How to turn off mobile communication, but leave the Internet on the smartphone Xiaomi

Modern Xiaomi smartphones offer users flexible tools for managing communications, allowing you to fine-tune the work SIM-Often, there is a situation where you need to maintain access to the mobile Internet for messengers or navigation, but completely eliminate the possibility of incoming and outgoing voice calls. SIM-card, children's phones or during periods when you need to focus on work without distracting your calls.

MIUI and its new version of HyperOS have several levels of limitations, you can choose to soften your lock through network switching or apply tight restrictions through operator settings, and understanding the difference between these methods will help you avoid unexpected costs or missed important notifications that can still come through Internet channels.

In this guide, we will look at all the ways to deactivate voice communications, and we will look at both the standard system features and the less obvious settings that allow you to keep data transmission active.

Using network modes to block calls

The easiest and most efficient way to disable voice while keeping the Internet open is to change the preferred network type. Voice calls on most modern networks require support for 2G or 3G (or VoLTE) standards, while only high-speed protocols are sufficient to activate data.

Go to your device's settings Settings → SIM-Maps and mobile networks. Choose the right one. SIM-If you have two, find the network type or preferred network type. In the list that opens, you have to choose the one that only contains the network type. LTE or 5G, nameless GSM or WCDMA, If this option is available in your version of the firmware.

⚠️ Note: When selecting the "Only" mode LTE" or "Only." 4G" SMS messages may stop arriving in some regions, as they are often transmitted through channels. 2G/3G. Make sure your operator supports SMS transmission through LTE (SMS over IMS).

If the standard menu does not have LTE-only options, you can use the hidden engineering menu. Open the phone app and type ##4636##. From the menu that appears, select Phone Information. Find the drop-down list "Install preferred network type."

• 📶 Select a mode. LTE Only - this is forced to switch the modem to work only with 4G, This usually blocks voice calls if VoLTE is not enabled.
• 📶 For devices with 5G choose NR Only or NR/LTE, This will also limit the ability to communicate with the operator depending on the coverage.
• 📶 Avoid marked regimes GSM or WCDMA, If your goal is to block calls completely.

Once you have set up the settings, try a test call, and if the connection is not working and the web pages are loading, then the task is done, but remember that this method depends on the operator's support for VoLTE. If the voice is transmitted over LTE, the calls can continue.

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Before changing the settings in the engineering menu, take a screenshot of the current settings to be able to quickly return everything back in case of signal problems.

Setting up APN access points to limit traffic

A more advanced method is editing APN access points. While this doesn't disable the voice channel at the radio level, the right setup allows you to redirect all traffic exclusively to Internet services, ignoring the operator's voice gateways, a method often used to set up tablets or IoT devices.

To start, go to the Settings menu. → SIM-maps and mobile networks. Choose yours. SIM-Map and find the access point (APN). Click on your operator's existing access point or create a new one by copying the parameters from the current one. APN and Protocol APN.

In the field, "Typical." APN" (APN Type) default is usually given as default,supl,mms. For maximum isolation of Internet traffic, you can try to change this value, although modern operators often ignore manual changes to this parameter on the client side.

Once you save a new access point, be sure to activate it by ticking the box or radio button, then it is recommended to reboot the device to apply changes at the network settings level. If the Internet works and calls do not pass (or vice versa), experiment with proxy and port fields, although this is rarely required for simple tariffs.

Blocking all incoming and outgoing calls

If changing the network mode seems too radical or unstable, you can use the call blocking feature. In Xiaomi smartphones, this feature is built into the standard application "Security" or "Phone", which allows you to leave the Internet completely intact, but physically deny the connection over the voice channel.

Open the Security app (green zipper icon) and scroll down to Lock. Here you will find settings for blacklist and lock unknown numbers. However, we need to set Lock settings or Prohibit Calls.

In the lock settings menu, find the option to block incoming or reject all calls. Activating this switch will cause all incoming calls to be reset automatically, and the caller will hear the signal "busy" or "subscriber is unavailable." To block outbounds, you may need a code from the operator or set a restriction through the Settings menu. → SIM-map → Limiting calls.

