How to temporarily turn off calls on Xiaomi phone

Situations where Xiaomi users need to be completely isolated from incoming calls are common, such as an important meeting, a movie theater session, surgery, or simply wanting to get a night’s sleep on a weekend without the risk of waking up. Modern smartphones, including Redmi and POCO models, provide a wide range of communication management tools, allowing them to flexibly adjust subscriber availability.

Unlike simply ignoring a call, temporarily blocking incoming connections requires a systematic approach to avoid missing really important messages or emergency notifications. Android, which runs the MIUI or HyperOS shell, has several layers of call protection, each with its own features and application scenarios.

In this guide, we will take a look at all the available methods, from radical flight mode to fine-tuning the built-in locker, learn how to distinguish between Do Not Disturb and Full Lock, and how to configure automatic scenarios so that the phone decides when to call and when to keep silent.

Use Do Not Disturb Mode to Filter Noise

The most civilized and flexible tool for temporarily limiting calls is the Do Not Disturb feature, which, unlike a complete shutdown, allows you to configure exceptions by skipping calls from selected contacts or repeat calls from a single number, which is critical for security.

You can activate this mode through the Quick Access Panel, swipe from top to bottom, or through the settings menu. Go to Settings → Sound and vibration → Do not disturb. Here you can set a schedule to automatically switch to quiet mode at night, or turn it on manually for a certain time.

⚠️ Attention: Do Not Disturb by default can be used to make calls from your favorites. Be sure to check the exception settings if you want complete silence.

To fine-tune it, use the exclusion menu, you can only allow calls to those in your contacts, or you can block calls to everyone, and the "Re-call" option is also useful: if someone calls you twice in 15 minutes, the second call will pass, because the system considers it urgent.

• 🌙 Do Not Disturb Mode blocks beeps, but the screen can light up when notified.
• 📞 Repeated call from one subscriber in 15 minutes often passes even with active restrictions.
• 📅 Automatic schedule allows you not to remember to turn on the mode every night.

It is important to understand the difference between visual and audible notifications. In some versions of MIUI, the screen may light up, but the sound of the call will be blocked. For complete isolation, you need to combine this mode with other methods or additionally adjust the options for displaying notifications on the locked screen.

Full lock through flight mode and control SIM-card

If your goal is to communicate fully with the outside world so that the phone doesn't receive any cellular signals, the most effective method is flight mode, and when it is activated, wireless communication modules (GSM, LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) are turned off, making the device inaccessible to voice calls.

However, users often need to keep the Internet available via Wi-Fi, while maintaining the inability to receive calls. In standard flight mode, this is difficult to do, but you can use the trick with the control. SIM-Go to the settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks and just turn off the slider opposite the desired SIM card.

This method is a software analogue of extraction. SIM-The phone stops registering on the operator's network, and you will not be available to the caller (the beeps will go, but the caller will drop or the subscriber will hear that you are out of range), while Wi-Fi and Bluetooth continue to work normally, allowing you to use instant messengers.

Path to disable SIM: Settings → SIM- Maps and Mobile Networks → Select SIM → Disable

It is worth noting that when disconnected SIM-The phone does not lose the ability to make emergency calls (if this is supported by firmware and the presence of another active SIM card or security standards), but incoming calls to a disabled number will not come.

• ✈️ The flight mode shuts down all radio modules, including GPS and NFC.
• 📴 Disabling a specific SIM-The card allows you to leave the second active for calls.
• 📶 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can be enabled manually even in flight mode on most models.

This method is ideal for traveling abroad, when you need to avoid accidental connection to roaming networks and write-offs, but you need to stay online via Wi-Fi at the hotel.

Setting up a blacklist and blocking unknown numbers

The built-in Security app in Xiaomi smartphones has powerful functionality to filter incoming calls. Blacklisting is not just a ban on calls from specific people, but also the ability to hide from all unknown numbers.

To block a particular subscriber, open a call log, click on the contact number or name, and select the option “Add to a blacklist.” However, the more interesting scenario is the blocking of all hidden and unknown numbers, which often saves from spam and telemarketers.

Go to Security → Antispam → Settings (cogs) → Lock. You can activate the "Block Calls from Hidden Numbers" switch here. You can also add prefixes or specific numbers to the Blacklist menu. If you add a number to an emergency, the caller will hear short horns or a message of employment, depending on the operator's settings.

