Smartphone personalization is not just a way to express individuality, but also a useful feature for quickly identifying the caller. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices often wonder how to make the image they choose to display on the full screen when they call in. The standard MIUI shell or the new HyperOS offer flexible tools for working with contacts, but the installation process of photo can have its own nuances depending on the version of the system and the caller application used.
In this article, we will take a look at the algorithm that allows you to set a quality image for any subscriber in your phone book, and we will look not only at standard methods through built-in utilities, but also at the features of working with contacts Google and Sim-card, understanding these differences will help you avoid situations where the photo disappears after synchronization or does not appear at the caller.
You’ll also learn about hidden editing features that allow you to automatically remove backgrounds or improve portrait quality right at the time of installation. Properly customizing the visual design of calls makes smartphone use much more comfortable, especially for people with impaired vision who have difficulty quickly disassembling fine text on the lock screen.
Image Preparation and Format Requirements
Before you start installing the avatar directly, you need to make sure that the source file meets the technical requirements of the system. MIUI shell is quite loyal to various formats, but for the correct display on the lock screen and during the call, it is better to use files in JPG or PNG format. HEIC images, often found on iPhone devices, may require prior conversion.
Image quality is key: if the photo is too small, the system will stretch it, which will lead to “grain” and pixelation. The optimal solution is to use images with a resolution of at least 1080×1080 pixels. Modern Xiaomi smartphones automatically crop the photo into a circle when displayed in the list of contacts, so the center of the image should always be informative.
Also worth paying attention to the weight of the file. Although modern gadgets can easily cope with “heavy” photos, excessively large files (more than 10-15 MB) can slightly slow down the scroll of the phone book with hundreds of contacts with such avatars.
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Use portrait photos where the face occupies the center of the frame – this will ensure the best display in a round frame of contact.
Installation of an avatar through the standard Contacts app
The easiest and most reliable way to assign an image to a subscriber is to use the built-in Contacts app, which is installed by default on all smartphones of the brand, which ensures that the photo will be synchronized with the account to which the number is associated, and not lost when you change the device.
You first need to open the app and find the right person in the list or search. After opening the contact card, you should pay attention to the top of the screen, where the gray plug with initials is usually located. Pressing on this area or on a special pencil / camera icon starts the editing process.
The system will offer multiple sources to select an image: take a picture right now, select from a gallery or delete a current photo. When you select from a gallery, you will open a crop interface where you can adjust your field of view. Once the changes are confirmed, the system will save the data.
☑️ Photo installation algorithm
It is important to consider where the contact is stored. If it is in the memory of the Sim card, the possibility of adding photos may be limited or absent due to the technical limitations of the card chip, in which case the system will prompt you to copy the contact to the memory of your phone or Google account, which is recommended for full use of the features.
Working with Google Contacts and Synchronizing
Most Android users store their records in the Google Contacts cloud, which keeps the data safe, but makes its own adjustments to the photo installation process. When you change the avatar on a contact synced with Google, the change has to fly to the cloud and back to the phone, which sometimes takes time.
If the photo is not displayed or the old version is displayed after installing the photo, the problem often lies in the sync cache. You need to check the account status in the system settings. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google and make sure that the Contacts item is active.
For forced data updates, the following sequence of actions can be performed:
- 🔄 Open the smartphone settings.
- 👤 Go to the Accounts section and select your Google account.
- ⏳ Click the Sync or Sync button now.
- 📸 Check the Contacts app in a couple of minutes.
Sometimes there is a conflict between the local copy of the contact and the cloud, in which case it is useful to know that duplicate contacts can interfere with the correct display of the photo. The system can show a photo for one record, while the call goes to another, combined visually, but with a different technical structure.
⚠️ Note: When you delete a contact from your phone’s memory (not from your Google account), the photo may be permanently lost if you do not pre-synchronize with the cloud.
Using the Phone application for editing
Xiaomi devices often pre-installed the Google Phone app or MIUI’s own caller. These apps can also manage subscriber cards, although the functionality can be slightly reduced compared to a full contact menu.
In Google's Phone app, the process is this: open the Contact tab at the bottom of the screen, find the right person. If you click on the name, you'll see a brief information. To edit, you'll click on three dots in the top right corner and select Change. Next, the actions are similar to the standard path: photo selection, cropping, saving.
