How to turn off screen dimming when calling Xiaomi: a step-by-step guide

Why Xiaomi’s screen gets darker during a call and how to fix it

Have you ever encountered a situation where, during an important conversation, your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO screen suddenly dims and sometimes even goes out? It's not a coincidence — this is how the built-in power saving feature in the MIUI shell works. It is designed to save battery power, but often prevents users from clicking on call control buttons, viewing the subscriber's number or opening notes.

The problem is relevant for most models of Xiaomi smartphones, including the popular series Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO X3/X4/X5, Mi 11/12/13 and even budget Redmi A1/A2. and the dimming can manifest itself in different ways: some screen just mutes, others completely shut down after 3-5 seconds after the start of the conversation. It all depends on the version of MIUI (12 to 14) and the settings of the proximity sensor.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to turn off screen dimming when calling Xiaomi, including hidden developer settings and alternative solutions for older models, and learn why standard methods sometimes don’t work and what to do in such cases.

Method 1: Disabling the proximity sensor in the call settings

The most obvious and safe method is to deactivate the proximity sensor, which is responsible for darkening the screen, a feature originally designed to prevent accidental cheek presses during a conversation, but often fails to work properly.

To turn it off:

1. Open the phone application (pipe icon).
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Settings.
3. Go to Incoming Calls or Call Settings (the name may vary depending on the MIUI version).
4. Find the option of Approach Sensor or Screen Darkening when calling and turn it off.

If you don't have that option, your Xiaomi model uses a different screen control mechanism, in which case move on to the next one.

Method 2: Configure the screen shutdown time in developer settings

If standard settings don't work, you'll have to use developer mode, which works on all versions of MIUI, but it requires care -- incorrect changes can affect system stability.

First, activate the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the MIUI version and click on it 7 times in a row (the notification “You became a developer” will appear).
3. Return to the main settings menu and open a new section → For developers.

Now look for the parameters associated with the screen:

• 🔍 Turn off the screen when approaching - turn off this option.
• ⏱️ Screen Shutdown Time for Inactivity – Set Never or Maximum Time (10 minutes).
• 📱 Do not turn off the screen when charging – turn on if the problem occurs while connecting to the network.

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If the developer menu does not have the necessary options, try resetting the network settings: → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Resetting the network settings. This sometimes restores hidden parameters.

Important! After the change in the developer mode, restart your smartphone. If the dimming of the screen when you call is gone, the problem is solved. If not, move on to the next method.

Method 3: Using third-party applications to control the screen

When system settings fail, third-party utilities come to the rescue, allowing you to flexibly adjust the behavior of the screen during calls, but require special permissions.

The best applications for this task:

• 📲 Proximity Sensor Fix fixes proximity sensor errors on Xiaomi and other Android devices.
• 🔧 Screen On During Call: Forced to keep the screen on during conversations. Requires permission to access calls.
• 🛠️ Tasker is an advanced automation tool, and you can create a task that will turn off the proximity sensor when you call in.

Instructions for Screen On During Call:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Open it and give access to Calls and Special Opportunity Settings.
3. Activate the Keep Screen On During Call option.
4. Restart your phone to apply the changes.

On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro), apps may conflict with MIUI Optimized Apps. In this case, add the utility to the optimization exception list.

Method 4: Reset the proximity sensor settings (if it fails)

Sometimes the proximity sensor will not work properly due to software failures or physical damage (for example, after a phone falls), in which case the hardware reset of its calibration helps.

How to reset the sensor on Xiaomi:

1. Open the phone app and dial the code: ##6484##
2. You'll see a sensor testing menu. Choose Proximity Sensor.
3. Press Calibrate and follow the instructions on the screen.
4. After calibration, restart the phone.

If the code doesn’t work, try an alternative:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → System system → Resetting settings.
• Select Reset application settings (does not delete data, but resets sensor settings).

⚠️ Attention! If after calibration the sensor stopped working at all (the screen does not go out even when you approach the ear), go back to the test menu and select Reset.

Method 5: Manually disable dimming via ADB (for advanced users)

If all previous methods failed, the most radical way is to turn off the darkening via the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires connecting the phone to a computer and basic command line knowledge.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
2. Turn on the phone debugging over USB (Settings → For developers).
3. Connect Xiaomi to your computer and confirm the debugging permission.
4. Open the command line (Windows) or the terminal (Mac/Linux) and type:

adb shell settings put global proximity_delay 0


adb shell settings put global proximity_wake_lock_enabled 1

These teams:

• 🕒 Set the sensor delay in 0 ms (actually turn it off).
• 🔓 Allow the screen to remain on during the call.

To return the standard settings, use:

adb shell settings delete global proximity_delay


adb shell settings delete global proximity_wake_lock_enabled

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Changes through ADB will persist even after the phone is restarted, but may reset after the MIUI update.

Compatibility table with Xiaomi models

Not all methods work equally well across devices, and the following are compatibility data for popular models:

If your model isn’t in the table, try the methods in order from simple to complex. New flagships (such as Xiaomi 14) may need to upgrade to the latest version of MIUI 14.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When trying to turn off screen dimming, users often face typical problems, and here are the most common ones and ways to solve them:

• 🔄 Settings are reset after the update → Before the update, make a backup of the settings through Settings → Additionally. → Backup.
• 🛑 The proximity sensor is not calibrated → Check if it's covered with a protective film or a cover. Rub the top of the screen with alcohol.
• 🔋 The screen goes out only when the battery is low. → Turn off the energy saving mode in Settings → Battery → Energy saving regime.
• 📱 Screen control applications are not working → Give them all permissions manually, including access to Special Opportunities.

⚠️ Attention, some firmware. MIUI (In particular, customized) disabling the proximity sensor can cause the screen to be turned on constantly during a conversation, which increases battery consumption. ADB, to set a minimum latency (e.g., 3,000 ms instead of 0).

If none of these methods worked, the problem may be a hardware malfunction of the sensor, in which case we recommend contacting the Xiaomi service center for diagnosis.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions