Modern smartphone owners often face an aesthetic mismatch when incoming calls: instead of the expected full-screen image, a small photo is displayed in a circle with huge black fields on the sides. This is especially noticeable on models with elongated screens, such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10. Standard settings of the MIUI shell do not always offer an obvious full-screen switch, which causes bewilderment among users accustomed to customization.
The problem lies in the way Android works and the algorithms for cropping images in the phone book. The system tries to adapt a square or standard photo to a vertical screen format, creating sloppy indentations. However, there are several proven ways to circumvent this limitation and achieve the desired visual effect using both built-in tools and third-party applications.
In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods, from simple manipulation of contacts to installing specialized dialers, you will learn how to properly prepare an image, what resolutions work best, and why a standard gallery sometimes eats up the quality of the picture when synchronized.
Why a photo doesn’t stretch across the entire screen by default
The main reason for black fields or incorrect display lies in different proportions of the original image and the screen of the smartphone.The Redmi Note 10 display has an aspect ratio of 20:9, while most avatars in contacts are by default in a 1:1 or 4:3 format. The MIUI system automatically framing the image to fit it into a round or square call template, ignoring the possibility of stretching.
In addition, the latest versions of the Xiaomi shell have a strict design code that forcibly places a caller’s photo in the center of the screen, surrounding him with information about the call and response buttons. System restrictions do not allow a standard call to simply stretch the picture, as this can overlap important elements of the interface.
⚠️ Warning: Trying to change system call files without root rights can cause the phone to malfunction or sound to disappear when called. Use only secure customization methods.
Also, keep in mind that syncing your contacts through your Google account can squeez the quality of your photos, making them blurry when stretched. For best results, it’s important to understand that the perfect photo should be prepared in advance with screen resolution in mind.
Image Preparation: Formats and Resolution
Before you set a photo, you need to prepare it correctly. Standard vertical shots are often cropped from the top and bottom. For the Redmi Note 10, the optimal image will be using images with a resolution that matches the screen, or even exceeds it. It is recommended to use a photo at least in size. 1080x2400 pixel.
The best way to do this is to use images where the subject is in the center, and the edges can be cut without losing meaning. If you're using a horizontal photo, the system will still cut it down in the center, so the vertical orientation of the source is preferable. You can use any photo editor to frame it.
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Use images with margins around the edges, and if a person's face is close to the edges of the photo, when placed on a bell, it can be cut off live.
It is also important to pay attention to the file format. Although Android supports many formats, the most stable work classic JPG and PNG. HEIC formats (from the iPhone) or WebP can be incorrectly handled by the old version of the phone book, causing display errors or a black screen instead of a photo.
Method 1: Install photo through a standard contact editor
The easiest and safest method is to use the phonebook's built-in functionality, which requires no additional software and works consistently on all versions of MIUI, but it has a limitation: the system decides which part of the photo to show, and often it is not what the user wants.
To start, open the Contacts app or Phone app and go to the Contact tab. Find the right subscriber and click on their name. In the menu that opens, select the editing option, usually indicated by a pencil or Change button. Next, click on the camera circle or current photo.
☑️ Photo installation algorithm
Once you select an image from the gallery, you'll have a framing interface, where you can move the frame by selecting the face area, and unfortunately, you can't stretch the image to the full screen, but you can fill the space as much as possible, and then you can update the image in the contact database after confirming the changes.
It's worth noting that when you use this method, the photo is tied to a specific contact in your phone's memory. If you reset or lose your SIM card without syncing, the images will have to be restored manually, so backing up your photos contacts to your Google account is a must.
Method 2: Use the Google Contacts app
Xiaomi's standard call sometimes conflicts with users' desire to see big photos.The alternative is to use the native Google Contacts app and Google Phone.These apps often have more flexible display settings and work better with modern screen formats.
To implement this method, you need to download Contacts and Phone apps from the Google Play Store if they are not already installed, and then make them the default apps in your system settings, which will replace the standard call interface with a more functional Google counterpart.
| Function | Standard MIUI call. | Google Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Photo display | In the circle, the average | Full-screen, adaptive |
| Synchronization | Mi Account / Google | Only Google. |
| Recording of conversations | Built-in (with notification) | Third-party software required |
| Definition of number | Basic | Expanded (Google database) |
The advantage of using the Google ecosystem is that photos uploaded through the Google Contacts web interface or through an app on another device instantly display on the Redmi Note 10 in high quality.
⚠️ Note: When you switch to Google Phone, you may lose the Quick Call Record feature built into your phone. MIUI, Google’s policy prohibits recording without complicated workarounds.
Method 3: Third-party Calling Applications (Dialers)
If the built-in tools don't meet your needs, third-party apps come to the rescue, completely replacing the incoming call interface, and the leader in this niche is the True Phone Dialer & Contacts app, which allows you to customize the display of the caller's photo literally to the pixel.
Once you install True Phone, you need to give the app all the permissions you want, including access to contacts, phone and, importantly, the right to "display over other windows." Without the last item, a beautiful picture will not appear when you call. There is a "Look" section in the app settings where you can select a full-screen style.
Another advantage of these apps is that you can customize different themes and styles for day and night, so you can make the photo bright during the day and the interface darker at night without irritating your eyes, which gives you maximum flexibility in setting.
Why True Phone May Not Work on Android 12+
However, it is worth remembering that installing a third-party call is always a risk: the app gets access to all your calls and contacts. Use only proven programs with high rankings on Google Play and a large number of reviews.
Solving the problem of black fields and artifacts
Even after you have a full-screen photo, users sometimes notice artifacts, like stripes on the sides, blurring or improper centering, often due to the cache of the Contacts or Themes app, and clearing the cache can solve the problem without deleting the data.
To clear the cache, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find Contacts and Phone. Inside each app, select Memory and click Clear Cache. Don't confuse it with Clear All, or you'll delete your call history.
Black fields may also appear because of the theme included. Some third-party themes for MIUI will rigidly size the call window. Try switching to the standard theme "Classic" or "Free" to see if the fields disappear.
If the image looks blurry, the original image is too low resolution, and if you stretch a small image onto a 6.67-inch screen, you always lose quality, and if you do, you can only replace it with a better one.
Synchronization and preservation of results
Once you have set up beautiful photos for all the important contacts, the question of saving this data is that local storage on Redmi Note 10 is risky. If the screen breaks or you lose your phone, you lose all the visual settings.
The best way to sync with your Google account is to make sure that your Google account settings check the "Contacts" box on your phone, and the system will upload the new avatars to the cloud, and you can check this by visiting contacts.google.com from your computer.
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Google sync is the only reliable way to save photos of contacts when you change your phone or reset your settings. Local copies can be lost at any time.
For users who want to have a full copy of their contacts with photos in a single file, there is a vCard format (.vcf). By exporting contacts to this file and saving it on a computer or in cloud storage, you can restore the entire phone book along with the photo with a single button.
Check regularly that sync is successful, and sometimes it happens that the photo is uploaded to the cloud, but the new device is not connected due to a network error, in which case it helps to re-enable the sync in the account menu.