⚠️ Attention: Blocking through the phone's software settings does not guarantee that the caller will not be able to leave a voice message if such a service is connected to the operator. Also, emergency calls (112, 101, 102) often bypass software locks.

The good thing about this method is that it's one-click reversible, you can quickly turn on Do Not Disturb mode for calls during a meeting, and just as quickly turn it off, and the Internet connection is running normally, consuming traffic from your main package.

• 🛡️ Use the Blacklist to selectively block unwanted contacts, leaving the rest of the communication available.
• 🛡️ The function of "Antispam" in MIUI can automatically reject calls from marked numbers, reducing the load.
• 🛡️ Do Not Disturb mode allows you to set a schedule when calls are blocked, but the internet works.

Using flight mode with Wi-Fi enabled

There is an alternative scenario where the user needs to turn off the operator’s mobile network, leaving only Wi-Fi. Although the question was about mobile Internet, it is worth mentioning this option, since it completely excludes any interaction with cell towers, including voice and mobile data.

Activate Flight Mode through the notification curtain or in the Settings menu → Connections and sharing → Flight mode. In this state, all radios are turned off. Then manually turn on Wi-Fi. SIM-The card will not be physically possible because the radio module is disabled.

If you do need mobile internet but don't need voice, it won't work in its purest form, but by combining flight mode with only mobile data (if your version of MIUI allows you to include mobile data separately from voice in flight mode, which is rare), you can do it.

It is important to understand that in flight mode, standard voice calls are impossible, but calls are available through Internet applications: Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram, if Wi-Fi is connected. This creates a “digital detox” effect from telephony, leaving the possibility of text communication.

Specifics of working with two SIM-cards

Xiaomi owners often use two devices. SIM-This opens up additional possibilities for separating traffic and voice, so you can configure your device so that one card works only for the Internet, and the other card is completely disabled or used only for rare calls.

Settings menu → SIM-Each card can be independently managed by the card and mobile networks, and for a card that should only provide Internet, you can turn off voice communication (if the operator allows), or simply not specify it as the default voice call card.

Prioritize data transfer to the desired SIM-In Mobile Internet, select a card with unlimited rates. In Voice Calls, select a different card or the same card with locks installed. If you don't need to use the second card at all, you can simply turn it off with a slider on the same menu, which saves battery power.

When using two cards, it is important to monitor traffic flow. If you have disabled voice on one card but left mobile internet, the system may try to use it for data unless a strict priority is set. Check the settings in the Data Use section to make sure the limits are set correctly.

⚠️ Note: When one of the SIM-Missed call notification cards and text messages will stop coming from them. Make sure that this card does not have two-factor authorization on important services.

Problem Solving and Diagnostics

After making changes to network settings, users may find themselves in a situation where the Internet stops working or, conversely, calls continue to pass, often due to network caching or the peculiarities of the operator’s work in a particular location.

If the Internet is gone after switching to LTE Only mode, try resetting your network settings. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth. Press Reset. This will return network settings to factory values, and you will have to re-enter Wi-Fi passwords, but the network stack will be cleared of errors.

Another common problem is that there's no 4G signal in the room, in which case the phone might try to switch to 3G for voice, which would disrupt your Internet-only configuration. To prevent this, you can use network fixing apps, but they require root rights, which is not recommended for ordinary users.

• 🔄 Reset your network settings if the changes do not take effect immediately.
• 🔄 Check the balance. SIM-card, as some operators block the Internet at zero balance, even if the voice is blocked.
• 🔄 Make sure that the map does not exhaust the traffic packet, otherwise the speed will be cut to a minimum.

In some cases, the problem is not the phone, but the carrier profile. Contact your mobile operator to see if they block Internet access when voice services are disabled. Some plans require an active voice option to run the Internet.

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The most stable result is given by the combination: Network mode "LTE Only" + manual lock of incoming applications "Security".