Reset will return your phone to factory status. Before you do that, make sure to back up all your important data, photos, and contacts to the Mi Cloud or your computer. After you reset, don't restore your app backup immediately, but check your calls on a clean system.
Sometimes a specific contact or phone book entry that contains incorrect data that hangs up the call process causes a problem. Try to delete the last contacts added or clear the call history completely.
⚠️ WARNING: Performing a full reset (Wipe Data) will result in the permanent removal of all photos, messages and installed applications.
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In 80% of cases, the problem is solved by simply calibrating through an engineering menu or removing a thick protective glass that covers the sensor.