How to disable call retention on Xiaomi phone

Call retention is one of the standard options in modern mobile networks that allows you to pause your interlocutor during a conversation. However, on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones, users sometimes encounter a situation where this option is turned on accidentally or interferes with normal communication. Involuntary clicking the “Contain” button can interrupt the dialogue at the most inopportune moment, which causes irritation and misunderstanding on the part of the interlocutor.

In the operating system MIUI, which underlies the interface of these devices, the call settings can be hidden in the depth of the menu or depend on the settings SIM-Often the problem is not a software failure, but an activated network service of the operator, which is duplicated by the system settings of the phone. Understanding where to look for switches and how to interact with status query codes will help you have complete control over the communication process.

In this article, we will take a look at all the methods available to deactivate retention, from standard settings menus to the use of engineering codes. You will learn to distinguish between Android software settings and network services, and learn what to do if the slider on the menu is inactive.

What is Call Retention and Why Does It Interfere?

Call retention is a telecommunications service that allows you to pause a conversation with one subscriber to answer a second incoming call or make another call. In the context of Xiaomi smartphones, this feature is integrated into the standard Phone app, which is often based on the Google Dialer engine. When you activate retention, the voice flow with the interlocutor stops, and he hears waiting music or silence while you communicate with another person.

Problems begin when a function is incorrectly triggered or activated without the user's knowledge, which may be due to the high sensitivity of the touch screen, the features of the MIUI shell, or conflicts with the operator's settings. Instead of just ending a conversation or switching, the user is in a situation where the interlocutor hears the beeps and the phone screen shows the status of "Contain".

In addition, some users confuse call retention with other features, such as Call Waiting. If the former pauses the current person, the latter simply informs the incoming call during a conversation. Misunderstanding these terms leads people to try to disable the wrong settings, leaving the root of the problem unresolved.

Set up the function through the phone’s standard menu

The easiest and safest way to manage retention is to use the built-in interface of the application for calls. In most modern Xiaomi models with the shell MIUI 12, 13, 14 and later, the path to settings is standardized. You need to open the Phone application, click on three dots in the upper right corner and select Settings. Next, find the section "Accounts for calls" or simply "Call settings", where the desired switches are hidden.

Inside the call settings menu, you need to select an active one. SIM-If you have two cards, the system will offer a list of options available, including Call Hold, which if the switch is active, you can simply turn it off, but it should be borne in mind that the status of this slider often depends on the current status of the network. If there is currently no coverage or SIM-card is not registered in the network, the item may be inactive (shaded).

Sometimes the interface may differ depending on the Android version and regional firmware, and in some cases you need to click on the “Additional Settings” button inside the call menu. If you don’t see an explicit switch, it could mean that the function is fully transferred to the operator’s network hardware level, and software shutdown via the menu is impossible without using the service. USSD-code.

Use of the USSD-service-management codes

When the graphical interface does not give the desired result, come to the rescue. USSD-These codes send commands directly to the operator's server, bypassing the settings of the smartphone itself. GSM-codes that work on all networks. To disable retention, you need to dial ##43# and press the call button.

Once you enter the code, the system will display a status message on the screen, and if retention is enabled, the system will report a successful shutdown. SIM-This means that the change will take effect even if you move the SIM to another phone, the setting will remain until you change it again through a code or call to customer service.

⚠️ Attention: When in use USSD-If the request is sent in a bad reception area, the command may not reach the server and the status of the service will not change, although the phone may show a sender error.

There are also codes to check the current status. *#43# lets you know if the retention and waiting service is activated at the moment. It's a useful diagnostic tool if you're not sure if the feature is working right now. After checking, you can decide whether to turn it off. Remember that some virtual operators or corporate rates may block these settings from changing via USSD.

Resetting call settings to factory values

If manually switching sliders and entering codes do not help, there may have been a software failure in the configuration of the Phone application. In such cases, the effective solution is to reset the call settings to factory parameters, which will return all call parameters (forwarding, waiting, retention, identification of the number) to the state specified by the manufacturer and operator by default.

To perform the reset, go to the call settings menu as described earlier (Application Phone → Settings → Call settings). At the bottom of the settings list, usually, there is a button called Reset or Restore Default Values. The system will request confirmation of action, as this may affect other related functions. After pressing the button, the phone can lose the network for a few seconds to synchronize new settings with the base station.

This method is especially useful after updating the firmware MIUI or Android, where old configuration files may conflict with new system requirements, the reset does not delete your contact book, call history, or SMS-It only affects the technical parameters of the organization of voice communication. If after a reset the problem returns after a while, it is worth checking for updates for the system application "Phone" in the Google Play store.

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Before resetting your call settings, write down important forwarding numbers if you use them, as they will also be reset to the carrier’s standard values.

Impact of the Communications Operator and Network Services

You can't ignore the fact that call retention is primarily a network service. Even if all settings are turned off on a Xiaomi phone, a carrier can force this feature on its equipment. This is often found in the tariffs with the "Secretary" package or advanced communication options. In such cases, any attempts to disable the feature through the phone's menu will be unsuccessful, since the operator's server will ignore the requests or automatically return the setting to an active state.

To solve the problem, you need to contact the subscriber’s personal account or your operator’s application (for example, “My MTS”, “My Beeline”, “My Tele2”, etc.). In the “Services” or “Tariff” section, you need to find options related to waiting and holding a call, and deactivate them there. Only after disconnecting on the operator’s side, the changes will be correctly applied on your device.

Also consider the difference between voice calls and video calls. LTE (VoLTE.Containment settings for regular calls and for calls via 4G If you use VoLTE, make sure you check the settings for this type of communication, which are sometimes placed in a separate sub-menu "Settings" SIM-Maps" are basically Android menus, not in the phone app.

Table of call management codes

For ease of management of various aspects of telephony, below is a table with the main USSD-These commands are universal and run on Xiaomi, Redmi and smartphones. POCO no matter the firmware version.

Using these codes is the quickest way to diagnose a problem, and if ##43# returns a success message but the function continues to work, then the problem lies deeper, perhaps in an application conflict or a hardware failure of the communication module, in which case it is recommended to restart the device in safe mode to eliminate the influence of third-party software.

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USSD-codes take precedence over settings in the phone menu, as they change settings directly in the subscriber profile on the operator's server.

Frequent problems and their solution

Xiaomi users sometimes face a situation where, after disabling the hold on a call, the phone behaves strangely: it resets a second call instead of a hold on it, or does not allow an action at all. This may be due to the fact that some operators do not support the complete disabling of this feature, since it is the basic one for the implementation of the Second Call service.

Another common problem is status sticking. The screen shows that the call is on hold even though you've already finished the conversation or switched. This is a MIUI bug. This is solved by forcing the Phone app to stop via the Settings menu → Apps → All Apps → Phone → Stop. After that, the phone icon should return to normal.

⚠️ Note: If you use third-party calling apps (such as Truecaller or Skype as the primary provider), the retention settings in the standard app may not apply.

In rare cases, the problem may be due to damage to the network profile. If nothing helps, try extracting the data. SIM-You can also use manual network selection to wipe your contacts and paste them back. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Choose. SIM-map → Type of network and try to switch from 4G on 3G, disable the retention and then return it back, which causes the communication module to re-register on the network with updated settings.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions