When you hear an annoying buzzer or see a Hold indicator on your screen, this feature is familiar to many owners of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones. This feature is designed for convenience, allowing you to pause one conversation to answer another, but often it is activated accidentally or works incorrectly. Users are faced with the fact that the interlocutor hears you, then falls into silence, which interferes with normal communication.
Fortunately, you can remove the retention of a call to Xiaomi Android pretty quickly if you know where to look for the right switches. The problem can be either a software failure of the MIUI or HyperOS shell, or the settings of the carrier itself. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the ways to solve this problem, from simple actions in the phone menu to reset network settings.
Before you start to do complex manipulations, it's important to understand what's going on. Call retention is a service that puts the current person on pause. If you didn't specifically initiate this action, it's likely that there was an accidental touch of the screen or a system bug. Let's figure out how to bring back comfortable communication.
What is call retention and why does it turn on itself
The retention feature allows you to switch between two active lines, which is especially useful for business negotiations. However, on the touch screens of Xiaomi smartphones with a large diagonal, it is very easy to touch the “hold” button with your cheek or finger during a conversation, at which point the audio stream for the first interlocutor is interrupted, although the connection does not break.
Sometimes the problem lies deeper in the network settings conflict, and the cellular operators provide this service by default, and the phone periodically synchronizes its state with the tower, if at that point the connection is unstable or the signal is unstable. GSM/LTE When you jump, the phone can erroneously interpret network commands, putting the call into standby mode without your knowledge.
It is also worth considering the features of the shell. MIUI. Aggressive battery optimization or background processes sometimes cause the call management interface to stick, in which case, even after the retention action is over, the indicator may continue to burn, misleading the user.
Disabling the function through the standard call menu
The easiest and most obvious way to fix the problem is to check the settings of the Phone app. This is where the master switch for incoming and outgoing connections is located. The interface may vary slightly depending on the Android version, but the logic remains the same for all Redmi Note and POCO models.
You need to open the app you use to dial (standard from Google or system from MIUI). In the upper right corner, there is usually a three-dot menu or a gear settings. Find the section associated with accounts or additional call settings.
Why can't the settings be saved?
Inside the menu, look for Hold Call or Wait Mode, and it will offer three options: Disable, Warn, and Automatic Hold. To completely fix the problem, you need to select the Disable option, which will prevent the phone from pausing calls even if you accidentally press the corresponding button on the screen.
☑️ Checking call settings
Configure through the engineering menu and operator codes
If standard methods do not help, you can use a deeper level of customization - an engineering menu or a small menu. USSD-These commands are sent directly to the operator’s network, bypassing some of the software filters of the Xiaomi shell, which is especially true if the problem is observed on all SIM cards of different operators.
Open the dialer and enter the code *#43#. After dialing, you don't need to press the call button, the command will run automatically. A pop-up window will appear on the screen with the current status of the Call Waiting service. If it says "Enabled" (On), then you need to send a disconnect command.
To force the retention service to be disabled, enter the #43# code and press the call button. You will receive a message from the network that the service is deactivated. This action is universal for most operators (the "big three" and virtual), but in rare cases the syntax may differ.
| Team team. | Action. | The result |
|---|---|---|
| *#43# | Status check | Shows whether or not retention is included |
| #43# | Shutdown | Call retention service is offline |
| *43# | Inclusion | Activates the retention function |
| ##002# | Resetting diversion | Cancels all types of forwarding, including retention |
⚠️ Attention: Use USSD-codes can cause an instant change in the tariff plan or connection of paid services if the code is entered incorrectly.
Reset network settings and APN settings
Often the cause of strange behavior of the phone is accumulated errors in network settings. Resetting network parameters to factory values helps eliminate conflicts between the operator profile and the current configuration of Android. This action is safe for your personal data (photos, contacts), but will remove saved passwords from Wi-Fi.
To perform the reset, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth. In some versions of MIUI, the path may look like Advanced Settings → Reset and Reset → Network Settings Reset. Confirm action and wait for the communication modules to reboot.
Once the phone is restarted, it will re-register on the network. If the problem was caused by an incorrect APN or an error in the voice protocols, the retention should stop activating spontaneously. Make sure that after the reset, you have the Internet again via the mobile network.
Use of third-party applications for calls
Xiaomi’s regular call sometimes runs unstable due to bugs in a particular firmware update, and then installing a proven third-party app like Truecaller or Google Phone (if it’s not installed by default) is a great alternative.
Once you install a new call app, Android will ask you to confirm it as your primary call app. Agree with that. In the new app's settings, also check the "Contain" or "Call Waiting" section and make sure that it prohibits automatic activation.
Alternative software can bypass shell bugs, and these applications often have a more user-friendly call management interface, where the hold button is harder to hit randomly due to the altered layout of the screen elements.
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Before installing a third-party call, back up your contacts. Although modern apps sync with your Google account, reinsurance never hurts.
Impact of System Updates and Firmware
The problem with spontaneous retention is often massive and appears after the release of the next update MIUI or HyperOS. Developers may accidentally make a mistake in the code responsible for processing interrupts, in such cases, waiting for a patch or, conversely, rolling back on the previous version of the system helps.
Check for updates in Settings → About Phone. If you’re already on the latest version, you might want to look up the user forums on your model. Often users find temporary solutions, such as clearing the cache of the Phone app and Google Play Services.
To clear the cache, go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find Phone, select Memory, and click Clear Cache. Don't confuse it with Clear Everything, or you'll lose your call history. This procedure resets temporary files that may have been corrupted.
Appeal to the communications operator
If none of the software methods worked, the root of the problem may lie on the operator's side. Call Waiting is a network function, and even if the phone is disabled, the operator's server can force it to activate under certain conditions, such as when a third call arrives.
Contact your operator’s support team (MTS, Beeline, MegaFon, Tele2, etc.) to ask the operator to check the status of the Call Hold service in your profile and completely disable it at the network level, and also check whether you have a Second Number or Superdeterminer service that may conflict with the basic call protocol.
Sometimes, a simple re-registration of a SIM card helps, take it out of your phone, wipe the contacts, and insert it again. If the SIM card is very old (used for many years), its chip may not work properly with modern communication standards, giving false signals, in which case replacing the SIM card in the operator's cabin will solve the problem.
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Comprehensive approach: the combination of disabling the function in the phone menu, resetting the network and checking the status of the service from the operator guarantees a 100% solution to the problem.
Additional recommendations and prevention
To keep the problem from returning, it is recommended to periodically check the settings after major system updates, and avoid installing “heavy” design themes or interface modifications that can change the logic of system applications, including the call.
If you use a Bluetooth headset or wired headphones, check their control buttons. Sometimes a sticky button on the headset can send a call hold signal to your phone. Try making a call without a headset to rule this out.
Remember that communication stability depends not only on settings, but also on the quality of coverage. In areas of uncertain reception, the phone can often switch between 3G/4G standards, which sometimes causes failures in call management. In such areas, it is better to manually switch the network type to 4G Only or 3G Only mode through an engineering menu or hidden settings.
⚠️ Note: When resetting your network settings, make sure you remember passwords from important Wi-Fi networks, as they will be deleted. Also check if you have important alarm clocks that depend on how the system works, although they usually remain stored.