How to take a full-screen contact photo on Android Xiaomi: all ways

Are you tired of seeing tiny contact avatars on the call screen? Want a friend or relative's photo to occupy the entire display during an incoming call? On Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI shells, you can do this in several ways, both standard system tools and with third-party applications. But there's a nuance: not all models support this feature out of the box, and in some firmware, the option is hidden so deep that it's almost impossible to find it without instructions.

In this article, we will discuss all the working methods for increasing full-screen photo contact for Redmi, Poco, Xiaomi and Black Shark devices based on MIUI 12-15 (including global and Chinese firmware versions), learn how to configure the display through the phone’s built-in settings, what applications will help to circumvent the system’s limitations, and what to do if the photo is still displayed in a small circle, and also why this feature may not work correctly on some models and how to fix it.

Why a contact photo doesn’t take up the entire screen by default

Smartphone manufacturers, including Xiaomi, often limit the size of avatars on the call screen for several reasons:

• 📱 Design solutions MIUI: shell is optimized to display the maximum amount of information (name, response/deflection buttons, additional options) without overlapping.
• 🔍 Scaling problems: Not all photos have enough resolution to stretch to Full HD/4K-screens without loss of quality.
• 🛠️ Firmware restrictions: in some regional versions MIUI (For example, for India or China, the full screen display function is disabled at the system level.
• 📵 Topics Conflict: User Themes from Themes → My themes can redefine the standard behavior of the call screen.

Interestingly, flagship models (such as Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Black Shark 5 Pro) are less likely to have a problem, with a more flexible version of MIUI with advanced interface settings, but owners of budget Redmi Note or Poco M-series often find that the contact photo stubbornly remains in a small circle, despite all attempts to increase it.

⚠️ Note: If you use a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher or Apex), the call screen settings can be controlled by it, not system settings. MIUI. In this case, first check the launcher settings in the Calls section. → Screen style.

Method 1: Configure using standard MIUI parameters

To start with, the simplest method that works on most Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12 and later, you don’t need to install additional apps or get root rights, but not all firmware supports this option — if you don’t have these items on your menu, move on to the following ways.

Instructions:

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette).
2. Select the contact you want to increase and click on it.
3. Slip on the current contact avatar (or on the camera icon if the photo is not installed).
4. In the editor that opens, select Change Photos → Gallery and upload a new image.
5. After saving, go back to the main Contacts menu and click on the three dots in the top right corner.
6. Select Settings → Display Style → Incoming Call Screen.
7. Activate the Full-screen photo switch (or Enlarged Avatar depending on the MIUI version).

If you don't have a full screen photo, your firmware doesn't support it at the system level, and one of the alternative methods described below will help.

Select an image with a resolution of at least 1080×1080 pixels

Cut the photo so that the face occupies the central part

Save the image in JPEG or PNG format

Make sure the photo is not blurry and has no compression artifacts.

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Method 2: Use of the "Truecaller" application

Truecaller is a popular call identification app that also allows you to customize the incoming call screen, including the size of avatars, which is suitable for devices where standard MIUI settings do not produce the desired result.

How to set up:

1. Download and install Truecaller from Google Play.
2. Launch the application and register (you will need to enter a phone number).
3. Go to Settings → Call screen.
4. Enable the option Full screen mode.
5. In the Avatar Style section, select Big or Maximum.
6. Save the settings and make Truecaller the default call app (the system will prompt you to do this automatically).

The advantage of this method is that Truecaller runs on top of the standard MIUI interface, so even if your firmware doesn't support full-screen avatars, the app will still stretch the photo to the full screen.

• 📞 The app will handle all incoming calls, which can cause delays in response.
• 🔒 Truecaller collects contact data (this is stated in the privacy policy).
• 💰 There is an advertisement in the free version.

⚠️ Warning: If Truecaller stopped displaying contact photos after setting up, check if contact sync is enabled in the app settings (Settings) → Contacts → Without it, the avatars won't load.

