How to increase the photo of a contact to the full screen when calling Xiaomi Redmi 8: the complete guide

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 8 often face a situation when an incoming call shows a photo of the contact in a small circle, rather than the entire screen. This not only reduces the aesthetic perception, but also complicates the identification of the caller at first sight. The problem is relevant for the standard application "Phone" and is associated with the features of the shell MIUI, which by default uses a compact display format.

Although in the new versions MIUI (starting at 12.5+) There's a full-screen option that's available on Redmi 8 with factory firmware, and it may not work properly, and in this article, we'll look at all the ways you can extend your full-screen image, from standard settings to third-party apps. We will pay special attention to the nuances that depend on the version. MIUI and installed updates.

If you've tried to change your settings through your phone's menu, but the results don't work, don't despair. 80 percent of the time, the problem is solved by a combination of two methods: activating hidden settings and adjusting permissions for the Phone app. For users who are ready to experiment, we also have a manual editing of system files (root access is required).

Before you start settings, make sure that:

• 📱 Your Redmi 8 has the latest version MIUI installed (read the section below for how to check).
• 📞 Contact photos are stored in high resolution (minimum 720×720 px).
• 🔄 You have rebooted your phone after previous settings changes.

1. Verification of MIUI version and preparation for settings

The first step is to determine the current firmware version, which depends on what options will be available in the menu. On Redmi 8, full-screen photo display when calling is officially supported only in MIUI 12.5 and later, but even there the function can be hidden.

To find out the MIUI version:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Scroll down to the MIUI version.
3. Remember or write down the full name (e.g. MIUI Global 12.5.3 Stable).

If your version is older than MIUI 11, we recommend you upgrade.

• 🔄 Go to Settings. → Updating the system.
• 📥 Press "Check Updates" and install the latest firmware available.
• ⚠️ Warning: Before updating, back up your data via Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset. The update may reset some settings.

Also check if the phone has alternative launchers (like Nova Launcher or POCO Launcher) that can conflict with the standard Phone app and block full-screen mode, in which case, temporarily return to the standard MIUI launcher:

1. Click the empty space on the main screen.
2. Select the Home Screen Settings.
3. Activate the Standard Launcher option.

💡

If the full-screen photo feature didn’t appear after the MIUI update, try resetting the Phone app through Settings → Apps → App Management → Phone → Storage → Clear the data. This will return the standard settings without losing contacts.

2. Standard method: setting up via "Phone" and "Contacts"

In MIUI 12.5+, the developers added a full-screen display option, but hid it in a non-obvious place to find it:

Step 1: Activate full screen mode in call settings:

1. Open the phone application (pipe icon).
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Settings.
3. Go to the Incoming Calls section.
4. Find the option Inbound Call Style (or Full Screen Mode).
5. Choose a full screen photo or a large photo.

Step 2. Check your contact settings:

Sometimes the problem lies in the contacts themselves.

• 👤 The photo is attached directly to the contact, not to a Google or Mi Account account.
• 🖼️ Photo resolution is at least 720×720 px (at lower resolution, the system automatically reduces the image).
• 📞 Contact is saved to the Local Phone Book, not to the cloud.

If there is no Full-screen option, it means that your version of MIUI does not support it at the interface level, in which case move on to the following methods.

Remove duplicate contacts |

Update photos to 720px+| resolution

Save contacts in a local book |

Check the display in the standard "Contacts" app-->

3. Hidden settings: activation via engineering menu

For advanced users, there is a way to enable full-screen mode through the engineering menu (#4636###).This method works on MIUI 11-12.5, but it requires caution - incorrect changes can lead to crashes.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##4636##.
2. In the menu that appears, select Phone Information (or Phone Information).
3. Scroll down to the Set full screen photo section (or similar in meaning).
4. Set the value of enabled or 1.
5. Save the changes and restart the phone.

Note: If the engineering menu does not include Set full screen photo, it means that your firmware does not support this option at the software level. Attempts to change other settings may lead to loss of communication or restart of the phone.

An alternative way is through the developer settings:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times).
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find the Force Full-screen Calls option.
4. Turn it on and restart the device.

