How to turn off the light when calling Xiaomi: step-by-step instructions

Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphone owners often experience a camera flash when they make an incoming call, a feature designed to help hearing-impaired people or simply attract attention in a noisy place can be annoying in the cinema, at a meeting or at night. The question of how to turn off the lights when you call a shaomi becomes especially relevant when the battery runs out and unnecessary lighting continues to waste energy.

With MIUI and the new HyperOS, settings can be placed in different menu sections, often causing confusion among users. Light displays can be activated by standard system tools, third-party apps or design themes. Understanding where the switch is hiding will allow you to quickly regain control of the device.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can deactivate a flash when you call. We’ll look at standard menu paths, customizations, and methods to deal with obsessive themes. You’ll get a complete idea of how to manage your smartphone’s notifications.

Standard way through special features settings

The most common and correct way to turn off the flash is in the system settings section, designed for people with disabilities. Despite the name of the section, this is where Xiaomi brought the global light switch for all applications and calls. To get there, you need to open the main settings menu of your device.

Scroll down to Special Opportunities (or Additional Settings in English). Inside this section, look for the Hearing or Audio/Visual subsection. This is where the Flash key switch is at notifications. If it's active, any incoming event, including a call, will flash the camera.

It is important to note that the path may vary slightly from one firmware version to another. In some MIUI 12 or MIUI 13 builds, this item can be placed in a separate submenu called Visual Effects. If you do not find the switch immediately, carefully examine all the tabs inside the Special Opportunities section.

Once this feature is turned off, the light will stop lighting up not only when calling, but also when receiving messages in messengers if they use system notifications, a comprehensive solution that completely removes the light indication of events.

Setup via the Phone and Contacts app

Sometimes the system settings may conflict with the settings of the Phone application itself. The MIUI Dialer has its own incoming call settings in the shell. To check them, open the Phone app and tap the three dots or gear in the corner of the screen to enter the menu.

In the list that opens, select Incoming Calls. This may contain a flash when calling option that duplicates or operates independently of the system setting. If the switch is present and active, just click on it to change the state to "Off."

It’s worth mentioning that in some regions (such as India or China), firmware versions may have different call interfaces. In such cases, look for Flash on call or similar. If you use a third-party call, such as from Google, settings may be in the Settings section of the Google Phone app itself.

⚠️ Note: If the call settings do not contain a flash item, but it continues to light up, then management is carried out exclusively through the section "Special. capabilities" described in the previous section.

Also check the settings of the Contacts app. Sometimes contact profiles may have individual notification settings that force the lights on. However, this is rare, and most often the problem is solved in the general system settings.

Impact of Design Themes and Third-Party Applications

One of the most common reasons why you can't turn off lights with standard methods is because you use third-party themes. The MIUI theme store allows designers to change system files, including lock and call screens. Some themes force flash as part of their visual style.

To check this, go to the Themes app. Click on the profile icon and select My Themes. Try switching to a standard Classic or Default theme. If the flash stopped working when the theme was changed, then the design was the problem.

Also, the problem can be caused by call screen apps or smart calls downloaded from Play Market, which can intercept flash control, and if you've installed these programs, try removing them or checking their internal settings.

In rare cases, the lights may turn on because of widgets on the desktop that mimic an incoming call or notification.Check which widgets you have installed and temporarily remove those associated with calls or messages.

Solving problems in HyperOS mode

With the release of the new HyperOS operating system, the menu structure has changed. Logic remains the same, but the names of items and their location may have shifted. Users of new Xiaomi 14 smartphones or updated models often can not find the usual switches.

In HyperOS, the path most often looks like this: Settings → Special. features → Visual effects → Flash for notifications. Note that this item can now be combined with screen effects settings. The system has become more stringent in separating functions for visually impaired and conventional notifications.

If you upgraded from MIUI 14 to HyperOS and your settings are lost, it is recommended to reset the special features settings. To do this, in the appropriate menu section, find the reset button or simply recheck all the switches again, as the update could activate them by default.

The new system also includes a Pocket Mode feature that can block the proximity sensor and, as a result, mismanage the flash, and make sure that the Lock Screen section does not have active experimental light-related functions.

Table: Location of settings in different versions of MIUI

For ease of navigation, we have compiled a summary table that will help you quickly find the right item depending on the version of your firmware. Please note that version numbering can vary depending on the region (Global, CN, EEA).

If your firmware version doesn't match exactly the one in the table, use logic: look for a section that's related to availability or features. In Chinese firmware versions, menu items may be called differently, but the icon usually remains recognizable.

Sometimes, when you update your system, you may change your path, so you can search by settings, and you can type in the settings search box the word "flash" or "flash" and the system will suggest the menu item you want.

Diagnostics of hardware problems and sensors

There are times when a software shutdown doesn't help and the light keeps flashing, and this can indicate a malfunction of the proximity sensor or a button sticking, and if the proximity sensor is contaminated or covered with a protective film, the phone may not realize that it's being held to the ear and may not behave properly.

Check the top of the screen for contamination. Wipe the dynamic speaker area with a soft cloth. Also try removing the protective glass if it covers the sensors, and see if the problem disappears.

In rare cases, flashing can be caused by physical damage to the camera plume or flash module. If the phone fell or was exposed to moisture, the lights can turn on chaoticly, in which case software methods will not help, and repairs will be required at the service center.

💡

Use the engineering menu to check the sensors. Dial ##6484##, select "Proximity Sensor" and check it by covering the top of the screen with your hand.

It’s also worth checking if Pocket Mode is activated in the lock screen settings, which is designed to prevent accidental taps in your pocket, but if the sensor is faulty, it can cause strange interface behavior and flashes.

Alternative methods and resetting settings

If none of the above methods worked, you can try more radical measures. Resetting all settings to factory (without deleting personal data) often resolves program conflicts.

Go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. Be careful: this step will delete all applications and files, so use it only as a last resort. Often it helps just to clear the cache of the Phone and Contacts application through the application management menu.

For advanced users, there is the possibility of disabling the flash through ADB-commands, but this requires a connection to the computer and the presence of debugging USB. Adb shell settings put system flash_on_call_enabled 0 can force a system-level function to be disabled if the interface does not respond.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB-If you don't put the commands in the right way, you can make the system unstable.

Remember that a constant flash on calls can significantly speed up battery discharge. LED-The module consumes energy, and in a day it can be a significant percentage.

💡

If the software settings do not help, the problem may lie in a third-party theme of design or malfunction of the proximity sensor.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)