How to disable the proximity sensor in Discord on Xiaomi: the complete guide

The problem of a voice or video call in Discord, when the screen of a Xiaomi smartphone suddenly goes out and stops responding to touch, is familiar to many users. This is a standard behavior of the system, which is designed to prevent accidental cheekstrokes, but in messengers it often creates critical inconvenience. The user stops seeing the interlocutor or the call management interface, which is especially annoying if you need to quickly press the microphone button or end a conversation.

The reason for this behavior is the proximity sensor located at the top of the device body. On Mi and Redmi smartphones, the sensor’s activation often locks the screen too aggressively, preventing you from controlling the application. Fortunately, there are proven ways to get around this system feature by regaining full control of the device during a conversation.

Why the screen goes out in Discord on Xiaomi

The main reason lies in how the Android operating system is in conjunction with the shell MIUI Or HyperOS is processing signals from a proximity sensor, and when you hold your phone to your ear, it's detecting the change in light and distance to the object, forcing the display to be turned off. VIP-Applications like Discord logic is often broken.

Often the problem is compounded by a protective glass or cover that covers the sensor area, and even minimal contamination in the area of the speaker can be perceived by the system as an object approaching, which causes the screen to go out even if the phone is on the table rather than pressed against the ear.

Discord developers have implemented support for this sensor, relying on Android standards, but optimization for specific Xiaomi models is not always perfect. The system can mistakenly prioritize the signal from the sensor over the activity of the touchscreen, blocking any of your actions.

⚠️ Note: If the screen goes out only when using a protective film, perhaps the problem will be solved by simply replacing the accessory with a thinner or higher-quality analogue with a cutout under the sensor.

Setup within the Discord application

The first step should always be to check the internal settings of the messenger itself. In the latest versions of Discord, there are additional call management options that can conflict with the system settings of the phone.

Open the app and go to the profile settings by clicking on the avatar. Next, select Voice and Video. Here, you should carefully examine all the switches available. Some functions related to noise cancellation or echo cancellation can indirectly affect the behavior of sensors, although there is no direct connection to the screen.

It is important to check whether the radio mode or similar Push-to-Talk options are enabled, if available in your version, and sometimes activating these modes changes the logic of the screen, causing it to go out when the microphone is activated.

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Make sure that the Discord app has all the necessary permissions, especially access to the phone and microphone, otherwise system restrictions may not work properly.

If there are no obvious sensor switches inside the application (and they often don’t), we move to deeper system settings, and ignoring this step can lead to system changes not taking effect because of the priority of the application settings.

Use of the Engineering Menu for Calibration

The most effective way to solve the problem is to recalibrate the sensor or change its sensitivity through an engineering menu. On Xiaomi devices, this is done through hidden code that gives access to hardware testing. It does not require superuser rights (Root).

Open a standard caller and type in the code ##6484##. If the code didn't work, try #4636## or find the "Cit" or "MIUI CIT" app in the list of all programs. You want the section associated with the Proximity Sensor.

Inside the test, you'll see a graph or numerical values. Close the top of the phone with your hand and remove it. If the values don't change or change correctly, press the Calibrate button. Follow the instructions on the screen: usually close the sensor with your hand and then open it.

Once you've successfully calibrated, restart the device. This action resets the sensor's software errors. In most cases, on Redmi Note and Poco, this completely eliminates false positives in Discord.

Disconnection through special opportunities

There's a feature in the MIUI shell that allows you to ignore the proximity sensor when the screen is locked, but it's hidden in the special features menu. This method doesn't turn off the sensor completely, but changes the logic of its operation, which often helps in messengers.

Go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Special. features. At the top of the screen, switch to the Phone tab. Here you will find the Approximation Sensor switch. Disabling it can help, but keep in mind that this will affect normal calls.

An alternative path that works on some firmware versions: Settings → Passwords & Security → Privacy → Special Access Rights → On top of other applications. Make sure Discord has this resolution, as it allows the app to display an image over the system locks of the screen.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling the sensor in the special features system settings will cause the screen to not go out during normal phone calls either.Be prepared for occasional cheek presses.

If this switch is missing, then your version MIUI does not support direct control of this parameter through the interface, in which case you will have to use third-party utilities or ADB-commands described below.

Application of third-party utilities and ADB

For advanced users who haven't been helped by standard methods, there are Google Play apps like "Proximity Sensor Reset/Fix" that act as an intermediary, intercepting the signal from the sensor and blocking it from being transmitted to the system for selected applications.

You can also use a computer and USB debugging. The method requires you to turn on the developer mode. Connect the phone to a PC, install ADB Platform Tools, and execute a command to change the sensor value, although newer versions of Android often close direct access to this option via ADB for security reasons.

A safer option is to use macro applications like MacroDroid. You can create a macro that says, "If you run a Discord application and a call comes → Turn off the proximity sensor." This gives you flexibility: the sensor is running on the system, but only shuts down when you need it.

Remember that installing third-party programs can consume additional battery power. After setting up, be sure to check whether the background utility discharges the battery faster than usual.

Comparison of problem-solving methods

The choice of method depends on your technical training and phone model, and below is a table that will help you determine the method.

As you can see from the table, calibration through the engineering menu is the safest and most effective method, not requiring the installation of excess software, but if the sensor is physically defective, software methods may not help.

Using macros or third-party utilities is a trade-off: you get the functionality you want in Discord, but you add an extra process to the system. For older devices with little RAM, this may not be desirable.

Frequent questions and problems

Even after you've done all the steps, you can get nuanced, like the screen might not go out completely, but it might just dim, or it might stop turning around, and that means there's a driver conflict or there's a sensor plume that's damaged.

Sometimes cleaning the cache of the Discord application helps. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps → Discord → Memory → Clear the cache. Don't confuse it with cleaning the data, otherwise you will have to log in again.

If nothing helps, it may be a hardware breakdown: Xiaomi's proximity sensors sometimes fail after falling or getting moisture, in which case only a service center or using a headset that bypasses the phone's sensor will help.

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The most stable result is a combination of high-quality calibration through CIT-Menu and check for no physical obstacles to the sensor.