4.Use of third-party applications for calls

If standard methods don’t work, consider installing alternative calling apps that not only support full-screen photo display, but also offer additional features (such as customizing the interface or blocking spam).

Top.-3 supplant 8:

How to set up a full-screen photo in Truecaller (for example):

Note: When using third-party applications, Xiaomi’s standard Phone app will be disabled.

• 📞 Quick response function (SMS when a call is rejected).
• 🔊 Sound quality during a call (some applications compress audio).
• 📱 Displays missed call notifications.

💡

Third-party calling apps are the most reliable way to get a full-screen photo on Redmi 8, but they can conflict with MIUI system services. Check your model compatibility reviews before installing.

5. Manual editing of system files (for power users)

This method requires root access and is designed for users willing to risk the stability of the system.

Step 1: Getting root rights:

The Redmi 8 is the easiest to use: Magisk

1. Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool (instructions on the official Xiaomi website).
2. Install TWRP Recovery for your model.
3. Sweep Magisk ZIP through TWRP.

2 file editing call_screen.xml:

Using a root-enabled file manager (such as Root Explorer):

1. Go to /system/priv-app/Contacts/.
2. Find the file res/layout/call_screen.xml.
3. Open it in the text editor.
4. Find a string with android:layout_width or android:scaleType.
5. Replace the value with: <ImageView android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="match_parent" android:scaleType="centerCrop" />
6. Save the file and restart the phone.

Before editing, back up the original file. If the phone stops ringing after the changes, restore the file and restart the device.

Step 3: Verification of changes:

After the reboot, make a test call if the photo still doesn't show up on the full screen:

• 🔍 Check to see if the root license has been reset.
• 📁 Make sure you edit the correct file (the path may differ in different versions of MIUI).
• 🔄 Try clearing the cache of the Phone app (Settings → Apps → Phone → Storage → Clear the cache).

6. Alternative solutions: widgets and wallpaper for calls

If none of the methods worked, consider workarounds:

• 🖼️ Contact Widget on Lock Screen: Use widgets like Photo Widget to display a photo of the contact to the full lock screen, and when you call in, it will be visible on top of the interface.
• 🎨 Topics for MIUI: Some themes from the Mi Theme Store (like Full Screen Call) are changing the style of incoming calls. Set a theme and check if the full-screen photo option has come up.
• 📱 Automatic Wallpaper Change: Apps like Wallpaper Changer can replace the background of the lock screen with a photo of the contact when an incoming call is made.

How to install a theme with full screen calls:

1. Open the themes (brush icon on the main screen).
2. Enter Full Screen Call or Big Photo Call.
3. Download and apply your favorite topic.
4. Go to Settings → Display → Themes → My Themes and activate it.

Note: Themes from the Mi Theme Store may contain ads or collect data. Check reviews and ratings before installing.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after the successful setup, Redmi 8 users are faced with errors.

Problem 1: The photo is displayed blurry or pixelated.

Decision:

• 🖼️ Replace the contact photo with the 1080×1080 px resolution image.
• 🔄 Clear the Contacts app cache (Settings → Apps → Contacts → Storage → Clear the cache).
• 📱 Check if traffic saving mode is enabled in Settings → Connections → Traffic saving (it can compress images).

Problem 2: Full screen mode works, but the photo is cropped.

Decision:

This is due to the scaleType settings in the system file. If you have root, edit the call_screen.xml file (see 5 section) and replace the centerCrop with the fitCenter:

android:scaleType="fitCenter"

Problem 3: After the MIUI update, the function is gone.

Decision:

• 🔄 Reset the settings of the Phone application (Settings → Apps → Phone → Storage → Reset settings).
• 📥 Check if the permissions for the application have been reset (Settings → Applications → Permissions).
• 📡 If the update came in the air (OTA), try to manually flash your phone through the Mi Flash Tool (instructions on the official website).

Problem 4: Full-screen mode only works for some contacts.

Decision:

This means that the photos of the other contacts are stored in low resolution or linked to cloud accounts.

1. Open Contacts → Settings → Import / Export.
2. Export your contacts to the.vcf file.
3. Delete all contacts from your cloud accounts (Google, Mi Account).
4. Import the.vcf file back by selecting Local Storage.

FAQ: Frequent questions