How to turn off the screen on Xiaomi when calling: all working methods

Xiaomi’s screen that goes out during a call is a common problem that prevents you from managing a call, turning on speakerphone or viewing additional information. The manufacturer defaults to setting a short backlight timeout to save battery power, but this often leads to inconveniences. Especially true for owners of Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO X3/X4 and flagship Mi 11/12/13, where the function is unstable due to MIUI optimizations.

In this article, 5 proven ways to turn off the screen automatically when you call, including hidden developer settings, third-party apps, and manual editing of system files (for advanced users). All methods are tested on MIUI 12.5-14 with Android 11-14. If standard settings don’t help, you’ll find alternative solutions explaining why they work.

The problem is exacerbated on devices with AMOLED-screens (for example, Xiaomi 12 Pro or Redmi) K50), In some cases, the screen goes out even when you call actively via WhatsApp or Telegram, this is due to the work of the service com.android.phone and Doze Mode policies in new versions of Android.

Before you start settings, make sure that:

• 📱 The latest version is installed on the phone. MIUI (Check in the settings → The phone. → Updating the system).
• 🔋 Battery level above 20% – some settings are blocked when low charge.
• 🔒 You have a backup of important data (in case of resetting settings).

1. Standard screen settings in MIUI

To start with, the basics are built-in MIUI options that allow you to increase screen lighting time, which works on all Xiaomi devices, but has a limitation: the maximum latency is 10 minutes, which doesn’t always solve the problem with long conversations.

To change the timeout:

1. Open the Settings → Screen.
2. Select Sleep after (or Screen Delay in new versions).
3. Set the maximum value - 10 minutes.
4. Activate the Lighting option at notifications (if any).

Limitation of method: Even when you set the 10 minutes, the screen may go out earlier due to adaptive brightness or energy saving mode. For example, on the POCO F4 with MIUI 13, users note that the backlight turns off after 30 to 40 seconds regardless of the settings.

If this method didn’t work, go to the next section. For Android 12+ devices, we also recommend turning off Adaptive Backlight from the same Settings → Screen menu, as it can reset timeouts.

2. Developer settings: Turning off timeout when calling

The hidden Developer Menu** allows you to pinpoint the behavior of the screen during calls, which works on all Xiaomi devices with unlocked developer settings and does not require root rights.

Instructions for activation and configuration:

Settings

Additional → For Developers

Stay active during charging

Annexes

Keep the screen down.

Ignore battery optimizations

Phone.

com.android.phone

Important: After these changes, restart your phone. Some devices (e.g., Redmi Note 11 Pro+) require you to further disable MIUI Optimization for the Phone app in the Settings menu → Applications → Application Management → Phone → Battery → Optimization MIUI.

Developer mode activated|On "Remain active during charging"|Phone app added to battery exceptions|Optimization is offline. MIUI for "Phone"|Phone rebooted-->

If the screen goes out anyway, the problem may be with Google Play, which is forced to optimize the background, and the following method will help.

3.Use of ADB-commands to force timeout

For users who are ready to work with Android Debug Bridge (ADB), There's a radical way to turn off the screen timeout at the system level. USB-cable, but gives 100% results.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install Google’s Platform Tools (includes adb.exe).
2. Turn on USB debugging on your phone: Go to Settings → For developers. Activate USB debugging.

Terminal

adb devices

Make sure the device is identified (should appear its serial number).

adb shell settings put global stay_on_while_plugged_in 3

where 3 is the "always on" mode (alternatives: 1 - only when charging, 0 - off).

adb reboot

Critical detail: Once this command is executed, the screen will remain on not only during calls, but also during any interaction with the device (for example, when watching a video), which can reduce battery life.

To return the standard behavior, do:

adb shell settings put global stay_on_while_plugged_in 0

4. Third-party apps: Keep Screen On and analogues

If the system settings don't work, Google Play apps that are specifically designed to control the backlighting of the screen will come to the rescue.

• 📱 Keep Screen On is a simple tool with the ability to add apps to a whitelist (like Phone or WhatsApp).
• ⚡ Caffeine – Adds a notification panel for quick on/off constant lighting.
• 🔧 Tasker – for advanced users (allows you to create automatic rules, for example, “do not turn off the screen when you call actively»).

Example of Keep Screen On settings:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open it and grant permissions to Overlay on top of other apps and Ignore battery optimization.
3. In the main menu, select Add the app and mark the phone.
4. Activate the switch on.

The advantage of this method is flexibility: you can configure exceptions for individual applications (for example, leave the screen on only during calls, but not in instant messengers). However, some applications can conflict with MIUI Optimization, so check their performance manually after installation.

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If the application does not keep the screen on, try to enable the option “Use the service of special features” (Accessibility Service) in its settings.

5 Manual editing of system files (root only)

For users with unlocked bootloader and root-rights there is a radical way - editing the file power_key.xml, This is a risky method (may cause system failures), but it gives you complete control over the behavior of the screen.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Mixplorer).
2. Cross the path: /system/usr/keylayout/ Find the Generic.kl file or power_key.kl (name depends on the model).
3. Make a backup of the file (copy it to a safe place).
4. Open the file in the text editor and find the line: key 26 POWER WAKE_DROPPED Replace her with: key 26 POWER WAKE
5. Save the changes, set the rights to 644 (rw-r--r---) and restart the phone.

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Warning: Incorrect editing of system files can lead to bootloop ( looped reboot).If the phone does not turn on after the changes, restore the original file via TWRP or reflash the device.

This method was tested on Xiaomi Mi 10T and POCO F3 with MIUI 12.5 and gave stable results. However, on new devices (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra), the file may have a different location or format.

Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

Depending on your Xiaomi model and the MIUI version, the effectiveness of the methods may vary.

For most users, the best solution is a combination of developer and third-party settings (like Keep Screen On). ADB-A method that produces stable results without root.

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On devices with MIUI 14 and Android 13+, settings through ADB or apps are prioritized. Standard screen settings are often ignored by the system due to aggressive optimization.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When setting up a screen to turn off, users often encounter typical problems, and here are the most common ways to solve them:

• 🔄 The screen goes out after 30 seconds despite settings: Check if Power Saving Mode or Ultra Mode is enabled in Settings → Battery. Turn off Adaptive Brightness in Settings. → Screen.
• ⚡ ADB No changes: Make sure that the settings → For developers, the option is enabled to Allow system settings to change. Try executing the command on behalf of the superuser: adb shell su 0 settings put global stay_on_while_plugged_in 3
• 📵 Backlighting apps don't work: Check if the app is added to battery exceptions (Settings) → Battery → Optimization MIUI). Update the application to the latest version.

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Note: Some Xiaomi firmware (e.g. global versions for Europe) feature stay_on_while_plugged_in This can be blocked by the manufacturer, in which case only manual editing of system files or the use of Magisk modules (for example, Disable Flag Secure) will help).

If none of the methods worked, the problem may be due to a hardware failure (for example, a malfunction of the proximity sensor), in which case we recommend checking the phone at the service center.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions