Where to find a blacklist of contacts on Xiaomi: hidden settings MIUI

Are you accidentally blocking an important number or want to check who is blacklisted on your Xiaomi? Unlike standard Android devices, MIUI-enclosed smartphones hide this feature in non-obvious menu sections. Even power users sometimes spend hours searching - especially if it comes to older firmware versions or models like the Redmi Note 8 Pro and POCO X3, where the interface is different from the flagship Xiaomi 13.

In this article, we’ll break down all the ways to access the blacklist on Xiaomi devices, including hidden methods through the engineering menu and file system. You'll learn how to export locked numbers, restore them after resetting, and even bypass locking if the phone was transferred to another person. ADB.

1. Standard method: through phone settings

The easiest way is to use the built-in MIUI tools. However, the location of the menu item depends on the firmware version. On new devices (for example, Xiaomi 14 or Redmi Note 12), the algorithm is one, and on older ones (like Mi 9 or POCO F1) - another.

For the current versions of MIUI 14/15:

1. Open the phone application (pipe icon).
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → select Settings.
3. Go to the section "Block numbers" or "Black list".
4. This will show all the locked contacts. To unlock the number, swipe it left or click on the basket icon.

For MIUI 12 and older:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Phone. → Number locking.
• 🔍 If there is no item, try the path: Settings → System and device → Additionally. → Locking down calls.
• 📋 On some models (e.g. Redmi) 9A) Blacklist hidden in contact → Settings → Lockdown.

Attention, on dual-devices. SIM-The blacklist can be duplicated for each SIM separately. Check both tabs in the lock menu.

2. Alternative method: through the “Contacts” app

If the standard way didn’t work, try looking for a blacklist through the Contacts app, which is relevant for MIUI 10–13 firmware, where the phone and contacts interface was more integrated.

Instructions:

1. Open Contact.
2. Click on the three horizontal lines (menu) in the upper left corner.
3. Select Settings → Lock numbers.
4. A list of blocked contacts with editing capability will open before you.

On some models (e.g., the POCO M3), the path might look like: Contacts → Control → Blacklist. If this option didn’t work, move on to the next section, where we’ll look at the hidden ways.

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If you don’t see “Block” in your contact settings, try updating the Contacts and Phone app via Google Play. Sometimes, after an update, hidden features become available.

3. Hidden methods: engineering menu and file system

When standard methods fail, technical tools come to the rescue, and this section is for advanced users, because it requires access to system files or an engineering menu.

Method 1: Through the Engineering Menu (code ##4636##)

Enter the combination in the phone application:

##4636##

After that:

1. Select Phone Information (or Phone Information).
2. Scroll down to the Call Blocking or Call Blocking section.
3. Locked numbers can be displayed here, but not on all models.

Method 2: Using the blacklist.db file (root required)

If you have root rights, you can manually find a database with a blacklist:

• 📁 Cross the path: /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/.
• 🔎 Find the file blacklist.db.
• 📱 Open it with an SQLite application (e.g. SQLite Editor).

Attention! Editing system files without backup can result in the loss of all contacts.

4. ADB-Teams for Advanced Users

If you're familiar with ADB (Android Debug Bridge), you can extract a blacklist without root rights.This method works on most Xiaomi devices, including Redmi and POCO.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging in the developer settings.
2. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb shell content query --uri content://call_log/blacklist

If the team doesn’t work, try an alternative:

adb shell content query --uri content://com.android.contacts/blacklist

The result will display a list of blocked numbers in the format:

Row: 0 number=+79123456789, _id=1




Row: 1 number=+79876543210, _id=2

To unlock the number through ADB, use:

adb shell content delete --uri content://com.android.contacts/blacklist --where "_id=1"

(Replace id=1 with the desired identifier from the list).

Install Xiaomi drivers on PC

Enable debugging over USB in the phone settings

Download the ADB platform from Google’s official website

Connect your phone to USB (file transfer mode)

Check the connection with the team `adb devices`-->

5. Restore the blacklist after resetting settings

If you have done a hard reset, the blacklist is usually cleared, but it can be restored if a backup was created before the reset.

Recovery options:

Important! If there is no backup, you can't restore the blacklist, it's stored in a local database, which is erased when you dump it.

6.How to bypass the lock on someone else's Xiaomi phone

Situation: You were given a Xiaomi phone (like a Redmi A2 or POCO M5), but the previous owner blocked important numbers.

Ways of circumvention:

• 🔄 Resetting: Completely removes the locks, but also erases all data (photos, messages, etc.).
• 🔧 ADB: If debugging is on USB previously enabled, you can connect and delete entries from the blacklist (see section 4).
• 📞 Call from another number: Ask the blocked contact to call you from another phone to find out the number.
• 📧 Contact Export: If the phone is synced to Mi Cloud, you can try extracting the list via the web version (mi.com).

⚠️ Attention! Bypassing locks on someone else's phone may violate privacy law.Make sure you have the owner's permission or good reason (e.g., the phone is inherited).

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Xiaomi users often encounter common blacklist errors, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

Problem 1: The blacklist does not save numbers after the reboot.

Solution: Update your firmware to the latest version or clear the phone app cache (Settings → Apps → Phone → Storage → Clear cache).

Problem 2: The numbers are blocked, but the calls still pass.

Solution: Check if third-party blocking apps (like Truecaller) are installed.

Problem 3: You can’t add a number to the blacklist.

Solution: Make sure the number is kept in an international format (e.g. +79123456789, not 89123456789).

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If the blacklist is unstable, first try to turn off the energy-saving mode for the Phone application - it can interrupt the background locking processes.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions