Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where a device vibrates in their pocket and an incoming call is displayed on the screen, but it is not immediately clear which number the signal was received. The problem is relevant for users actively using two SIM cards at the same time - for example, sharing work and personal contacts. In a hurry or in poor light, it is easy to miss an important indicator, which leads to confusion and missed calls.
Modern MIUI and HyperOS shells provide several built-in tools for visually separating communication streams. Xiaomi smartphones have a thoughtful interface by default, but many features are hidden in the depth of settings or require careful attention to screen details during a call. Understanding the logic of the system will allow you to instantly determine the source of the incoming signal.
In this article, we will take a look at all the ways you can identify an active line, learn how to adjust your color indication, read your call log correctly, and use special widgets to control traffic, and identify a SIM card will be an automatic skill that saves you time and nerves in your daily use of the gadget.
Visual indication during incoming call
The fastest way to know where a call is coming from is to look at the lock screen interface or pop-up interface. When a phone rings, Xiaomi's system illuminates the active line with a particular color or icon. Usually it's a small SIM1 or SIM2 icon next to the contact name or phone number. If you don't see explicit text, look for a color marker: often one SIM is associated with blue, and another with orange or green, depending on the the the theme you're setting.
Some users prefer to change standard themes to custom ones, which can knock down the default settings. In such cases, visual cues may become less noticeable or disappear altogether. The standard MIUI always shows the status of the line, but in third-party themes, developers sometimes remove these elements for the sake of aesthetics. Go back to the standard theme if line identification has become a problem for you.
⚠️ Note: If you use full-screen themes with darkened backgrounds, the SIM card indicator may merge with the image. In critical situations, when you can not miss a call from a particular number, temporarily switch to a standard theme of registration.
Also worth mentioning is the LED indicator, which was present on older models and has survived in some current versions. The color of the LED blinking is often customized in the system and can signal the type of event. Although there is usually no direct color binding of the LED to the SIM card number in standard settings, some third-party apps from the GetApps store are able to reconfigure the LED behavior, causing it to flash different colors for different SIMs.
💡
Turn on the "Vibration on Connection" function in the sound settings. A short vibrational pulse at the time of response will help you physically feel that the call has been received, which is especially useful in noisy places or when the phone is lying down.
Analysis of the Challenge Journal and History
If you missed a call and you found a missed call after the fact, a call log will come to the rescue. In the standard Xiaomi Phone app, the call history is structured very conveniently. Each entry on the list contains not only the number and time, but also a SIM card tag, usually a small number 1 or 2 in a circle, located directly under the contact name or call time.
For more detailed analysis, you can open a card of a particular contact or call detail, which is more explicitly duplicated, which allows you to filter the history by showing only calls made or received through a particular SIM card, and this history filter is especially useful in preparing reports or analyzing monthly communication costs.
Let’s look at the main elements of the journal interface that you need to pay attention to:
- 📞 Tube icon: often painted in color corresponding to the SIM card through which the conversation was conducted.
- 🔢 Digital index: A small number next to the time indicates the slot number (SIM 1 SIM 2).
- 📝 Text label: in some versions of the firmware, the operator can be written under the number (for example, "MTS" or "Beeline"), which indirectly indicates a SIM.
- 🎨 Color coding: The background of the call card may vary slightly depending on the active line.
It is important to understand that synchronization with a Google account or Xiaomi cloud can display this information differently on other devices. On a tablet or when viewing a story through a web interface, the SIM card tag may not appear because it is tied to a physical device.
Setting up the display and names of SIM cards
To never get confused, it’s best to set up clear names for your SIM cards right away. Instead of the standard “SIM 1” and “SIM 2”, the system lets you assign them the names “Work”, “Personal”, “Main” or operator names, this is done through the settings menu, which greatly simplifies the visual perception of information on the screen.
The renaming process takes less than a minute, but it brings long-term comfort, and when the "Call: Work" pops up on the screen, you don't have to ask which SIM they called, and this is especially true for people who use corporate communications and personal numbers at the same time.
☑️ Setting up SIM card names
In addition to names, you can set priorities. The SIM management menu sets which one is the default for voice calls, SMS, and mobile Internet. If you set one SIM as the primary for calls, the system will automatically suggest using it, but incoming calls will go to both lines regardless of the outgoing settings.
Below is a table showing the differences in default settings for different use cases:
| Use case scenario | Recommended call settings | Recommended Internet setting | Second SIMKA status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Separation of work and personal life | Always ask | Main (cheap traffic) | Active, sound on. |
| Main + Roaming | Main (local) | Main (local) | Active, only incoming. |
| Budget savings | Cheapest fare | Simka with no limit | Active, SMS notifications |
| One room for everyone. | The basic SIM card. | The basic SIM card. | Disabled in the settings |
Use of widgets and third-party applications
The functionality is sometimes limited, and then widgets and applications from the GetApps store or Google Play come to the rescue. The SIM Status widget can be placed on the home screen and show in real time which SIM card is active, whether there is a signal and if a call is missed on this line, this allows you to control the situation, even without unlocking the phone completely.
There are specialized caller apps that completely replace the standard interface, and they offer advanced visualization capabilities, including huge SIM card switching buttons during a conversation and detailed statistics. However, installing third-party calls requires careful permission settings to keep the number detector functional.
Risks of using third-party calls
And you also have to look at traffic flow widgets, which are primarily designed to control the Internet, but many of them also display the voice status of each SIM card separately, and this is an indirect but effective way to figure out which line has been activated recently.
Sound profiles and melodies for each SIM
One of the most effective, though not visual, ways to distinguish between calls is by setting up unique tunes. You can assign completely different ringtones to the first and second SIM card. You'll know exactly which number is being called after you've even pulled the phone out of your pocket.
To adjust this functionality, you need to go to the sound menu, where you can choose not only standard tunes, but also download your tracks. You should choose contrasting compositions in style: for example, a strict signal for work and fun music for personal contacts. Audio difference works faster than visual ones, and allows you to respond to calls intuitively.
- 🎵 Unique: The melodies should not be similar to each other so as not to cause confusion.
- 🔊 Loudness: Make sure the volume of the call for both SIMs is turned to the maximum or tuned to your preference.
- 🔇 Silence modes: Check that in Do Not Disturb or Sleep modes, the settings for both Sims work the same if you don’t want to miss an important call.
In this case, the visual indication on the screen of the watch or smartphone becomes the only way to identify the line.
Definition problems and their solution
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the phone is ringing, but it is not clear which SIM card is active or the indicators are not displayed correctly. Often this is due to a software glitch in the communication module or a conflict of MIUI versions. The first step should always be to reboot the device, which reconnects the modules to the operator's network.
If the problem persists, it is worth checking the display settings. In some design themes, the elements of the call interface may be hidden, and the problem may lie in damage to the files of the system cache of the Phone application. Clearing the cache of this application through the settings often returns the correct SIM card indication.
⚠️ Note: When cleaning the phone application data (not just the cache, but all the data), call history may be deleted. Be careful and use only the Clear Cache function if you want to save the call log.
In rare cases, the problem can be hardware, such as oxidation of contacts in the SIM card tray. If the phone loses one of the SIMs or does not see its status, try to remove the tray, wipe the SIM card contacts with dry cloth and insert them back. Make sure that the SIM cards sit tight and correspond to the nano-SIM format required for Xiaomi smartphones.
💡
If visual indicators are lost after the system update, the theme or access permission settings are likely to be lost, and returning to a standard theme and checking the permissions for the Phone application solve 90% of these problems.