How to turn off screen lock during a call on Xiaomi: all ways

Have you ever missed an important call because Xiaomi's screen didn't unlock in time? or had to blindly poke the display while trying to take a call while it vibrates in your pocket? This problem is familiar to many MIUI smartphone owners - standard locking the screen while calling can be uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous (e.g. in emergency situations). Fortunately, there are several ways to turn it off - from simple settings to advanced ADB tricks.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods, including official and hidden options, and explain why locking is enabled at all by default. Importantly, not all methods will work for older versions of MIUI (up to 12.5) or custom firmware - we will specify the limitations for each option. If you use the Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X5 or the flagship Xiaomi 13 series, here you will find a solution for your model.

Why does Xiaomi block the screen when making calls?

At first glance, locking the screen when an incoming call seems pointless, but there is a logical explanation for this feature:

• 🛡️ Protection against accidental pressing: When the phone is in the bag or pocket, the screen can be activated from contact with other objects, which leads to a call reset or turn on the hands-free communication.
• 🔋 Saving charge. On older models (e.g. Redmi) 4X or Mi A1) The lighting of the screen during the call quickly planted the battery.
• 📱 Optimization for touch buttons on physical button devices (e.g. Mi) 5s) The locking prevented a conflict between the sensor and the mechanical elements.

However, for most modern smartphones (starting with MIUI 12), these reasons are no longer relevant, and locking is a inconvenience:

• ⏱️ Delay in answering a call (you must first unlock the screen).
• 👁️ You can't see who's calling without unlocking.
• 🚗 Dangerous while driving – you have to be distracted from the road.

Unfortunately, in the latest versions of MIUI (14 and later), developers have removed the direct option to disable lock from the settings menu.

Method 1: Lock screen settings (MIUI 12.5 and below)

If your smartphone is running MIUI 12.5 or earlier, the easiest way is to use the built-in settings.This method doesn't work on MIUI 13/14 and later, where the option has been removed.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings → Lock screen.
2. Scroll down to the section Additional.
3. Find the Lock screen during calls and turn it off.

If there is no such item, then your version of MIUI does not support this method.

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Backup of important data

Charge your phone at least 30%

Make sure that SIM-Card active (for call test)-->

Method 2: Use In-Pack Mode (for all versions of MIUI)

In-pocket mode is designed to prevent inadvertent tapping, but it can be adapted for our purposes, and it works on all versions of MIUI, including the latest.

How to set up:

1. Go to Settings → Display → In your pocket mode.
2. Turn off the option to Lock the screen when an incoming call (if any).
3. If there is no such option, turn on In-pocket Mode and in additional settings turn off Lock when calling.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO F4 GT) This mode may conflict with navigation gestures. If the screen stops responding to swipes after the change, return the settings back.

Method 3: ADB-Teams for Advanced Users

If standard settings don’t work, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting your phone to your computer and works on all versions of MIUI, but has risks if you use it incorrectly.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on the MIUI Version until the notification appears.

USB debugging

Settings → Additional → For Developers

adb shell settings put global incoming_call_block_screen 0

Reset the device.

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB If after you run the command, the screen stopped responding to touch, reset the settings via the command:

adb shell settings delete global incoming_call_block_screen

Method 4: Third-party applications (automation)

If you don't want to go through the settings or use ADB, you can use automation apps.

• 🤖 Tasker – allows you to create a task to unlock the screen when an incoming call. You will need the Secure Settings plugin to manage system settings.
• 📱 MacroDroid is a simpler Tasker with pre-made templates.
• 🔓 No Lock – a special application for controlling the lock screen (does not work on all Xiaomi models).

Example of settings in MacroDroid:

1. Create a new macro.
2. As a trigger, select the phone → incoming call.
3. Add the Screen action → Unlock the device.
4. Save and activate the macro.

⚠️ Warning: Automation applications require permission Special access, which may affect security.

💡

Before using third-party apps, check their Google Play rankings and reviews, especially beware of programs that request access to SMS or calls for no obvious reason.

Method 5: Reset the lock screen settings (extreme case)

If none of these methods worked, you can try resetting the lock screen to factory settings, and it won't delete your data, but it will bring all the display settings back to "out of the box."

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Memory → Backup and create a backup (just in case).
2. Open Settings → System → Resetting settings.
3. Select Reset the lock screen settings.
4. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

After the reset, check if the problem persists. If the lock on the calls disappears, then the settings conflict was the fault. If not, it may be a hardware feature of your model (for example, on the Redmi 9A, the lock is hard-coded in firmware).

💡

Resetting the lock screen settings is the safest way to return factory settings without losing data, but it won’t help if the lock is laid at the firmware level (relevant to Xiaomi’s budget models).

Frequent problems and solutions

Even after successfully disabling the lock, you may experience side effects.

If your problem is not described above, check:

• 🔄 Does the lock conflict with the mode of energy saving (turn it off temporarily).
• 📲 Aren't two set up? SIM-Cards – on some models, the lock only works for the main SIM.
• 🔒 Whether Child Mode or Second Space is activated, they can override screen settings.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions