When a smartphone screen suddenly goes out in the middle of a thrilling movie or an important video lesson, it is a natural irritation for any Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO owner. Instead of enjoying the content, the user is forced to constantly poke into the display or look for the cause of the sudden blackout of the backlight. This problem is not unique, but in the shell of MIUI and the new HyperOS it occurs with frightening regularity.
The main difficulty is that the reasons for this behavior can be many: from a banal software error to a malfunction of hardware sensors. Android on devices of the Chinese brand often aggressively manages resources, which leads to conflicts between applications and system services. In most cases, the problem lies in locking settings or sensors, not in the breakdown of the matrix.
In this article, we will take a look at all the possible scenarios for why the display goes out, and provide step-by-step troubleshooting instructions. You don't have to be an engineer to fix most of these errors yourself. We'll look at both the software settings and the physical factors that affect how your device works.
⚠️ Note: If the screen only goes off in certain apps (like YouTube or just a gallery), the problem is most likely to be in the app’s cache or settings, not the smartphone’s system.
Influence of the proximity sensor and protective glasses
One of the most common reasons Xiaomi's screen goes out while watching video is because of a false alarm of the proximity sensor, which is located at the top of the screen and is designed to turn off the display while you're talking when you bring the phone to your ear. If the system mistakenly "thinks" the phone is near your ear, it will turn off the screen to prevent accidental cheekstrokes.
Often, the culprits are poor-quality protective glass or film that covers the sensor area, or simply a buildup of dirt and fat in the speaker area. Even a microscopic crack at the top of the display can distort the sensor readings. In such cases, calibrating the sensor through an engineering menu or a special application can temporarily solve the problem, but it is better to eliminate the physical interference.
It's also worth considering that some high-sided cases can mechanically close the sensor.If you notice the screen goes out when you hold the phone in a certain way, try changing the grip. MIUI, which requires resetting sensor settings.
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Try to wipe the top of the screen with an alcohol napkin and remove the protective glass during the inspection - this will eliminate physical interference to the sensor.
- 📱 Check if the protective film or glass covers the area of the upper speaker where the sensor is located.
- 🧼 Carefully clean the proximity sensor area of fat, dust and glue residues.
- 📉 Conduct a sensor test in the engineering menu by typing code ##6484## in the Phone app».
- 🔄 If the sensor is stuck, try to close and open the top of the screen with your hand several times during the test.
Timeout and energy saving settings
The second most common reason is the aggressive energy saving policy built into the HyperOS and MIUI shell. The system can mistakenly identify the video player as an inactive application if you do not touch the screen for a given time, and force the backlight to be extinguished to save battery power. This is especially true for "Energy Saving" or "Ultra-Energy Saving" modes.
Users need to check their time settings before going to sleep. A standard 15 or 30 second interval may be too short to watch video without interacting. In addition, battery settings often have a "Unlimited Data" or "No Limits" option that needs to be activated for video players so that the system doesn't "strangle" their background processes.
Special attention should be paid to the function “Read Mode” or “Vision Protection”, which can darken the screen to a state of complete shutdown in certain lighting. Make sure that automatic brightness adjustment works correctly and does not reduce the backlight level to zero in a dark room.
To solve the problem, follow the following steps:
- ⏳ Increase screen sleep time in the Settings menu → Screen and brightness → Sleeping until 2-5 minute.
- 🔋 Turn off the power saving mode in the notification curtain or through Settings → Battery.
- 🚫 In the battery settings, find your video player and select “No Limits” for background activity.
Conflicts of applications and third-party players
If the screen goes out in only one particular application, such as a browser or third-party video player, the problem may be its cache or incompatibility with the current version of Android. The built-in MIUI Video player is optimized better, but third-party solutions like VLC or MX Player can claim exclusive rights to control the screen.
Often the problem is the smart lock or smart screen feature, which analyzes the content on the display. If the algorithm thinks that the video is over or the content is static, it can turn off the screen, and browser extensions or advertising modules embedded in free versions of applications also influence.
