Modern Xiaomi Redmi smartphones have become almost the standard for users who need to manage two or more phone numbers at the same time. The ability to use two SIM cards allows you to separate personal and work contacts, as well as save on tariffs from different operators. However, when you first get acquainted with the shell of MIUI or HyperOS, many owners are faced with the question of how to initiate a call with the right SIM card, rather than the one that stands by default.
The Android operating system, adapted by Xiaomi engineers, has several convenient ways to select a number for a call, which can be done both before dialing and immediately at the time of the call through the context menu or special buttons in the interface, understanding these mechanisms allows you to significantly improve the efficiency of using the device in everyday life.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods for switching between SIM cards, setting priorities for automatic network selection, and also consider possible problems with determining a second SIM. You will learn how to create quick shortcuts for contacts and understand how to optimize communication costs by correctly configuring call parameters.
Setting SIM card priorities in the phone menu
The first step to make two numbers more comfortable is to set priorities in the system menu. By default, Xiaomi offers to choose one SIM card as the main one for voice calls and another for mobile Internet, but these settings can be changed flexibly. To access them, you need to go to Settings, then select SIM card and mobile networks.
Here you'll see a list of SIM cards that you've installed, and you can choose what to do for each of them, and it allows you to set your smartphone behavior for outgoing calls, and if you want your phone to always ask you which SIM to call, or if you want to automatically use a particular card, that's where you're going to set it up, and it's important to note that the settings can vary slightly depending on the version of the MIUI shell or HyperOS.
- 📱 Select Default for Calls to assign a permanent SIM card for all outgoing calls.
- 🔄 Set the “Always Ask” option if you want to manually select a number before each set.
- 🌐 Separately set the priority for data transfer so that the Internet works through a tariff with better coverage or unlimited traffic.
Special attention should be paid to the function "Use one SIM card for calls." If you activate this mode, the second SIM card will be available only for receiving calls and SMS, and all outgoing will go strictly through the selected main card, which is useful for saving battery power or if the second SIM card ran out of money, but the number needs to be kept active.
⚠️ Note: When you change priorities in the settings menu, the dialing that is already open may not be updated instantly.It is recommended to terminate the current session with the phone and start dialing again to apply the new call routing options.
The correct configuration of these settings eliminates the need for constant manual switching.The system remembers your choice for each particular contact, if you once chose your preferred number to call him, which makes using a smartphone more intuitive.
How to choose a SIM card when dialing manually
The most common scenario for using a second SIM is manual dialing of a subscriber number that is not in your phone book. Xiaomi's standard Phone application interface has a convenient mechanism for selecting the network immediately before sending a call. Once you have dialed the number numbers, pay attention to the bottom of the screen, where the green call button is usually located.
If the settings do not give a strict priority of "always call with SIM 1", then next to the call button or instead of one large button will display two smaller buttons with the SIM card designation (for example, "1" and "2" or operator logos). Pressing the corresponding button initiates a call strictly through the selected network. In some versions of the firmware, the call button can be divided visually into two halves.
If you have already started dialing but have not pressed the call button, you can also use the selection menu. Often the current selected operator is displayed above the keyboard or next to the number dialed. By clicking on it, you will open a pop-up menu where you can instantly switch to the second SIM card before starting the connection.
- 🔢 Dial the desired number on the digital keyboard of the application "Phone".
- 👀 Pay attention to the area of the call button: there should be indicators SIM 1 and SIM 2.
- ☎️ Click on the button with the number or logo of the SIM card you plan to talk to.
If there is no split button and the call is immediately coming from the main SIM, check the global settings. You may have a restriction that prevents the selection of the outgoing SIM, or activated the Smart SIM Card Selection feature, which tries to determine the best tariff automatically, but often mistaken in favor of the main card.
Using Contact Labels for Quick Calling
For users who often have to call a certain number of people, creating separate contact shortcuts is a great solution, and the idea is that the same contact in the phone book can have multiple "entries" with a preset selection of the SIM card, which allows you not to think about switching at the time of the call.
To do this, open the contact book. At the top of the contact card, next to the name, the current chosen method of communication is often displayed. By clicking on the phone icon or action menu, you can select "Always Call with SIM 1" or "Always Call with SIM 2." Once you save this setting, any call to that subscriber through the contact card will go through the selected network.
A more advanced way is to use desktop widgets, and the MIUI shell allows you to put Direct Call widgets on the home screen, and you can create two widgets for one person, one called Work (SIM 1) and the other called Personal (SIM 2), which is especially convenient for those who are in business and want to clearly share communication.
The secret of creating duplicate contacts
This approach requires initial setup, but in the long run it saves you a lot of time. You don't have to remember every time you call a particular person, the system will do it for you automatically.
The function of smart SIM card selection and its setting
Xiaomi has introduced a feature called Smart SIM Card Selection into its smartphones, which analyzes your call history and tries to guess which SIM card you would normally use to call a particular subscriber, and if you once called your mom from a second SIM, the phone will remember that and the next time it will offer or automatically select that number.
This feature is set up in the same SIM menu, where you can activate or deactivate the selection memory, which is inconvenient for some users, because the phone can cling to the old choices even when the situation has changed, in which case it is better to turn off the function so that you have full control over each call.
And then there's a setup that allows you to use the second SIM card only if the first one is not available, which is useful in areas of uncertain reception, where one operator catches better than another, and the phone will try to sign up on the main card network, and only if it fails, will switch to a backup to make a call.
- 🧠 Enable Smart Choice so that the phone itself offers the last used SIM for contact.
- 🚫 Turn off the function if you want to fully control the process and avoid accidental calls from the wrong number.
- 📉 Use the "Major SIM card not available" mode so that the second card only works as a backup communication option.
Understanding the logic of Xiaomi algorithms helps to avoid awkward situations when an important call leaves the wrong number from which it was planned.