Method 3: Change the MIUI theme to support full-screen avatars

Not everyone knows, but MIUI themes can dramatically change not only the look of icons and wallpaper, but also the style of the call screen. Some themes from the official Themes store support full-screen display of avatars, even if this option is not available in the standard firmware.

How to find and apply the right topic:

1. Open the Themes app (icon with brush).
2. Go to the Call Screen section (or search for "full screen call").
3. View available topics – look for those where the preview shows that the photo of the contact occupies the entire screen.
4. Select your favorite theme and click Apply.
5. After applying the theme, check how the incoming call screen now appears (ask someone to call you).

Recommended themes for full-screen avatars (available in the global version of MIUI):

If the contact photo still appears in a small circle after applying the theme, try resetting the themes to the standard ones and repeating the procedure. Sometimes conflicts arise from overlapping several themes on top of each other.

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Before you install a new theme, back up your current settings in Themes → Settings → Backup. This will help you quickly return to your previous look if the new theme is uncomfortable.

Method 4: Manual editing of system files (for advanced ones)

This method is only suitable for users who are ready to work with system files and have root rights or an unlocked bootloader. If you are not sure about your abilities, you should skip this section - improper actions can lead to the failure of the call screen or even to the "brick" of the device.

The editing will require:

• 📱 Device with unlocked bootloader and root rights.
• 💻 Programme MT Manager or Root Explorer for working with system files.
• 📝 Backup of original files (required!).

Instructions:

1. Download and install MT Manager from the official website (not from Play Market!).
2. Open the application and provide root access.
3. Go to /system/priv-app/Contacts/.
4. Find the Contacts.apk file and back it up (copy it to a safe location).
5. Open the file in MT Manager as a ZIP-archive.
6. Go to the folder. res/layout/ and find the file. incall_screen.xml (orthodox).
7. Edit the ImageView settings responsible for displaying the avatar by changing the attributes layout_width and layout_height on match_parent.
8. Save the changes, restart the device.

Example of editable code (look for similar lines):

<ImageView




android:id="@id/contact_photo"




android:layout_width="match_parent"




android:layout_height="match_parent"




android:scaleType="centerCrop"




android:adjustViewBounds="true" />

⚠️ Note: After editing system files, do not update MIUI through OTA — This will cause you to reset your changes, or even to crash the system. If you need to update, return the original files first.

Method 5: Alternative Calling Applications

If all previous methods have failed, the last option is to use a third-party call app that supports full-screen avatars, which, unlike Truecaller, do not require contact synchronization and run locally.

The best apps for full-screen photo contacts:

• 📞 ExDialer is a lightweight dialer with a customizable call screen that supports avatar stretching, but requires manual adjustment in Settings. → Call Screen → Contact Photo Size.
• 🖼️ Full Screen Caller ID — It's a specialized application to zoom in on the call screen, and it runs on top of a standard dialer.
• 🎨 HiYa – Truecaller alternative with less advertising and full-screen avatar support.
• 🔄 Contacts+ — application with advanced contact display settings, including photo size on the call screen.

How to set up (in the example of ExDialer):

1. Install the ExDialer.
2. Open the application and go to Settings → Call screen.
3. Select the size of the photo contact → Full screen.
4. Install ExDialer with the default call app (the system will prompt you to do this on the first call).

The advantage of this method is that you get full control over the style of the call screen, including animations, fonts, and button location. However, some MIUI features (such as recording conversations or integrating with Mi Account) may not work properly.

Standard settings of MIUI

Application Truecaller

Change of subject

Manual editing of system files

The Appendix (ExDialer, etc.)

Nothing helped.-->

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after successfully configuring full-screen photo contacts, Xiaomi users may face a number of problems, including the most common ones and ways to solve them:

If none of these methods worked, your Xiaomi model may have hardware limitations on displaying full-screen avatars, which is true for some low-memory low-end devices (such as the Redmi 9A or Poco C3), where the system forcibly reduces the size of graphics elements to save resources.

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On devices with 2-3 GB of RAM, full-screen avatars can run unstable due to lack of resources, in which case try to turn off background processes before calling or use light themes without animations.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions