Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often notice a system component called the Handbook or Yellow Pages on their installed list. Many users rightly wonder what the program is, why it is needed, and whether it is a hidden spy module that collects personal data, a standard system service built into the shell of MIUI or HyperOS, which is designed to expand the functionality of the phone book and calls.
The main purpose of this application is to automatically identify the numbers of organizations, delivery services, taxis and banking services that are not in your personal notebook. Xiaomi actively uses cloud databases to identify incoming calls, which allows the user to immediately see who is calling, even if the number is not saved, this is especially true in the era of mass spam and fraudulent calls.
While useful, the app often raises questions because of its opaque name and constant access to contacts and call history. In this article, we will discuss in detail the functionality of the service, the need for it to be in the system, and how to debug in case of errors, you will learn whether to remove this component and how to make it work correctly if it stopped identifying numbers.
Main purpose of the system component
The Handbook app (often referred to in system processes as com.android.phone or related MIUI services) is a database integrated with the call interface. When an incoming call arrives on your phone, the system sends a request to the server to verify the number. If the number belongs to a well-known organization, it displays not just a set of numbers, but the company name, such as Sberbank or Yandex Food.
In addition to identification, the service is responsible for filtering unwanted calls, and works in conjunction with the Security antivirus module, providing up-to-date lists of scammers' and telemarketers' phones. Without this component, the Antispam function would work less efficiently, relying only on a local database, which is updated much less often.
⚠️ Note: The application has deep system privileges, and attempting to force it to stop through standard settings can lead to a temporary disappearance of the call history or the inability to make a call.
It's important to understand that Handbook is not a standalone program in the conventional sense that you can just run and use as a notebook, it's a background service that activates when you call or find a contact, and it uses an Internet connection to reconcile data, so it needs access to the network to work properly.
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The application "Directory" is a system module for determining the numbers of unknown subscribers and protection against spam, working in the background.
Key functions and capabilities of the service
The app’s functionality goes beyond just identifying a number, and in modern versions of Xiaomi shells, it can sort calls by category, labeling them as Delivery, Taxi, Finance, or Advertising, allowing users to quickly assess the importance of an incoming call without answering it blindly.
One of the important features is the ability to block by category, you can configure the system to automatically drop calls from courier services at night or block all numbers marked by other users as “Fraudsters”, these settings are set up through the security menu.
To activate or check settings, you need to follow the path: Security → Antivirus → Settings (cogs) → Call filter. Here you can see what databases are used and how often they are updated. Also in this section, you can configure the “White List” of numbers from which calls will never be blocked.
Another hidden feature is sync with local yellow pages in some regions, so if you're looking for an organization's contact, the app can offer options from its database, even if you haven't entered the full number, which speeds up dialing taxi or pizza service numbers.
Technical aspects of work and authorization
Technically, the Handbook requires a wide range of permissions to operate, primarily through access to Contacts and Call Log, and without these rights, the app will not be able to match the incoming number to the records it has or save its definition history.
The second critical resource is Internet access. As mentioned, the database of organizations is stored in the cloud. Every call from an unknown number, a short-term request to the server occurs. If access to the network is prohibited in the application settings, the service will only work with a local cache, which quickly becomes obsolete.
For users interested in technical details, it is useful to know that the application uses the following system processes:
- 📞 Telephony Manager: To intercept incoming call before picking up the tube.
- 📡 Network State: Check for an active Wi-Fi connection or mobile data.
- 💾 Storage: To save a local copy of the database of spam numbers and cache definitions.
- 🔔 Notifications: To output notifications about blocked calls.
In some cases, third-party antivirus programs may flag Handbook activity as suspicious due to frequent contact contact, but for system applications, MIUI is a standard behavior, and adding the process to exceptions is the right solution.
Why does the app consume the battery?
Can I delete and how to disable the application?
The issue of deleting the Handbook is especially acute for those who are concerned about privacy or want to vacate space. ADB (Android Debug Bridge may lead to unstable operation of the communication module.