⚠️ Note: When you block unknown numbers, you may miss an important call from a courier, doctor, or delivery service using city or mobile numbers that are not in your notebook.

There's also a Quiet Lock feature where the phone doesn't make any noises or vibrate when you call from a locked number, and the call is simply reset, which allows you to stay calm even if someone is trying to reach you.

• 🚫 Prefix locking allows you to screen out entire groups of numbers (for example, all numbers starting with a certain combination).
• 📵 Blocked subscribers can be redirected to voicemail if it is activated.
• 📝 Lists can be imported and exported, which is convenient when changing the phone.

Using built-in antivirus and anti-spam from Xiaomi is preferable to third-party applications, since it works at a deep system level and does not require additional permissions, consuming less battery resources.

Call forwarding as a method of call forwarding

One of the most reliable ways to turn off calls on your phone while remaining online is to set up unconditional forwarding, in which case all incoming calls will be automatically redirected to another number, such as a carrier’s voicemail or a friend’s number.

You can set up the redirect via the standard Phone app. Click on three dots in the corner of the screen, select Settings. → Call accounts → SIM-map → Call forwarding. Select the "Always forward" option and enter the number to which the calls will go.

To temporarily disable calls, they often use their operator's special voicemail service number, and once activated, all the calls will go there, and you won't hear a single beep, and to cancel the action, you just have to go back to the same menu and select "Disable".

Please specify the tariff conditions before activating this feature to avoid unpleasant surprises in the bill.

Automation of processes through the application "Security"

MIUI is famous for its deep integration of system functions. The Security app allows you to create scripts that automatically change your phone's settings based on time or location, eliminating the need to manually turn on and off lock modes.

In the Security app, look for Battery and Performance or a separate Automation menu (depending on the OS version) and you can set up a task to read: “If it’s 23:00, turn on Do Not Disturb” or “If the location is Cinema, turn off the sound.”

This approach allows you to forget about manual control, and the phone will know that you are in a place where you do not call, or it is time for sleep, and this is especially true for people with irregular schedules who want to sleep during the day.

• ⏰ Time automation ensures that you don’t forget to turn on silence before bedtime.
• 📍 Geolocation triggers activate silence mode when entering certain zones (office, movie).
• 🔋 Scenarios help save battery power by turning off unnecessary functions at the right time.

Using automation makes smartphone use more comfortable and predictable.You no longer have to fear that the alarm clock will not work because of the flight mode on if you set the script correctly (Do Not Disturb mode does not affect the alarm clock).

Specificity of the locks in HyperOS and new versions of MIUI

With the release of the new HyperOS operating system and the updated versions of MIUI 14/15, the logic of some functions has changed, the interface has become more minimalist, and some settings have been moved or renamed to unify with the ecosystem of the smart home.

In newer versions, mode control is often brought to the Control Center, which is called by a swipe from the top right corner, new widgets for quick activation of sound profiles have been introduced, and the spam detection algorithm has also improved: the phone can automatically tag suspicious numbers and offer them to be blocked without the user.

Particular attention should be paid to integration with the smart watch Mi Band or Watch. When you turn on the Do Not Disturb mode on the phone, the settings can sync with the wearable device, or vice versa - raising the wrist can temporarily turn off the sound of the call if the phone is lying down on the screen (Pocket Mode feature).

⚠️ Warning: When updating firmware, blacklist and automation settings may be reset.Always check the validity of lock lists after a major system update.

Users of the new software versions are encouraged to explore the Digital Well-being section, where you can set limits on phone use and set up a sleep schedule that will rigidly block all notifications and calls (except emergency ones) at a given time.

• 🔄 Synchronizing the sound settings between the phone and the clock has become more aggressive.
• 🧠 Artificial intelligence is more active in blocking spam calls.
• 🌙 Sleep mode in Digital Well-being overlaps most other sound settings.

Understanding the logic of the new system allows you to use its capabilities as effectively as possible, and instead of fighting the interface, you better adapt your habits to new, smarter operating system algorithms.

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Use Pocket Mode in your call settings, so if the phone is down, the first call will go without sound, and the second (if urgent) with sound, which is a great trade-off between accessibility and silence.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The most reliable way to turn off calls completely, but staying online is to turn off calls SIM-card programmatically in the settings or activate the flight mode with the subsequent inclusion of Wi-Fi.