How to make a full screen incoming call on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9

Modern smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 feature large displays that should make the most of the available space. However, users often face a situation where incoming calls are displayed only as a small window at the top of the screen, which is especially annoying when the phone is lying on the table or when you need to quickly see who is calling without bringing the device to your eyes.

The reason for this behavior lies in the features of the Android Operating System and the MIUI shell, which by default can limit the size of the caller interface. Standard behavior often assumes that the user is holding the phone in his hand, but in modern gadgets, this is not always convenient. Fortunately, this situation can be corrected without obtaining superuser rights or flashing the device.

In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available methods to deploy the incoming call window to the entire display of your smartphone. We will look at both the standard system settings and the specific developer parameters that are responsible for scaling the interface, you will learn how to manage the display of calls and make using the Redmi Note 9 more comfortable.

Reasons for the appearance of a small call window

Before we take action, we need to understand why the system behaves this way. Most of the time, the problem is not the fault, but the logic of the MIUI shell. The system tries to adapt the interface to different use cases, but sometimes these algorithms work incorrectly from the user's point of view.

One of the main reasons is the application mode in the background, so if the system thinks the phone application is running as a background process or has power restrictions, it may not allow it to unfold to the full screen, part of a battery optimization mechanism that sometimes works too aggressively.

You also need to consider the impact of third-party launchers or design themes, and if you've installed custom themes from GetThemes or changed the standard launcher to an alternative, they may be forced to set their window display settings, in which case the system settings may be overridden by the visual styles of third-party software.

Another factor is the software version: In different MIUI builds (Global, China, EEA), the logic of the call interface may differ, and updating the system or, conversely, rolling back to the previous stable version can dramatically change the behavior of the call screen.

Setting resolution and scale in the menu for developers

The most effective way to get the call interface to occupy the entire available screen area is to use the hidden Developer Menu, which is where you have deep system settings that allow you to control the pixel density and minimum interface width.

First, you need to activate access to this menu. Go to Settings → About Phone and find MIUI Version. You need to quickly click on this item 7-10 times in a row until you notice that you have become a developer, and then a new section will appear in the main settings menu.

Go to Settings → Additional Settings → Developer. Find a section related to drawing or display. You are interested in the setting “Minimum width” (or Smallest width), changing this value directly affects how much content is placed on the screen.

By default, the Redmi Note 9 can be around 360-390 dp. Increasing this number (like 450 or 500) will make the interface elements smaller, but allow the caller app to take up more space.

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Write down the initial minimum width before changing, which will allow you to quickly return to the same as before if the font becomes too small for comfortable reading.

When you change the setting, the phone may need to reboot or just update the interface. Check how the incoming call looks now by calling your number from another device. If the window is bigger, but not the whole screen, try adjusting the value a little bit to the larger or smaller side.

Managing permissions of the Phone application

On Android, each application has its own access rights, including the right to display over other windows. If the Phone app has this right revoked or it is limited, the full call screen will not appear.

Go to Settings → Applications → All apps. Find the Phone app (green handset icon) on the list. Click on it to open the detailed menu. You can find “Other permissions” or simply “permissions” here.

Make sure all critical items are activated, especially those related to displaying on top of other applications and accessing contacts. Sometimes the system resets these settings after an update for security reasons.

Also on the Phone app menu, check Autostart. If it's disabled, the system can put the app to sleep, and when you call it in, it will open with a delay or in a reduced window.

Resetting the application settings and cleaning the cache

Accumulated cache or corrupted temporary files can cause incorrect display of the interface, a common problem when after a system update, old files conflict with new versions of applications.

To solve the problem, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Phone. Select Memory. Here you will see two buttons: Clear Cache and Clear All (or Reset). Start by cleaning the cache – it is safe and will not delete your contacts.

If clearing the cache didn’t help, you can try resetting the app to factory settings. Please note: this action will not delete your call history or contacts, as they are stored in a separate database or synced with an acca-un, but will return the call settings (for example, blocking unknowns) to the original state.

⚠️ Before resetting your app settings, make sure your contacts are saved to your Google or Xiaomi Cloud account to avoid any chance of losing them in system errors.

After cleaning, restart your smartphone. The first incoming call after the reboot can be processed by the system for a little longer, since the application is launched from a clean slate.

Comparison of problem-solving methods

There are several ways to solve a small window problem, and each one has its own characteristics, depending on your technical background and the desired outcome. Below is a table that will help you determine the best solution.

As you can see from the table, the most powerful tool is the setup through the developer menu, but it requires caution. Permission checker is the basic step to take first, as it is completely safe.

And the visuals don't have to be ignored, because sometimes changing a standard theme to another can force the layout of the call screen to be made full-screen without deep system settings.

Impact of Design Themes and Third-Party Launchers

The MIUI shell allows you to deeply customize the look of a smartphone through the Themes app. Some themes have their own lock and call screens that may not properly scale on the Redmi Note 9 display.

If you're using a third-party theme, try temporarily switching to a standard theme, Classic or Infinity, to see if the problem is in the system or in a particular visual style, go to the Topics app, select a profile, and apply the standard set.

There may also be a problem with third-party launchers (Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher, etc.) although they replace the desktop, they may conflict with system windows. Try going back to the standard MIUI launcher for a check.

In some cases, updating the Themes app and the System Interface component through the GetThemes store helps. Go to profile, click on the update icon and install all available updates of system components.

Use Google Phone instead of MIUI Dialer

If Xiaomi’s standard call continues to work incorrectly, a great alternative is to install the Google Phone app, an official app from the search giant that often replaces the standard one in global firmware versions.

Install the app from the Play Market. Once installed, the system may ask which application to use as default for calls. Select Google Phone. The interface of this application is originally sharpened for Material Design and usually correctly occupies the entire screen without additional settings.

Google Phone has the advantage of integrating with Google’s spam database and a cleaner, minimalist interface. However, some MIUI features, such as recording conversations (in some regions) or specific definition settings, may work differently or not.

⚠️ Note: When installing a third-party call, make sure you give it all the necessary permissions to access contacts, microphone and phone book, otherwise calls may not pass or be displayed without the subscriber name.

This method is especially relevant for users who don’t like the congested interface of standard MIUI call. Google Phone is more stable on many devices and less prone to scaling bugs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)