Modern smartphones, including the popular Xiaomi Redmi 12, receive dozens of messages every day, much of which is intrusive advertising, spam or notifications from scammers. Ignoring such messages does not always help, as notifications continue to distract the user from important things and battery power is constantly glowing the screen.
Fortunately, the MIUI operating system installed on this smartphone offers built-in and powerful tools for filtering incoming data that do not require the installation of third-party software. Competent configuration of these features allows you to create a reliable shield against unwanted information noise. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available ways to protect your digital space.
Use of the built-in MIUI message filter
The first and most effective tool is the built-in Messages app, which is based on Google Messages engine or Xiaomi’s own solution depending on the firmware region. To activate the protection, you need to go to the settings of the application itself, where key filter switches are hidden, and here you can enable smart content analysis, which automatically flags suspicious emails as spam.
You should find Spam Protection or Message Filter in the settings menu, and that's where the main controls for incoming traffic are, and by activating the Spam Filter switch, you let the system analyze text and sender numbers against current databases, and this action reduces the amount of visible debris in the main inbox.
You can set up your own rules to block messages that contain specific keywords, such as “credit,” “win” or “promotion,” which is especially useful if you are attacked by a specific type of mailing that standard filters skip.
⚠️ Note: When enabling filtering, make sure that important notifications from banks or delivery services do not contain stop words, otherwise you may miss out on critical information.
Blocking specific sender numbers
Often, it's not the mass mailing that's bothering you, but the specific number that's causing the intrusive offers or the private messages, and the most rational solution is to block the contact completely at the system level, so you don't have to look for complicated menus, you just have to open a dialogue with the unwanted person.
In the correspondence window that opens, click on the three dots in the upper right corner or select Details from the menu. The options available are either a Lock button or a crossed-out circle icon, and once confirmed, all future messages and calls from that number will be automatically rejected by the device.
You can also block the number right from the list of all messages, so you can pin your finger to the dialog with the contact you want before the context menu appears, and in the action list, select "Block the number," which will instantly add the sender to the blacklist of your Redmi 12.
☑️ Algorithm of number locking
It’s worth noting that locked numbers don’t receive notifications that they’re locked, and for them, your messages will look like they’ve been delivered, but they won’t appear on your device, creating an illusion of being ignored, which often discourages spammers from continuing to attack.
Setting up a blacklist and smart filters
For a more subtle security setting, Xiaomi Redmi 12 features an extended blacklist available through the Security app, which is pre-installed on each device and contains the Antispam module, which collects all the settings associated with blocking calls and SMS.
When you go into Antispam, you'll see a list of all the numbers that are locked, but the main strength of this tool is the filtering settings, so you can choose to block all messages from unknown numbers, which are not in your phone book, which is a radical but very effective method.
There's also a mask lock feature, so if you're concerned about calls and messages with codes for specific regions or mobile operators, you can set a template for a number, for example, locking all numbers that start with a specific prefix will cut off entire groups of spammers.
| Type of filtration | Description of action | Level of severity |
|---|---|---|
| Blacklist | Block specific, manually added numbers | Low. |
| Blocking hidden | Deflection of messages from numbers with hidden determinant | Medium. |
| Keyword filtering | Automatically delete messages with specified words | High-pitched |
| Blocking foreign | Banning messages from numbers of other countries | High-pitched |
What happens to blocked messages?
Blocking Messages from Service Numbers
A separate category is the short service numbers used by banks, carriers and large retailers, which are often advertising and users want to get rid of them, and blocking short numbers is specific to Android.
In the standard Google messaging app, which is often on global versions of Redmi 12, the process is as follows: Open the message from the service, click on three dots and select "Block." The system will prompt you to confirm the lock of this short number.
However, it is often more effective to use a unsubscribe command for service numbers, and at the end of an advertising SMS there is usually an instruction such as “Stop” or a number, and sending a response to this instruction is the official way to stop sending mail from the operator or bank, which is more reliable than technical blocking.
If the automatic lock doesn’t work, you can use third-party apps that have more aggressive short-number filters, which analyze the sender’s signature and can block entire groups of services by category, such as Ads or Surveys.
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Use the STOP or STOP command in response to an advertising SMS, which legally obliges the sender to delete your number from the mailing database within 30 days.
Use of third-party applications for protection
The built-in MIUI may not be enough for users facing particularly sophisticated spam, with specialized apps from the Google Play Market coming to the rescue, with Truecaller, SMS Blocker and Should I Answer leading the way.
These apps have huge crowdsourcing databases, and when a user receives a spam message, they tag it in the app, and that number instantly gets blacklisted by millions of other users, providing real-time protection against new types of fraud.
When you install an app like Truecaller, you need to give it permission to read SMS and manage calls. Without these permissions, the program will not be able to filter the incoming data stream. After setting up, it is recommended to turn on the “Silent Lock” mode so that the phone does not even vibrate when receiving spam.
It is important to keep privacy in mind when using third-party services. When you access your messages, you entrust the data to a third party, so choose only trusted applications with high ratings and transparent privacy policies.
⚠️ Note: Do not install questionable “antivirus” and “cleaners” from unknown developers, as they may themselves be a source of personal information collection and advertising.
Solving delivery and display problems
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where after setting up the lock no important messages, or, conversely, spam continues to arrive. This may be due to a conflict of settings or outdated filter databases. The first step should always be to check the updates of the Messages application and the system as a whole.
If the problem persists, try clearing the messaging app cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Messages and select Clear Cache. This action will not delete your emails, but will reset temporary files that may have caused a filter error.
In some cases, resetting filtering to factory values helps. In the Antispam menu, find the default settings recovery option. After that, re-activate the filters you need, especially after major MIUI updates, when the structure of system files can change.
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Regular updating of databases in filter applications and the MIUI system itself is the key to effective protection against new types of spam attacks.
If you use a carrier, check to see if you have a paid service called Antispam on the cell side, which often duplicates the phone’s functions but works at the network level, cutting off garbage before it even hits your smartphone.