Modern smartphones running the MIUI shell are often the target of intrusive advertising messages from banks, telecom operators and marketing agencies. Users are faced with a situation where notifications from unknown numbers fill the lock screen, preventing normal use of the device.
The problem is that many services use short numbers or masking as official bank notifications to bypass basic filters, which creates the illusion of the importance of the message, forcing the user to open spam. Owners of Redmi and Poco devices should know that built-in security tools can effectively combat this without installing third-party software.
In this article, we will discuss all the available ways to isolate unwanted content. We will look at the standard functionality of the Antivirus, fine-tuning the blacklist and specific parameters of filtering messages. Competent configuration of these sections will allow you to forget about advertising noise forever and focus on important notifications.
Using Built-in Antivirus for Filtering
The first and most effective tool in the user’s arsenal is the pre-installed Security app, which contains a powerful module that works at the system level, intercepting incoming messages before they reach the standard Messages app.
To get started, you need to open the Security app and find the block section, and here the system offers flexible settings to determine which types of messages will be ignited, and the algorithms analyze the content and the sender, comparing them to spam databases.
- 🔍 Turn on the filter switch SMS» Activation of basic protection against mass mailings.
- 🚫 Activate the Keyword Filter option to block posts that contain words like “credit,” “winning,” or “promotion».
- 📱 Set up an exception for contacts from the phone book so that messages from friends are never blocked.
Importantly, turning on all filters can cause some useful notifications (such as confirmation codes from rare services) to be quarantined, so after initial setup, it is recommended to periodically check the folder of blocked messages to make sure that the necessary information is not lost.
Setting up a blacklist in the Messages app
If automatic filters allow spam from specific numbers, you should use a manual method of blocking through the Messages app, which is ideal for situations where you are attacked by the same source or group of numbers with a similar format.
To access the settings, open a dialog with an unwanted sender or go to the settings menu of the application itself. In the MIUI interface, the path to these options may vary slightly depending on the shell version, but the logic remains the same. You will need to find the section responsible for blocking contacts.
Once you log into the blacklist menu, you'll see a list of already blocked contacts, where you can add a new number manually or select it from your incoming history, and the system will automatically put the recipient on the ignored list, and you will not receive any notifications from them.
- 📞 Click on three dots in the corner of the screen to log in to the “Settings” of the “Messages” app».
- 📜 Select “Blocked” or “Black List».
- ➕ Press the add button and enter a number or select a contact for complete isolation.
A unique feature of Xiaomi’s shell is the ability to block messages by mask, which means that you can block not one particular number, but a whole group, for example, all numbers that start with a certain combination of numbers, which is often used by scammers.
☑️ Checking the blacklist settings
Blocking messages from unknown numbers
One of the most annoying problems is spam from unknown numbers that change all the time, and in such cases, manual locking of each number is ineffective, and the solution lies in the Unknown Number Filter feature, which is available in advanced system settings.
This feature allows you to divide the flow of messages into two categories: from contacts in your phone book and from everyone else. By activating a strict mode, you can make sure that messages from numbers that are not in your contacts do not emit any sound or appear in the list of dialogues, but immediately go to the archive.
⚠️ Warning: Enabling hard filtering of unknown numbers may result in missing important messages from delivery services, couriers or emergency services that call from different numbers.
To set this setting, go to lock settings and find the option “Block Messages from Unknowns.” Here you can choose the level of severity: block only hidden numbers or all that are not in contacts. This is a powerful tool for those who rarely receive SMS from strangers.
Also worth mentioning is the Smart Filter feature, which uses cloud databases to identify spam, which if you are in a region where the feature is supported, can automatically flag messages as spam based on complaints from other users.
| Type of filtration | What's blocking | Risk of missing important SMS |
|---|---|---|
| Blacklist | Specific numbers | Low. |
| Keyword filtering | Advertising messages | Medium. |
| Blocking of unknowns | All numbers offline | High-pitched |
| Smart filter | Famous spam on the database | Low. |
Working with Keywords and Templates
The most flexible tool to combat emails is keyword filtering. Advertising messages often contain template phrases such as "Your credit is approved," "Urgent Replenishment," or the names of specific bookmakers.
You can create your own list of stop words, and once the system detects one of these words in the body of the incoming message, it automatically moves it to the spam folder, and this works even if the sender number changes every time.
How to make the right stop words?
To add a keyword, go to the antivirus or message blocker settings and select Keyword Filter. You can add new lines here. You should use both Russian and English spelling options if the newsletters come in different languages.
Don’t overuse this method and add too many generic words, as it can blind your phone to important notifications from services that use similar vocabulary in their automated reports.
- 💬 Add the words “promotion”, “discount”, “drain” to block marketing.
- 💰 Use the terms “bet”, “bet”, “casino” for gaming spam.
- 🏦 Enter the names of banks whose cards you do not use to cut off their offers.
Specificity of blocking on different versions of MIUI
The interface and location of the settings can vary significantly depending on the version of MIUI (e.g. 12, 13, 14) and the type of device (Xiaomi, Redmi, Poco).In new versions of the shell, the company is actively implementing elements of Google Messages as a standard application, which changes the logic of working with spam.
If you have a global firmware version with a Google app installed, the lock settings may not be in Security, but directly inside the Messages app, clicking on your profile avatar and selecting Spam and Fraud Protection.
Older versions of the shell or Chinese firmware (CN ROM) focus on the built-in MIUI engine. Here, settings are more deeply integrated into the system and can overlap with standard Android features. Users of older versions are encouraged to update the Security component through the GetApps store for current spam databases.
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If you can't find your lock settings, search the phone's settings. Type in the word "spam" or "lock" and the system will show you the menu item you want.
The differences also concern the ability to sync the blacklist with the cloud, which may not be available without a Mi Account login on some devices, while it works locally on others, and understanding these nuances will help you find the right switch faster.
Alternative solutions and third-party applications
In cases where regular funds are insufficient, users can turn to third-party solutions, but be careful: installing applications with SMS access rights requires a high level of trust in the developer.
A popular and proven solution is Truecaller or Should I Answer, which has huge databases of numbers labeled spam by users, and can automatically drop calls and hide messages from those numbers.
⚠️ Note: When installing third-party blockers, you give the app access to all your messages and contacts. carefully study the privacy policy, as some services may use this data for their own purposes.
Another option is specialized SMS managers, who completely replace the standard application, and offer more advanced filtering rules, including regular expressions, but can consume more battery resources.
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In 90% of cases, MIUI is sufficient to protect against spam, and third-party applications should only be used in exceptional situations where standard filters cannot cope with a specific type of attack.