How to remove irritating screen lighting when calling Xiaomi: all working methods

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face an uncomfortable feature: when an incoming call, the screen not only lights up, but begins to blink aggressively with the backlight, even if the phone is lying down.This MIUI feature is designed to attract attention, but in practice drains the battery, distracts at night and can cause seizures in people with photosensitivity. Unfortunately, in standard settings, the option to turn off the backlight is often hidden or absent - especially on newer versions of the firmware.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to turn off the backlight when calling – from simple changes to the Settings menu to using the light. ADB-Teams and third-party utilities. MIUI 12-14 (including global and Chinese versions) and run on most models, from the Redmi Note 10 Pro to the flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra. If you are tired of night wakes because of the flashing screen – read on.

Why Xiaomi flashes the screen when calling and can it be turned off?

The screen lighting feature for incoming calls (Screen flash on calls) was introduced in MIUI as part of the alert system, which is designed to:

• 🔦 Attract attention in noisy places where vibration or sound may be invisible.
• 📱 Operate with your phone upside down (screen down) when the standard display is not visible.
• 🔋 Save charge by using only backlights, not full screen turn on.

In practice, however, the feature often works even when sound and vibration are turned off, and its intensity can cause discomfort, and worst of all, new versions of MIUI 13/14 have removed the backlight option from the interface, probably due to users' complaints about accidentally turning off important notifications.

Can I turn off the backlight completely? Yes, but the methods depend on the firmware version and the phone model. Below we will look at methods from the simplest (through settings) to the advanced (using ADB).

Method 1: Turn off backlighting through standard MIUI settings

On some models (especially those with MIUI 12 and older), the option to turn off the backlight is saved in the menu.

1. Open the Settings. → Sounds and vibrations.
2. Scroll down to the Incoming Calls section.
3. Find the Screen indicator (or screen lighting when calling) and turn off the slider.

If there is no such item, try an alternative path:

1. Settings → Display → Additional.
2. Look for the option to flash screen at notifications or Ambient Display.

⚠️ Attention: MIUI 14 (especially in global versions) this item is often missing. If you haven't found it, move on to the next way.

Method 2: Use Do Not Disturb (DND) Mode

If the backlights are disturbing at night, the interim solution is to activate Do Not Disturb (DND) mode, which turns off all visual and audible alerts, including the flashing of the screen.

1. Go to Settings → Sounds and vibration → Do not disturb.
2. Turn on the mode and set the schedule (for example, from 23:00 to 7:00).
3. In the Exclusions section, allow only alarm clocks or add important contacts.

The downside is that DND blocks all notifications, not just the backlights, and if you want messenger alerts, that's not the way to go.

💡

V MIUI 14: Silent Mode, which turns off the sound but leaves vibration and backlight. ADB-team from Method 4.

Method 3: Disconnecting through the hidden menu of engineering settings

On some Xiaomi models (especially Chinese versions), the backlight can be turned off via the engineering menu, which does not work on all devices, but it is worth trying:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the code: ##36446337##
2. You will be taken to the EngineerMode menu (if the code didn’t work, try ##4636###).
3. Go to the Hardware Testing → Lights section.
4. Find options related to Call Flash or Incoming Call Light and turn them off.

⚠️ Warning: Do not change other options in the engineering menu without understanding their purpose! This can lead to unstable operation of the camera, sensors or screen backlights.

If the engineering menu is not available or there are no necessary options in it, move on to the next method.

Method 4: Disabling backlighting via ADB (for advanced users)

The most reliable method is to use the ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which works on any Xiaomi model, but requires connecting the phone to a computer.

Install Xiaomi drivers on PC| Enable USB debugging in phone settings | Download ADB platform from Google | Connect phone to PC via cable

-->

1. Turn on USB debugging: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI to activate Developer Mode. Go back to Settings → Additional → Developer. Enable USB debugging and confirm permission.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and start the ADB in the command line.
3. Execute the command to turn off the backlight: adb shell settings put global incoming_call_flash 0
4. Reboot the phone.

To return the backlight, use the same command, replacing 0 by 1.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO F4) post-refresh MIUI setting ADB You can drop it, and then you can repeat the procedure.

💡

ADB-The team is the only universal way to turn off the backlight on all versions MIUI, including the newest.

Method 5: Third-party applications for lighting control

If previous methods have not worked, you can use the apps from Google Play.

• 📱 «Flash Notifications – allows you to flexibly adjust the backlight for calls and notifications (including completely shutting down).
• 🔦 «Light Manager - manages LED-Indicator and screen lighting (requires rights) ADB).
• 🛠️ «MacroDroid – Creates an automatic rule to turn off backlights when an incoming call is made.

The downside of apps: they may conflict with MIUI or require additional permissions, and their settings may be reset once the firmware update is in place.

⚠️ Warning: Do not install apps from unverified sources! some backlight control utilities contain malicious code or adware modules.

Comparison of methods: which way to choose?

To make the choice easier, we have compiled a table with the pros and cons of each method:

For most users, the best solution is ADB-Team (Method 4) as it works on all versions MIUI If you don't want to connect your phone to a PC, try MacroDroid or Flash Notifications.

FAQ: Frequent questions about backlighting when calling on Xiaomi