⚠️ Note: If you use modified versions of applications (Mod, Premium unlocked), they most often cause system instability and conflicts with sensors.
App permissions are recommended. Some programs require permission to "over other windows" or control sensors, which can cause failures. Try to clear the data of the problematic application or reinstall it.
- 🗑️ Clear the cache and application data through Settings → Annexes → All applications.
- 📉 Update the app through the official Google Play store or GetApps.
- 🚫 Turn off the “Advanced Screen” or “Toolbox Video” feature in the settings of a particular app if it is active.
The Secret Feature of Video Toolbox
Hardware problems: plume and matrix
If the software methods didn't work, and the screen continues to go out chaotically, it may be because of hardware. The most common hardware reason is a departing display plume. Even a microscopic disruption of the contact between the matrix and the board can lead to a short-term loss of image or backlight, especially if the phone has recently fallen or been vibrating.
Also worth considering is the state of the matrix itself. Some Redmi Note and POCO models have a "disease" of the screen power controller, which, when the device is heated, starts to work unstablely, if the screen goes out exactly after 15-20 minutes of viewing, when the phone is heated, this is a sure sign of a hardware defect.
You can diagnose the problem by gently pressing the top or bottom of the screen (carefully!) when the image is still there, and if the screen blinks or goes out from the pressure, the contact is broken, and then the program dances with the drum will not help.
☑️ Diagnostics of hardware problems
Specifics of Redmi Note and POCO models
Owners of the popular Redmi Note series (especially 9, 10, 11, 12) and POCO (X3, F3, F4, M4, M5) often face a unique bug associated with MIUI optimization. In these models, developers introduced aggressive algorithms for controlling the refresh rate of the screen. When switching from 60 Hz to 90 or 120 Hz during video playback, a driver crash can occur, dampening the screen.
These devices have a problem with the black screen of death after a firmware update, often solved only by a complete reset or rollback to a previous version of the OS. In these models, the proximity sensor is often software emulated, which increases the likelihood of false positives.
There is a specific solution for POCO and Redmi owners: disabling the video sharpening feature in the gallery or screen settings, a feature designed to improve the picture, often causes rendering conflicts in practice.
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For owners of Redmi Note and POCO, it is critical to check the screen refresh rate setting and try to lock it to 60 Hz to eliminate software conflicts.
Table of diagnostics and methods of solution
So to make it easy to systematize the causes and the ways to treat them, we've developed a summary table that will help you quickly determine the vector of action based on your symptoms.
| Symptoms. | Probable cause | Method of decision | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| The screen goes off when I put my phone in my face. | Approximation sensor | Clearing zone speaker, calibration | Low. |
| Gasnet in 15-30 seconds without touching | sleeptime | Screen settings → Sleeping mode | Low. |
| Gasquette in only one appendix | Application bug | Cache cleanup, reinstallation | Low. |
| Extinguishing when the housing is heated | Hardware defect | Replacement of the plume / screen in the service | Tall. |
| Gasnet after MIUI update | Firmware conflict | Resetting or flashing | Medium |
Radical measures: resetting and reflashing
If none of the above methods worked, the final software argument is a complete reset, which will bring the phone back to factory status by removing all user data, apps and, most importantly, accumulated system debris and setting conflicts.
The reset procedure is done via the Settings menu → About Phone → Settings reset → Erase all data. Once the phone is rebooted, it will look like new. If the problem persists due to a system bug, it should disappear. If the screen continues to go out even on a clean system immediately after the reset, this is 100% confirmation of a hardware breakdown that requires a visit to the service center.
In extreme cases, when the reset doesn’t help but the phone is unstable, power users resort to flashing through Fastboot.This allows you to install a clean global version of the firmware, bypassing air updates that are often “curved.” However, this method requires a PC and special skills, since the error can lead to a “brick” of the device.