Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where only a call notification is displayed on the screen when calling WhatsApp, but you can not see the name or number of the subscriber. The problem can manifest itself with individual contacts, and with all calls in a row, and this seriously complicates communication. Most often the error is associated with privacy settings, system permission conflicts or features of the MIUI shell, which aggressively optimizes background processes.
In this article, we will discuss 7 main reasons why WhatsApp on Xiaomi does not show who is calling, from banal errors in settings to hidden firmware bugs. You will get step-by-step instructions for each situation, as well as tips for preventing problems, POCO X5 Xiaomi 13, where the bug is most common in 2026.
Before you go to drastic measures (such as reinstalling an app or resetting settings), check the simple things: WhatsApp permissions, notification settings, and MIUI system services. 80% of the time, the problem is solved in 2-3 minutes without losing data.
If standard methods don’t work, we’ll look at advanced ways, from cleaning the cache of system applications to manually configuring Android System Intelligence, which handles notifications. On Xiaomi models with MIUI 14 and later, the problem is often associated with automatically limiting the background activity of messengers through the “Battery and Performance” function.
1. Check the basic WhatsApp settings
Start with the obvious: WhatsApp may have disabled the display of caller names, a setting that can get lost after updating the app or resetting the cache.
Open WhatsApp, go to WhatsApp. ⋮ → Settings → Notifications. Scroll down to the "Calls" section and make sure the following settings are enabled:
- 🔔 Show notifications about calls – the slider must be active.
- 📞 Caller Name – Select Always or Contact Only".
- 📱 Sound and vibration – check that no sound mode is worth".
If everything is fine here, but the problem remains, move on to the next step. Note that on some MIUI firmware, these settings may be reset after restarting the phone, in which case cleaning the app cache (more on this below) will help.
It’s also worth checking if a contact that doesn’t show up to call is added to WhatsApp’s Blacklist. Go to Settings → Privacy → Blocked and delete the number from there if it’s there.
2. WhatsApp Permits in MIUI
MIUI is known for its aggressive permission management, especially when apps are running. If WhatsApp doesn't see contacts or display names of callers, it probably doesn't have access to Contacts or Phone.
To check the permits:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Find WhatsApp in the list and select “Permissions”.
- Make sure it's on: 📇 Contacts (access to the contact list). 📞 Telephone (status reading and call management). 🔔 Notifications (displaying pop-up windows).
If permissions are already enabled but the problem remains, try disabling and turning them back on — sometimes this resets system restrictions. Also check if the AutoRun section (ibid., in the app settings) prohibits WhatsApp from running in the background.
⚠️ Attention: MIUI 14+ There's a hidden Battery Optimization setting that can block notifications. To turn it off, go to Settings. → Battery → Select applications and set WhatsApp mode "No restrictions".
3. Conflict with MIUI system applications
On Xiaomi smartphones, two system services are responsible for processing notifications:
- com.miui.systemAdSolution manages pop-up windows.
- Android System Intelligence analyzes the importance of notifications.
If they don’t work properly, WhatsApp may show calls without a subscriber’s name or not display notifications at all.
To reset their settings:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → All applications.
- Find System Settings and select "Storage" → "Clear Cache".
- Do the same for Android System Intelligence and MIUI System Ad Solution.
Once the cache is cleared, restart your phone, and if there was a conflict between system services, WhatsApp calls will start to show correctly.
What to do if you don’t find Android System Intelligence in the app list?
Another possible culprit is Security, which can block notifications if it thinks they are "suspicious." → Notifications → WhatsApp and make sure there are no restrictions.
4. WhatsApp cache and data errors
If previous methods failed, the problem may lie in the damaged data of the application, in which case it will help to clear the cache and reset WhatsApp settings without removing chats.
Instructions:
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management → WhatsApp.
- Select "Storage" → "Clear the cache".
- Then click “Delete data” (this will reset the settings, but will not delete the correspondence).
- Reboot your phone and reset WhatsApp (permissions, notifications, etc.).
Here's what we can do:
- Update MIUI to the latest stable version. Check for updates in Settings → About Phone → System Update.
- If there are no updates, try to roll back to the previous version using the Mi Flash Tool (for power users only!).
- On custom firmware (Xiaomi.eu, PixelExperience), install the DisableMIUIOptimization patch via Magisk.
| MIUI version | The problem with WhatsApp | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| MIUI 14.0.5–14.0.8 | Does not show names in call notifications | Update to 14.0.9+ or clear the Android System Intelligence cache |
| MIUI 13 (Global) | Calls are displayed as "Unknown" | Turn off Battery Optimization for WhatsApp |
| MIUI 12.5 (Xiaomi.eu) | No notifications of calls at all. | Install the DisableMIUIOptimization patch |
If you're using MIUI beta, you'd better upgrade to a stable branch. Beta firmware often has notification bugs that only patch a few updates.
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Before rolling back the firmware, make a full backup via Mi PC Suite or TWRP. This will save your data even if something goes wrong.
6. Conflict with other messengers
On Xiaomi, there are sometimes conflicts between WhatsApp and other instant messengers (such as Telegram, Viber or the standard Messages), which is due to the fact that MIUI limits the number of active notifications from the same type of application.
To test this hypothesis:
- Close all messengers through "Recent Apps" (swipe up).
- Turn off notifications for other chats in Settings → Notifications.
- Restart your phone and check if the names appear on WhatsApp.
If the problem has gone away, it's the notification conflict.
- 🔕 Disable notifications for unnecessary messengers.
- 📵 Add WhatsApp to the battery settings exceptions (No restrictions).
- 🔄 Use "Distractless Mode" for other applications.
On some models (such as the POCO X5 Pro), it helps to disable the Smart Assistant feature in notification settings, which tries to group alerts, but often breaks their display.
7. Radical methods: reset and reinstallation
If none of these things work, radical measures remain, guaranteed to solve the problem, but take longer and can lead to data loss.
Method 1: Reinstall WhatsApp
- Make a backup of the chats (see above).
- Remove WhatsApp via Settings → Apps.
- Install the app again from the Play Market or official website.
- Restore the backup chats.
Method 2: Reset your phone settings (last chance)
- Make a full backup of your data via Mi Cloud or Google Account.
- Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
- Select Reset All Settings (does not delete files, but resets system settings).
- After the reboot, set up WhatsApp again.
⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi with a blocked bootloader, resetting your settings may result in a Mi Account entry requirement.Make sure you remember your username and password!
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If the problem has occurred after the MIUI update, try to first roll back to the previous firmware version – this often helps to avoid drastic measures.