If you don't use the numbering feature and prefer to decide who calls you, you can turn it off, and this will hide it from the list of active processes and prevent access to data, but will not delete files from the device. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Directory.
In the menu that opens, select "Disable" or "Stop" and then the system will stop checking numbers with the cloud base, but you should consider the consequences: you will stop seeing the names of organizations when incoming calls, and the effectiveness of the built-in anti-spam will decrease.
⚠️ Note: Complete removal of system components through ADB The pm uninstall command without proper qualification can lead to a “bootloop” (cyclic reboot) of a smartphone.
The alternative to shutting down completely is to ban internet access for this application. In the traffic management menu (Settings → Applications → Directory → Data Use), you can uncheck the box on "Wi-Fi" and "Mobile Internet", in which case the application will work only with a local database, without sending data to servers.
Set-up and optimization of work
To make the Handbook work as efficiently as possible and not annoying with unnecessary notifications, it needs to be configured correctly. First of all, you need to update the databases. Go to the Security app, find the Antispam section and click on the database update button. This will take a few seconds, but will ensure the information is up to date.
Next, you have to configure the lock categories, and if you get a lot of calls from couriers but you don't want to block them completely, you can set up a quiet mode for that category, and vice versa, financial institution numbers are often blocked completely to avoid intrusive loan offers.
Comparison of service modes:
| Parameter | Active regime | Restricted access regime | Total shutdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Definition of numbers | Full (online + offline) | Only local. | Absent. |
| Blocking spam | Automatic. | Only on the blacklist. | It's not working. |
| Traffic consumption | Minimum | Absent. | Absent. |
| Confidentiality | Numbers are checked with the server | Data locally | Maximum |
☑️ Checklist of setting up the directory
It's also recommended that you periodically check the Blacklist and the Whitelist manually, and sometimes the automation gets wrong and the important number gets locked, or vice versa, the spam number slips through the filters, manual adjustment helps train the algorithms.
Solving problems and errors
Xiaomi users may experience a situation where the Handbook stops identifying numbers or starts to work incorrectly. A common cause is an overcrowded app cache. → Annexes → Handbook. → Memory and click Clear Cache. Don't confuse it with the Clear All button, which will reset your settings.
Another common problem is conflict with third-party call apps (like Truecaller or GetContact), where if you have multiple number determiners installed, they may conflict over the right to handle incoming calls, in which case it is recommended to leave only one active service.
If the problem persists after cleaning the cache, try resetting the app settings:
Settings → Applications → Directory → Clear all (Data)This operation will return the application to the “out of the box” state, after which you will need to re-allow access to contacts and phone.
⚠️ Note: The app’s data reset won’t delete your personal contacts, but can clear definition history and custom call filtering settings.
In rare cases, the error may be due to the incorrect operation of the system application "Phone" (callers). Try to update the application "Phone" through the store GetApps or Google Play, as "Directory" is closely related to its functionality.
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If the MIUI update stopped working, check the autostart rights. In newer versions of the shell, energy saving can aggressively unload background processes, preventing the number from being determined until the screen lights up.
Impact on productivity and safety
Many users mistakenly believe that the Handbook slows down a smartphone, a lightweight app that consumes minimal RAM in the background, and its impact on overall performance of a MIUI or HyperOS system is negligible.
The issue of data security remains a controversial one: since the app sends incoming call numbers to servers for verification, this information can theoretically be analyzed. However, Xiaomi claims to comply with privacy and data anonymization policies. For paranoids, the best solution would be to use the “local database only” mode or third-party offline detectors.
However, having a current Handbook improves the overall digital hygiene of the user by cutting off a significant portion of fraudulent calls that could result in financial loss.In this context, the benefits of the app outweigh the potential risks of leaking metadata about calls.
Regularly updating databases through official Xiaomi channels ensures that you get verified information, not data uploaded by unknown users, as is the case with crowdsourcing projects.