How to turn off screen dimming when calling Xiaomi: the complete guide

The situation when the smartphone screen suddenly goes out right during an important conversation, familiar to many owners of Xiaomi and Redmi.It is not just an annoying bug, but often the result of a regular proximity sensor that mistakenly interprets the position of the device or responds to foreign objects. Owners of devices with a shell MIUI or HyperOS face this regularly, especially if the screen is glued to the protective glass of poor quality or in the speakers got dust.

The problem can be different: the screen turns off immediately after you put the phone in your ear and it no longer lights up, or it blinks, constantly switching on and off. Sometimes this leads to the accidental pressing of the end of the call button or switching to speakerphone. The approach sensor is a tiny sensor, usually located at the top of the display, and its correct operation is critical for comfortable operation.

In this guide, we will look at all the possible reasons why the screen goes out when you call Xiaomi, and offer step-by-step solutions. We will look at both the software settings of the system itself and how to calibrate the hidden engineering menu, you will learn how to properly clean the sensor area and what to do if the problem lies in conflicting applications or physical damage.

The principle of the proximity sensor in MIUI and HyperOS

To effectively combat this problem, you need to understand how the lock mechanism works. Xiaomi smartphones use an infrared sensor that emits an invisible beam and reads its reflection. When you hold the phone to your ear, the beam bounces off your cheek, and the system receives a signal that the device is near your face, at which point the screen is locked to prevent accidental tapping of your cheek or ear.

However, shell algorithms MIUI Sometimes they're too sensitive or slow, and if the sensor is contaminated or blocked, it can send a false "object near" signal even when the phone is in your hand at a distance. 10-15 And that causes you to stop seeing the number of the person you're talking to, or the call management interface, when you're talking to them.

It is worth noting that in some models, such as the Redmi Note series or POCO, the sensor can be virtual, using a front-facing camera and AI algorithms. In such cases, the problem is often solved by updating the firmware, since the software is responsible for processing data directly.

⚠️ Warning: Turning off the proximity sensor completely is not recommended, as this will result in constant accidental cheek pressing during a conversation. Our goal is not to turn off the function, but to correct its malfunction.

There are several levels of interference with this component, from simply cleaning the speaker to using an engineering menu to reset the calibration, and it's important not to confuse a software failure with a physical failure of the plume or the sensor itself.

Basic adjustment and cleaning of the sensor area

Before you go into deep system settings, you have to rule out the physical reasons, and 80 percent of the time, the screen goes out because the sensor just doesn't see through a layer of dirt, fat, or thick protective glass, and the top of the screen, where the speaker is, has to be perfectly clean.

Use microfiber and a special screen cleaner. Don't use aggressive chemicals that can damage the oleophobic coating. Pay special attention to the speaker grid: if there is a buildup of earwax or dust, it can interfere with infrared radiation.

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If you have a black-framed protective glass installed, make sure it doesn't overlap the sensor area.Cheap glass often has offset cutouts that lock the sensor.

Also check if you have a third-party launcher or theme that changes the call interface.Standard Google Phone or native Xiaomi dialer work the most stable. Third-party shells can conflict with system drivers of sensors.

• 🧼 Carefully wipe the top of the screen with an alcohol wipe for electronics.
• 🛡️ Remove the protective glass if it has a black frame, and check the sensor without it.
• 📞 Check if the case covers the sensor area in the open state.
• 🔄 Restart the device after cleaning to reset the driver cache.

If the problem persists after a thorough cleaning, it means it's a software calibration or hardware failure.

Calibration of the sensor through the engineering menu

The most effective way to solve the problem of software desynchronization is to recalibrate. In the shell of MIUI hidden special engineering menu CIT, which allows you to test and customize all the modules of the smartphone, including the Proximity Sensor.

To enter the menu, you need to dial a special code in the Phone app. Open the dial and enter the combination ##6484##. If the code does not work, your firmware version may block this access, and then you will have to use the Service (or Services) application, which is usually preinstalled in the Tools folder.

In the menu that opens, look for the Proximity Sensor, and you'll see a screen with a numerical value and the Pass and Fail buttons, and the calibration is about "teaching" the phone to know where the boundary between "close" and "far" is.

Close the top of the screen with your palm (the value should change, usually by 5.0 or close to the maximum). Then remove your hand (the value should drop to 0.0). If the values change, press the Calibrate button. The phone will ask you to remove your hand from the screen and confirm the action. After successful calibration, the value should stabilize at 0.0 when nothing interferes with the sensor.

⚠️ Warning: Do not calibrate in bright direct sunlight or under a high-powered lamp.

Once the procedure is complete, be sure to restart the smartphone. Often, it is the reset of calibration data that returns the sensor to the correct sensitivity, and the screen stops fading for no reason.

Setup of the application "Phone" and permissions

Sometimes the problem isn't hardware, but how the call app handles signals. Modern versions of Android on Xiaomi use two types of dials: the standard MIUI Dialer and Google Phone, each with its own settings that can affect screen behavior.

Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find Phone (or Google Phone) on the list. Go to Permissions. Make sure the app is given all the necessary permissions, especially sensor access (if your version of the OS has one) and background activity.

It's also worth trying to clean up the app data. This won't delete your contacts, but it will reset your call settings and recent history (which is better saved separately). Go along the Memory path → Clean → Clear Everything. After that, the phone will restart and the call settings will return to factory.

If you use Google Phone, go to its settings (three dots in the corner) and look for the “Draw-up Sensor” option, which allows you to force screen suppression on or off in some versions, although recent Android updates often hide this feature.

Using third-party applications to control the sensor

If the standard methods don't work, Google Play comes to the rescue, there are applications that allow you to force the proximity sensor to turn off during calls or, conversely, increase its sensitivity, one of the most popular is Proximity Sensor Reset/Fix.

These programs work as a mediator between the system and the sensor, and they can ignore the sensor signals if you hold the phone in a certain way, or force the screen to turn on if it goes out too soon, but it's worth remembering that using these apps increases battery consumption.

Another option is to use large button and alternate interface call management applications that are less dependent on sensor system interrupts, but this is a temporary solution that does not address the root of the problem.

The choice of method depends on how deep you are willing to dive into the settings, and most often the combination of cleaning and calibration gives the best result without installing excess software.

Hardware causes and physical repairs

If no software methods are working, and the screen continues to go out even after the device is completely flashed, it's likely that the problem is hardware-based, and the proximity sensor is a physical component that may have failed.

Frequent causes of breakdown:

• 💧 Ingestion of moisture inside the body, oxidation of the contacts of the plume.
• 🔨 A hit or fall of the phone that caused the sensor plume to detach.
• 🔋 Battery bloating that presses on plumes and display from the inside.
• 🏭 Production defect of the component (rarely encountered, but sometimes occurs).

In such cases, disassembly of the device is required. In the service center, the master will check the integrity of the plume connecting the board and the top of the screen (where the sensor is often soldered), sometimes it is enough to simply solder the connector or replace the plume itself, which is inexpensive.

If the phone is warranty-free, do not attempt to disassemble it yourself. Contact a Xiaomi authorized center. If the warranty is over, replacing the sensor or plume in a good workshop will take no more than an hour.

⚠️ Warning: Replacing the sensor on your own requires soldering skills and small components. Without experience, you can damage the plume of the display, which costs much more to replace.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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In most cases, the problem is solved by simply cleaning the top of the screen and recalibrating through the engineering menu.