How to turn off the screen when calling Xiaomi: the complete guide

Have you ever missed an important call because Xiaomi's screen went out at the wrong time? This is a problem that many smartphone owners of the brand know when they call in, the display suddenly shuts down when the conversation is not over yet. The reasons can range from firmware bugs to over-optimizing the battery, but the good news is that you can fix this yourself without having to resort to a service center.

In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to turn off the automatic screen when calling on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices. You will learn how to configure the touch screen through standard system settings, hidden engineering menus and even using third-party utilities. And also why this feature exists at all and in which cases it is better not to touch.

Why does the screen go out when you call Xiaomi?

Before you start setting up, it's important to understand why the screen turns off when you're talking, and there's a logical explanation for this feature, which is that you save battery power. When you hold the phone to your ear, the proximity sensor picks up the obstacle and turns off the display so that you can:

• 🔋 Reduce energy consumption (screen is one of the main consumers of charge).
• 🤳 Prevent accidental tapping of the cheek or ear (such as turning off the microphone or completing a call).
• 📞 Extend conversation time by optimizing resources.

However, sometimes the sensor is too aggressive or delayed, such as when you press the response button, or when you pull the phone away from your ear, the screen goes out.

• 🛠️ Damage to the proximity sensor (after falling or getting moisture).
• 📱 Firmware bug (especially after update) MIUI).
• 🔄 Incorrect settings of energy saving (mode "Ultra-Economies" or aggressive optimization).
• 🎭 Using covers or protective glasses that interfere with the sensor.

If the problem comes on suddenly, try restarting your phone first — sometimes it helps to reset temporary crashes. If not, read on.

Method 1: Disabling the proximity sensor in call settings

The most obvious and safe method is to deactivate the proximity sensor directly in the phone module settings, which works on most devices with MIUI 12 and later, including the Xiaomi 11/12/13 series, Redmi Note 10/11/12 and POCO F/X.

Instructions:

1. Open the phone application (pipe icon).
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Settings.
3. Go to Incoming Calls (or Calls, depending on the version of MIUI).
4. Find the option of the Approach Sensor (may be called Turn off the screen during a conversation).
5. Move the slider to the off position.

After that, the screen will stop turning off when you hold the phone to your ear. But note that you now run the risk of accidentally tapping the display with your cheek or finger while you're talking. If that's critical, read about alternative methods below.

Make sure the problem is not with the cover or glass.

Try calling another number for the test.

Remember where the "Complete Call" button is on the screen

Make a backup of the settings (in case of resetting)-->

Method 2: Configure the screen lock time in MIUI

If you don't have a direct approach sensor option in your phone settings, you can go around the clock and increase the time to lock the screen automatically, and it won't stop the sensor from working, but it will give you more time to react.

How to do this:

1. Open the Settings → Screen (or Display).
2. Select Sleep Mode (or Screen Lock).
3. Set the maximum value – usually 10 minutes or 30 minutes.
4. Go back and open Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Optimization
5. Find the Phone app in the list and turn off optimization for it.

This method is less radical than turning off the sensor completely, but can help if the screen goes out too quickly, such as if you frequently switch between the speaker and the tube while you're talking.

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If your version of MIUI does not have the “Sleep Mode” option, try searching for it in the settings (the magnifying glass icon at the top).

Method 3: Use of the Engineering Menu (for advanced)

If standard settings don't work, you can go to the Engineering Mode, which hides low-level sensor settings, which is suitable for experienced users, because the wrong actions can lead to failures.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the code ##6484## (some models may run ##4636## → Equipment Testing).
2. In the menu that opens, select Proximity Sensor.
3. Look at the value of Value: 🟢 0 - The sensor is free (nothing is blocked). 🔴 1 or 255 – the sensor is triggered (there is an obstacle).

If the value does not change when you hold your hand to the top of the screen (where the sensor is located), it may be faulty.

Proximity Sensor Calibration

Disable

⚠️ Note: Not all Xiaomi models support disabling the sensor through the engineering menu. Some devices may need to reboot after resetting the calibration. If the screen has stopped responding to the approximation after the changes, return the settings to the factory settings.

Method 4: Third-party applications for screen control

If system methods don’t work, you can use specialized utilities from Google Play, which allow you to flexibly adjust the behavior of the screen during calls, including forced on the display.

Top.-3 problem-solving:

Example of settings in Proximity Sensor Fix:

1. Install and open the application.
2. Select Disable Proximity Sensor During Call.
3. Activate the option and provide access to special features (in Android settings).
4. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Note: Some applications may require permission to be available or overlayed on top of other windows.Be careful - only grant rights to high-rated vetted utilities.

Method 5: Reset sensor settings (if nothing helps)

If all the previous methods have failed, maybe the problem is that the sensors have failed to calibrate, and then resetting them to factory settings will help, and it won't delete your data, but it will return the sensors to their original state.

How to Reset Sensors on Xiaomi:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the item All characteristics (or Test equipment).
3. Select Sensors.
4. Scroll through to Proximity Sensor and press Calibrate or Reset.
5. Confirm the reset and restart the device.

If your firmware does not have this option, try an alternative method:

1. Install the Sensor Reset app from Google Play.
2. Run the sensor scan.
3. Select Proximity Sensor and reset.

Once the proximity sensor is reset, it may temporarily deteriorate — that's normal. Give the phone 10-15 minutes to recalibrate (lift and move your hand away from the top of the screen several times).

What if the screen doesn’t turn on after the call?

Sometimes the problem isn't turning off the screen, but that it doesn't turn back on after a conversation is over.

• 🔄 The proximity sensor freezes in the "locked" state".
• 📵 Shell conflict MIUI (especially after updates).
• 🔋 A very aggressive energy saving regime.

Decisions:

1. Forced Screen Turn on: Press Power or Home (if any) if it doesn't help, press Power + Volume Up for 10 seconds to restart.
2. Disable battery optimization for the Phone app: Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization → All apps → Phone → No restrictions.
3. Cleaning the cache of system applications: Settings → Applications → Application management → Three points → Show system → Phone → Storage → Clear the cache.

If the problem is repeated regularly, try rolling back the MIUI update (if it appeared after the update) or resetting the settings to factory settings (with data saved).

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If the screen doesn't respond to the press after the call, but the phone is working (there's sound), it's likely the proximity sensor is to blame. Try calling yourself from another device and holding/removing your hand to the top of the screen several times - this can wake the sensor.

FAQ: Frequent questions about turning off the screen on Xiaomi