The advantage of using the Phone app is that it integrates changes more quickly into the call log, and once you save it, you can see an updated avatar in your call history, which is especially useful if you've just added a new friend and want to see their face immediately when you call again.
In a MIUI call (if installed), the interface may feature additional themes that also affect how a photo will look during a conversation, and some topics may hide the avatar or change its shape.
Setup of the photo display on the full screen
One of the most popular features is the ability to see a photo of the caller on the full screen, not just in a small round window. On Xiaomi smartphones, this is responsible for the system theme and settings of the Phone application.
If the photo is installed but it doesn’t appear on the full screen when you call, you may have a simplified theme or standard interface enabled. To fix this, open the Themes app and make sure that the default theme or theme that supports Full Screen Caller ID is applied.
It is also worth checking the settings of the call application itself. In some versions of MIUI, there is a separate switch responsible for the style of display of the incoming call. It can be located along the Settings path → Applications → Phone → Incoming calls (the path can vary).
It is worth noting that on a locked screen, the display of a photo depends on the security settings and the chosen locking theme. If the phone is locked with a complex password and the privacy settings are strict, the system can hide the image until the device is unlocked, showing only the name.
Why is the photo cut off?
Removal of background and portrait editing
Today's Xiaomi smartphones are equipped with powerful image processing algorithms. When you put a photo on a contact, the system can suggest removing the background, leaving only a person. It looks stylish and professional, because the subscriber figure fits beautifully into the interface.
The automatic background removal function is based on artificial intelligence. When you select a photo from a gallery to contact, look at the Effects button or the magic wand icon, there may be an option to Portrait or Blurr the background.
For more fine-tuning, you can use the built-in gallery editor before installing the photo:
- 🖼️ Open the photo in the Gallery app.
- ✂️ Click Change and select the Magical eraser tool or AI-portrait.
- 🎨 Process the image by removing unnecessary background details.
- 💾 Save a copy and make it in contact.
Using these edited photos makes the call interface cleaner and more aesthetic, especially for dark themes where the standard white background of an avatar can cut the eye.
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The quality of the image display depends not only on the original file, but also on the active theme of the design - some topics forcibly change the size and shape of the avatars.
Solution: Photo not saved or visible
Users often face a situation where all actions are performed correctly, but the result is not happy: the photo is either not saved or visible only to the owner of the phone, and the caller does not see it (although the latter is technically impossible without special services, it is the fact that the owner does not see the photo of the caller).
One common cause is a crowded cache of the Contacts or Phone app. Accumulated temporary files can cause errors when writing new data. Clearing the cache often solves the problem instantly.
It's also worth checking access rights. The application must have permission to access memory and contacts. If you've recently upgraded your system or installed an antivirus, the rights may have been reset.
Below is a table with the main problems and ways to solve them:
| Problem. | Possible cause | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Photo unloaded | The file format is not supported | Convert to JPG through the gallery |
| Gray icon instead of photo | Contact on SIM-map | Move the contact to the phone memory |
| Photo missing after reboot | Google Sync Error | Check the Internet and account |
| Poor picture quality | Strong compression by the system | Use a photo of greater resolution |
In difficult cases, when software methods don’t work, you can try to remove the problem contact and create it again by adding a photo immediately, which will eliminate errors in the contact database that may have occurred during previous edits.
⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to edit system contact files manually through root-righted file managers – this can result in the total loss of the phone book.
Additional opportunities for personalization of calls
Installing a static photo isn’t the only way to stand out: MIUI’s shell lets you install video beeps or live contact wallpapers, although this feature may require installing additional plugins or themes from the GetThemes store.
You can also customize the vibration and melody for each contact separately, creating a complete multimedia profile of the subscriber, and the combination of unique sound, vibration and large photo allows you to instantly identify the caller without even taking the phone out of your pocket.
For users who want maximum control, there are third-party apps from Google Play, such as Truecaller or Contacts+. They can upload photos from social networks automatically if the number is entered in their databases, but this requires broad permissions to access data.
Remember that using third-party applications to identify numbers and photos can compromise your privacy, as your phone book is also uploaded to their servers.