The solution to the problem: does not show who is calling on Xiaomi Redmi 9C

Owners of budget smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi 9C are periodically faced with an unpleasant situation: when an incoming call is made, the screen remains black or displays only numbers without showing the contact’s name or photo. This can happen for various reasons, from banal memory overflow to software failures in the MIUI shell. Lack of identification of the caller creates not only discomfort, but also potential security risks, since you can not immediately know who is trying to contact you.

In most cases, the problem lies in the incorrect operation of the application “Contacts” or “Phone”, which are system components of Android. Sometimes the failure causes an update to the application via Google Play, which conflicts with the current version of the firmware. Also, it is worth considering that the Redmi 9C uses a fairly modest amount of RAM, so background processes can be “killed” by the system aggressively, which leads to the loss of data for displaying Caller ID at the time of the call.

Don’t panic and bring your device to the service center right away. A software failure of this kind is solved by a series of simple manipulations in 95% of cases. Below we will discuss all possible causes in detail and provide step-by-step instructions to fix them so that your Redmi 9C again correctly displays information about callers.

Checking the Caller ID display settings

The first thing to do is to make sure that the settings on the smartphone are not accidentally changed to identify the number, and in the MIUI shell, a separate module is responsible for this, which can be disabled or not work correctly, and often users limit the functionality themselves without realizing it, for example, after cleaning the system or installing optimizers.

To start, go to the standard Contacts or Phone app. Search the settings menu (usually three dots or a gear) and look for the section related to the number definition. Here, it's important to check if the Number Defineer option is activated. If the slider is off, the system simply won't try to look for matches in the database or online services.

⚠️ Note: Some global versions of the firmware MIUI function ID You may be limited to regional settings. Make sure that in the Settings section → Additionally. → The region is chosen by a country where these services work fully, for example, India or Russia, but not countries with strict restrictions of Google.

It’s also worth checking the permissions for the Phone app. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps → Phone → Permissions. Make sure that access to contacts and phone is enabled. Without that, Redmi 9C won’t be physically able to read the name from your address book and show it on the screen during a call.

Clearing the cache and data of the applications “Phone” and “Contacts”

The most effective way to solve a problem when it doesn't show who's calling is to clean up temporary files. Over time, errors accumulate in the cache of system applications that prevent normal data exchange between the call module and the address book, a procedure that is safe for your personal numbers, since they are stored separately.

Perform the following actions consistently:

• 📱 Open the settings of your Xiaomi Redmi 9C and go to the "Applications" section».
• 🔍 Click “All Apps” and find the standard “Contacts” app (the icon with the man) in the list).
• 🗑️ Select Memory and click the Clear button (or Clear Cache if the problem is not critical).
• 📞 Repeat the same steps for the Phone app (pipe icon).

After clearing the cache, it is recommended to perform a full reset of application data if a simple cleanup did not help. Important: when resetting the Contacts app, make sure your numbers are synced with your Google or Mi Cloud account so you do not lose them. To do this, go to your Google account settings and click Sync Now.

Set up synchronization of Google Account

Often the problem with displaying names is not the phone itself, but the desynchronization of the cloud profile.If Redmi 9C can't reach Google's servers, it won't be able to upload names for new numbers or those that have been changed on other devices.

Check sync status by going to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google. Make sure there is a tick in front of Contacts. If there is no tick or there is an error icon, click on it to force the update. Sometimes it helps to delete the account and add it again, which resets all connection errors.

The table below shows the main synchronization statuses and their meaning:

If you have multiple Google accounts, check which one is pulling up your contacts. In the Contacts app, click on the avatar in the corner and select Contact Settings → Accounts to Sync. Make sure you have the right profile where the main number database is stored.

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Use Google Contacts instead of the standard MIUI, which is more stable, less glitchy and guaranteed to update the namebase in real time.

Updating and reinstalling Google components

The Android caller identification system is closely linked to Google Play services, and if components become outdated or damaged during automatic updates, the Redmi 9C will no longer handle incoming calls correctly, especially for budget models where memory shortages can interrupt the upgrade process.

Go to Play Market → Profile → App and Device Management. Find Google, Google Play Services, and Google Contacts updates in the app update list. If there are no updates, try removing them (only the Remove Updates option is available for system applications) and restarting them, which will return them to the factory version, which will then be updated to the current one.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete the Google Play Services app completely if this option is available.This may cause the entire smartphone to fail. Use only the Remove Updates or Clear Cache function».

Also worth checking for updates to the system itself. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. If a new firmware version is available, install it. Xiaomi engineers often release patches that fix compatibility bugs with the latest versions of Google services.

Problems with access rights and energy saving

The aggressive MIUI energy-saving system is a frequent culprit that the phone doesn't show who's calling. To save battery power, the Redmi 9C can freeze the background processes of the Phone app, which makes it impossible for it to load an avatar or name when a call arrives.

You need to configure exceptions to call. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance (or simply “Battery”). Find the Phone app and select “No Limits” mode, which will prevent the system from killing the call process.

Check the auto-start option:

• 🚀 Open the Security app (green shield).
• ⚙️ Go to "Permissions» → «Auto-start».
• ✅ Find Phone and Contacts, make sure the switches are active.

If these settings are knocked down, the system will block the Caller ID module from working. Once you make changes, be sure to restart the device so that the new settings take effect.Reboot also clears RAM, which is useful for the Redmi 9C with its 2 or 3GB of RAM.

Third-party number and conflict determinants

Many users install additional number-detection apps, such as GetContact, NumBuster, or Truecaller, which intercept incoming calls to check the database, but on budget devices like Redmi 9C, they can cause conflicts with a standard call, leading to a black screen or a name delay.

Try temporarily removing all third-party determinants and checking the work of the regular app, if the problem disappears, then the conflict was in them, in which case it is better to leave only one application for Caller ID or return to standard Google tools, which are less demanding resources.

If you’re using a third-party call (like from Google Phone instead of MIUI Dialer), make sure it’s assigned by the default app. Check this out in the Settings menu → Apps → App Management → Three dots in the corner → Default apps → Phone.

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Third-party number detectors often cause conflicts on smartphones with low RAM. Standard MIUI or Google Phone calls work more stable on Redmi 9C.

Network resets and radical measures

If none of the above methods worked, you may have damaged the system files that control networking, in which case resetting the network settings will help, which will return the parameters of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile communication to factory values, but will not delete your personal files or contacts.

You can reset via the menu: Settings → Connection and Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth. After this procedure, the phone will restart, and you will need to re-enter passwords from Wi-Fi networks.

In the extreme case, when the problem does not show who is calling, persists even after flashing, you may need a full device reset.Be sure to create a full backup of the data to the Mi Cloud or computer before that, as all files will be deleted.

To perform the discharge:

1. Turn off the phone completely.
2. Press the Loudness+ button and Power at the same time.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data.
4. Confirm the action and wait for the process to end.

⚠️ Warning: Hard Reset permanently deletes all data from the phone's internal memory, and use this method only if other methods have failed and the problem is critical to you.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)