Full screen photo when calling Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S: 3 ways to set up

Owners of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S often find that when an incoming call, a photo of the contact appears in a small circle, rather than on the entire screen. This is standard MIUI behavior, but it can be changed through both hidden system settings and third-party applications. In this article, we will discuss all working methods, including little-known tricks with lock screen settings and alternative launchers.

It's important to understand that full-screen display of a photo depends on the MIUI version and firmware. On some builds, the option may be blocked by the manufacturer. We tested all methods on the Redmi Note 9S with MIUI 12-14, the results are shown in the comparative table below.

If you want to not only zoom in on your photos, but also customize your incoming call animations, check out the caller app section, which offers more features than the standard Xiaomi interface, but requires additional permissions.

Why does the contact photo not take up the entire screen by default?

In MIUI, the system app com.android.dialer is responsible for displaying incoming calls. By default, it uses a pattern with a contact thumbnail in the center of the screen to:

• 📱 Save space for the acceptance/rejection buttons
• 🔄 Simplify interaction with the interface with one hand
• 🎨 Support a single design for all Xiaomi devices

However, some firmware (e.g., the global version of MIUI 13) has a hidden option to expand the background, which can be activated through the settings lab or edit configuration files, the problem is that after the system update, these parameters can be reset.

Another thing is, if a contact doesn't have a photo set or it's low resolution, the system automatically substitutes the default avatar (human silhouette), in which case the full screen mode will not work, you first need to assign a high-quality image.

Method 1: Configure through the MIUI laboratory (without root)

The safest method is to use the built-in settings lab, which is available on most versions of MIUI, but the path to it may be different. Here is a step-by-step guide for the Redmi Note 9S:

1. Open the phone (calling) application.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner → Settings.
3. Scroll down and select Additional settings.
4. Find the Lab (or Special Opportunities in new versions).
5. Activate Full-screen incoming call mode or Advanced contact display.

If the Lab item is not on the menu, try an alternative path:

Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times to unlock Developer Mode)


Settings → Additional → For developers → MIUI Laboratory

Make sure the contact has a high-resolution photo (minimum 720×720 pixels)

Turn off the dark theme – it can reset display settings

Check that the lock screen settings include notifications-->

Once full screen mode is activated, restart your phone, and if the photo is still displayed in a small mug, your version of MIUI is not supporting this function through the lab, in which case you can move on to the following ways.

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If you lose the option after the MIUI update, try resetting the Phone app settings from the Settings menu → Apps → Application Management → Phone → Storage → Clear the data. This will return the standard call settings.

Method 2: Using third-party calls

If the system settings don't work, set up an alternative call.The best options for the Redmi Note 9S:

We recommend Truecaller, which not only supports full-screen photos, but also automatically pulls up avatars from social networks to customize the display:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open Settings → Themes → Incoming Call Style.
3. Choose Full Screen or Big Photo.
4. Assign Truecaller to the default call in Android settings.

Standard. MIUI|Truecaller|ExDialer|Google Phone|Another.-->

Please note that some calls may conflict with Xiaomi system services. If call notifications are missing after installation, check permissions in Settings → Apps → Permissions Management → Auto Run.

Method 3: Editing system files (for advanced)

This method requires root rights or an unlocked bootloader, and it's good if you're willing to risk system stability for customization, and we'll look at two options:

1. Change the cscfeature.xml file (for MIUI 12–13):
2. Modification of APK calls (for MIUI 14):

If you don’t have root rights but want to experiment, try using them. ADB-commands to change display parameters:

adb shell settings put global incoming_call_background_scale 1.0

This command causes the system to scale the background image to the size of the screen, but it doesn't work smoothly on some firmware.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even when set up properly, full-screen mode can malfunction, and here are the typical errors and ways to fix them:

• 🖼️ Photo cropped or stretched: Check the aspect ratio of the image. Optimal resolution — 1080×1920 Use applications like Photo Resizer to crop.
• 🔄 Settings reset after update: This feature MIUI. To avoid the problem, disable automatic updates of system applications in Settings. → The phone. → Updating the system → Settings (⚙️) → Auto-update of applications.
• 📵 Full screen does not work for unknown numbers: the system shows enlarged photos only for contacts from the phone book.

If after all the manipulations, the photo is still displayed in a small circle, try resetting the call settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Phone app and select Warehouse.
3. Click Clear Data and Clear Cache.
4. Reboot the phone and reset the setting.

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On devices with MIUI 14 and later, full screen mode may conflict with the pop-up function. If the screen does not return to normal after calling, turn off this option in the special features settings.

How to return the standard call display?

If you are not satisfied with the experiments with full-screen mode, return the standard interface:

1. For system call: Open Settings → Apps → Phone → Storage. Click Clear Data (this will reset all call settings).
2. For third-party calls: Go to the app settings (e.g. Truecaller). Select Classic or MIUI Style theme.

• Remove the added line from cscfeature.xml.
• The command is: adb shell settings delete global. incoming_call_background_scale.

After reset, restart your phone. If the call interface is not back to its original form, check if additional themes are installed in Settings → Themes. Sometimes they override system styles.

Additional tricks for customizing calls

Full-screen photography is just a part of the personalization of incoming calls, and here are some more useful features for the Redmi Note 9S:

• 🎶 Individual Contact Melodies: Assign a unique ringtone to your contact card. This works even in full screen mode.
• 🔦 Screenlighting when calling: Enable in Settings → Lock screen → Backlighting at notifications to make the screen light up brighter.
• 📱 Gestures for call management: In the lab MIUI You can activate swipes for acceptance/rejection (useful for full screen mode).
• 🖌️ Change in interface transparency: Some firmwares have a parameter available incoming_call_ui_alpha, which regulates the transparency of buttons.

For maximum customization, install a launcher with support for themes (for example, Nova Launcher or Hyperion Launcher), which allows you to change icons, fonts and even transition animations, which indirectly affects the appearance of incoming calls.

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If you take a picture with a Redmi Note 9S (48MP) camera often, use these pictures for contacts. They will look clear even in full screen mode thanks to high resolution. To crop the right piece, use the built-in Gallery editor → Edit → Trimming → 9:16

FAQ: Answers to popular questions

If your question is not covered in the FAQ, check out the current discussions on the 4PDA forums (a section of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S) or in the official Xiaomi group on VKontakte, where they often publish fresh solutions for new versions of MIUI.

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On the Redmi Note 9S with MIUI 14.0.4+, full-screen mode may conflict with the Always-on Display function. If the screen does not go out after the call, turn off AoD in the lock settings.