The situation when the screen of the Xiaomi smartphone during the incoming call does not display the name of the contact or even the phone number, causes serious concern for any user. Instead of the expected photo of the subscriber or understandable interface, owners often see only a black background, a standard stub or a blank screen. A critical display error can lead to the fact that you miss an important call from a loved one or a business partner, mistaking it for spam or a technical glitch.
The problem is relevant not only for older models, but also for modern devices based on the shells MIUI 13, MIUI 14 and the latest HyperOS. System interface glitches, conflicts of third-party applications and aggressive power saving settings are the main culprits of the disappearance of information about the caller. In this article, we will analyze all possible causes and propose effective solutions.
Before you go into complex code manipulation or resetting, it’s important to understand that most often it’s a software conflict, and 80 percent of the time, the problem is solved by simply cleaning the phone app cache or changing the notification settings, but in some situations, deeper intervention is required.
The main reasons for the disappearance of information about the caller
There are several reasons why the call interface stops displaying data correctly, the most common being the malfunction of the Phone system application. While updating the operating system or the application itself, temporary files may have been damaged, leading to a failure in the rendering of the call screen, which is especially true for devices where the update was incorrect or interrupted.
The second important aspect is third-party conflicts: Many users install alternative callers or apps to identify numbers and block spam. Definition applications often intercept the call screen, and if there is a bug in their code or they don't have the necessary permissions, the interface simply freezes or becomes black.
⚠️ Note: If you use custom themes from Themes, try temporarily switching to the standard theme "Classic": Incomplete compatibility of theme graphics with your version MIUI Often breaks the display of interface elements.
The third reason is aggressive battery optimization: MIUI is known for its tight control of background processes, and if the system thinks that a contact app or phone book is consuming too much resources, it can limit their operation, which prevents the contact name from being loaded at the time of the call.
Basic setting of application rights and permissions
The first step in diagnosing and fixing a malfunction is to check the access rights. Without the necessary permissions, the Phone app will not be able to physically read the name from your phone book and display it on the screen. You need to manually make sure that all the switches are activated.
To do this, go to your smartphone settings, search for Apps, and select All Apps. In the list, find the standard Phone app (may be called Mi Dialer or just Phone). Click on it and select App Permissions. Contacts, microphone, and phone access should be enabled here.
You should pay special attention to the permission to “Map on top of other applications.” Without this flag, the call interface will not be able to “repaint” the lock screen or the current application. Also check the similar settings for the “Contacts” application, since it stores the namebase.
☑️ Access rights verification
If the problem persists after all rights are turned on, try to force the application to stop. In the same app information menu, click the Stop button (or Close button) and then restart the smartphone, which will allow the system to re-initialize the processes responsible for communication.
Clearing the cache and phone book data
Accumulated debris in temporary files is a common cause of incorrect display of the interface. Cleaning the cache will not delete your contacts, but reset the temporary display settings. This is a safe procedure that is recommended to be performed periodically to maintain the speed of the system.
To do the cleaning, go back to the Phone app management menu. Select Memory or Storage. Here you will see two buttons: Clear Cache and Clear All (or Reset). Start by clearing the cache. If that doesn't work, you can try clearing all the data, but before that, make sure to back up your contacts via Mi Account or Google account.
A similar procedure is worth doing for the Contacts and Contacts and Phone Book app (if they are separated in your firmware version), and often conflicts between these two system components, and once the data is cleaned, the phone may run a little slower in the first minutes until it indexes the database again.
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Before resetting your application data, export your contacts to the.vcf file via the import/export menu in the Contacts app to ensure you don’t lose important information.
Problems with syncing Google and Mi Account
Xiaomi's modern smartphones heavily rely on cloud sync. If a phone tries to update data from the cloud at the time of an incoming call and encounters a network or authorization error, it may not have time to load the contact name, which is especially true with a weak mobile network signal.
Check the sync status in the Settings menu → Accounts and syncs. Make sure the switches for Google and Mi Account are active and there are no error icons next to them (red triangle or exclamation point.
Sometimes the problem is duplicated records, and the same number can be stored in memory. SIM-It can be confused as to which contact to display, and as a result, it does not show anything. SIM-maps, moving them to the cloud.
| Type of storage | Probability of conflict | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Memory. SIM-map | Tall. | Move everything to Google/MI |
| Local memory. | Medium | Combine duplicates |
| Google Contacts | Low. | Main vault |
| Mi Cloud | Low. | Use it for backup. |
Conflicts with ad blockers and determinants
The spam-blocking apps you install (such as Truecaller, GetContact, or built-in antiviruses) can intercept a call. If such an application has a bug or needs an update, it can "lock" the screen without handing control over to the standard Xiaomi interface, resulting in you seeing a black screen or hearing the horns, but not seeing who is calling.
Try to temporarily disable or delete all third-party number detectors. If the problem disappears after that, then it was a software conflict. In the settings of the blocking application itself, there is often an option “Use the system call screen” – its activation can solve the problem.
Also worth checking is the "Security" settings (green app with shield) and the "Antispam" section has its own filters, and if it has too aggressive lock or blacklist, the call can be reset or hidden before you can see the name.
⚠️ Note: Some memory cleaners (Clean Master and analogues) may force the phone book's background processes to be closed, considering them unnecessary. Add the Phone and Contacts apps to the White List exceptions.
Specific Call Screen Settings in MIUI and HyperOS
Xiaomi’s shells have a lot of personalization settings that can affect the look of a call, such as “Widgets on the lock screen” or “Wallpaper Carousel” sometimes override the call interface. If you have a wallpaper carousel on, try turning it off in the lock screen settings.
Another important thing is Do Not Disturb or In Your Pocket mode. The proximity sensor may not work properly, especially if you have a low-quality security glass pasted or a case on it. The phone thinks it's in your pocket and turns off the screen without showing the name of the caller. Check the calibration sensor in the engineering menu or just remove the case for inspection.
Newer versions of HyperOS have added the ability to change call styles. If you've changed system fonts or set global themes, they may not support the current screen resolution or refresh rate (e.g., 120Hz), which causes artifacts.
Hidden Developer Settings
Using engineering code to reset settings
If standard methods don't work, you can use a hidden diagnostic menu, type ##6484## (or #4636## on some models) in the dialing app, and this will open the CIT (Customer Integration Test) menu.
You can check the Proximity sensor here. You can close the top of the screen with your hand, the sensor has to respond. If it's stuck in a closed state, the phone will turn off the screen when you call. In some firmware code ##7780# (caution, it needs confirmation!), you can reset the settings of Google apps and systems to factory ones without deleting personal files, but this is an extreme measure.
A safer option is to reset your network settings. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth. This will not affect your photos or contacts, but will update the configuration of communication modules, which can eliminate the software glitch of the Caller ID display.
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If nothing helps, the last argument is a complete reset to factory settings (Hard Reset), but before that be sure to save all the important data on an external medium.