Where Xiaomi hides locked numbers: system folders, cloud and secret MIUI settings

Did you suddenly find that an important call is not going to your Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5, even though the subscriber claims to be dialing correctly? or after resetting all the blocked contacts you've been collecting for years? The problem is that MIUI keeps a blacklist of numbers in a few hidden places - and not all of them are available through the phone's standard menu.

In this article, we will discuss 5 Locations where Xiaomi can save locked numbers: from obvious (the “Phone” app) to little-known (system files) /data/data/ You will learn how to export the list to another phone, restore it after a reset, and why some numbers are returned even after manual cleaning. MIUI blocking through Google services is critical for owners of devices with global and Chinese firmware.

Warning: Some methods require root rights or ADB. If you’ve never connected to a phone via a computer, start with the “Methods Without Technical Skills” section, which describes safe options through standard settings and the cloud.

1. Standard Place: Phone and Security app

The easiest way to see locked numbers is through built-in MIUI utilities. However, even here there are pitfalls: depending on the firmware version (for example, MIUI 14 vs HyperOS) and regional build (Global, China, EEA), the location of menu items may vary.

Open the Phone app (Trainer icon) and follow the steps:

1. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → select “Settings”.
2. Go to the “Number Block” section (or “Black List” in older versions).
3. This will show all the numbers that are locked through this app, and you can edit, delete or add new ones.

The second way is through the Security app (shield icon):

• 🔍 «Protection of confidentiality» → «Locking down calls».
• 📱 «Permit management» → «A challenge» → «Blocked numbers" (in some firmware).
• ⚙️ «Settings» → «System settings» → «Lockdown and protection».

⚠️ Note: If you are using duality SIM-maps, blacklist can be duplicated for each. check both tabs in lock settings!

2. Hidden MIUI folder: where the lock data is physically stored

All lock settings (like other system data) Xiaomi saves in a secure folder /data/data/. Access to it is possible only with root rights or through ADB (without root rights you will see only a part of the files).

The path to the blacklist file:

/data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db

It is in this database (SQLite) that the table is stored. blocked_numbers, where all the blocked numbers are listed:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and open ADB Shell (instruction below).
2. Execute the command: adb shell su sqlite3 /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db "SELECT * FROM blocked_numbers;"
3. If the team makes a mistake, try an alternative path: sqlite3 /data/user_de/0/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db "SELECT * FROM blocked_numbers;"

🔹 What to do if there is no root? You can try backup through ADB Backup:

adb backup -f backup.ab -apk -obb -shared -all -system

The resulting backup.ab file will contain an archive of the Contacts app data that can be unpacked using Android Backup Extractor.

3.Mi Cloud: Synchronization and Recovery

If your Xiaomi has Mi Cloud sync enabled, locked numbers can be automatically backed up in the cloud, which is useful if you dropped your phone or switched to a new device.

• 🔄 Blacklist synchronization is not always enabled by default – it must be manually activated.
• ⚠️ When recovering from the cloud, old locks can overwrite new ones if backup dates conflict.
• 🌍 On Chinese firmware (MIUI China Mi Cloud may not work without VPN.

How to check and restore cloud blockages:

1. Open “Settings” → “Xiaomi Account” → “Mi Cloud” →
2. Make sure that the synchronization of “Contacts” and “Phone Settings” is enabled.
3. Go to Data Recovery and select the latest backup.

⚠️ Note: If you deleted your Mi Account before resetting, all data from the cloud (including locks) will be lost irretrievably!

4.Google Contacts: An Alternative Way to Block

Many users are unaware that Xiaomi supports dual locking, MIUI and Google. If you blocked a number through Google Contacts (e.g., contacts.google.com), it may not appear on the standard MIUI blacklist, but it will still be blocked.

How to check Google’s blocking:

1. Open your browser and go to contacts.google.com.
2. On the left menu, select “More” → “Settings” → “Blocked numbers”.
3. This displays all numbers blocked through Google services (including Google Messages and Google Phone).

🔹 How it works for Xiaomi?

• If you use Google Phone (Google’s Phone app), locks are synced automatically.
• If you have a standard MIUI Dialer app, Google locks won’t show up in its settings, but will act at the system level.
• To remove the block, you need to do this in MIUI and Google, otherwise the number may remain blocked.

💡

If you want to transfer locked numbers from one Xiaomi phone to another, export them through Google Contacts: “More” → “Export” → “Selected contacts” → “Blocked.” The resulting.vcf file can be imported to the new device.

5 Third-party applications: Call Blocker, Truecaller and others

If you have installed spam blocking applications (e.g. Truecaller, Call Blocker, Hiya), their blacklists are kept separate from the system ones, which means that:

• 📱 Numbers blocked through Truecaller will not appear in the settings MIUI.
• 🔄 When you delete the application, its locks will disappear forever.
• 🔒 Some applications (like Call Blocker) encrypt their databases and cannot be extracted from them without root.

How to find blocking of third-party applications:

1. Open the application that blocked the numbers (for example, Truecaller).
2. Go to the “Block” or “Spam” section.
3. Export the list if such a function is provided (in Truecaller: “Settings” → “Data Export”).

⚠️ Note: Apps like Truecaller can add numbers to the lock themselves based on community messages. If you notice that some contacts are blocked without your knowledge, check the automatic lock settings in these apps.

Open all installed applications to block calls | Check the "Blacklist" or "Spam" sections | Export lists if possible | Remove duplicate locks (for example, if the number is blocked in both MIUI and Truecaller) | Turn off automatic lock in application settings-->

6. Restoration of locks after resetting or firmware

If you’ve done a hard reset or reflashed your phone, locked numbers can be restored in a number of ways – depending on what backups you have.

Recovery methods:

• 🔄 From Mi Cloud: If sync is enabled, locks will be restored automatically when you sign in to your Xiaomi account.
• 📱 From Google Contacts: If the blockings were made via Google Phone, they will recover when you sync your Google account.
• 💾 From local backup: if you did backup through ADB or Mi PC Suite, you can extract the file contacts2.db (instruction).
• 🔧 Titanium Backup (root): If you had root, this app could save your contact information».

If nothing's worked,

Unfortunately, without backups, you can't restore the locks, but you can prevent future loss of:

1. Enable synchronization of Mi Cloud and Google Contacts.
2. Export your contacts (including blocked contacts) to the.vcf file.
3. Use backup apps (e.g. Swift Backup for root devices).

💡

The most reliable way to save locks is to enable sync with both Mi Cloud and Google Contacts, which duplicates data in two independent clouds, minimizing the risk of loss.

FAQ: Frequent questions about locking numbers on Xiaomi