Modern smartphones of the Redmi i Xiaomi line are equipped with frameless high-resolution displays, but a standard “dialer” often displays a snapshot of the contact only in a small round window center of the screen. This creates a visual imbalance: a beautiful avatar is lost on a dark background, and the interface looks archaic and non-functional.
Users often wonder whether it is possible to stretch the image of the interlocutor over the entire display area, as is implemented in some third-party launchers or on devices from other vendors. Unfortunately, in the stock shell MIUI or the new HyperOS direct switch “full screen” is missing explicitly, but there are a number of effective workarounds and settings that allow you to achieve the desired result.
In this article we will look in detail at how to prepare an image, which hidden settings to activate and which third-party utilities will help turn the standard call into a full-fledged visual event. You will learn why the system automatically crops the photo and how to fix it without obtaining root access.
Why the photo is cropped: features of MIUI and HyperOS
The avatar size limit is dictated by the interface logic laid down by the company's engineers. Xiaomi. The system prioritizes the display of the contact name, phone number, and call control buttons (speakerphone, end), considering them more important than the background image. The algorithm automatically creates a circular mask over the source file, discarding everything that does not fall within the central radius.
Aspect ratio plays a key role here. Most of the photos that users install from the gallery are in 4:3 or 16:9 format, while the avatar display area is strictly square or round. The system cannot dynamically adjust the image scale to fit the entire screen during an incoming call without using special themes or plugins.
⚠️ Attention: When updating the firmware from MIUI 13/14 to a new one HyperOS the contact display mechanism may change. Some customizations that worked previously may no longer function due to changes in the architecture of the “Phone” system application.
In addition, there is a concept system thumbnail cache. Even if you upload the perfect image, your phone may not display it correctly if you already have an old, smaller copy saved in your contacts database. This is a common error that can easily be resolved by manually synchronizing or relinking the file.
Understanding these limitations will allow you to properly prepare graphic content. You should not try to “trick” the system by loading giant 50 megapixel files - this will only slow down the processor when processing the incoming signal, but will not change the size of the display frame.
Preparing the ideal image for a contact
The first and most important step is to properly process the photo before uploading it to the phone book. To minimize quality loss and ensure maximum filling of the available area, the source file must meet certain technical requirements.
The optimal solution would be to use a high-resolution square image. It is recommended to take a photo of at least 1080×1080 pixels in size, or better 2000×2000. This ensures that even when zooming on screens with high PPI (pixel density) the picture will remain clear and will not turn into a bunch of blurry squares.
Centering the subject is another critical point. Since the system will still try to fit the face into the circle, make sure that the person's head occupies the central part of the frame, and important details do not disappear to the edges. Use any photo editor on your smartphone or PC for cropping.
- 📐 Select the aspect ratio 1:1 (square) when cropping in the gallery.
- 🎨 Increase the contrast and brightness, since dim photos look worse on a darkened call background.
- 💾 Save the copy in the JPEG maximum quality format, avoiding HEIC or WebP formats, which may not be read correctly by an older version of the phone book.
If you plan to use the same photo for multiple contacts (for example, a company logo or a family photo), create a master file and duplicate it. This will save time when editing entries in the directory in bulk.
Use applications like “Photo for Contact” from Google Play - they automatically crop and scale the image to the requirements of your Redmi model before saving.
Standard setup via the Contacts application
The basic method of installing an avatar does not require installing an additional software and is available on any device Redmi out of the box. However, many users miss important nuances of this process, which is why the photo is displayed small.
Go to the application Contact and find the person you need. Click on the edit button (usually a pencil icon). In the menu that opens, you will see your current avatar or gray silhouette. Clicking on it will open a menu for selecting the image source.
Here it is critical to select the item Gallery, and not “Take photo”. When selecting from the gallery, the system will offer a cropping tool. Don't rush to click "Done". Try to bring the image as close as possible (zoom) with your fingers so that the face fills the entire preview area. The more tightly you fill this circle, the larger the photo will look during a call.
Path to settings: Contacts → Select contact → Edit → Photo → Gallery → Zoom → SaveAfter saving, required check the result by making a test call to your number from another phone. If the photo still seems small, the problem may be in the cache, which we will look at in the following sections.
☑️ Checking the photo installation
Using themes to change the call interface
The most effective way to make a photo take up the entire screen is to replace the system theme. In the theme store MIUI there are thousands of options that completely redraw the incoming call screen, removing standard restrictions on the size of the avatar.
Go to the application Themes and in the search bar enter queries like “Full screen call”, “Big photo call” or “Call screen”. Filter the results by rating and number of downloads to choose a stable product. When installing a theme, the system will ask which components to apply - be sure to select System phone or Lock screen.
Some themes allow you to adjust background transparency or add animation for the appearance of a photo. This creates an immersive effect when, during a call, the entire screen is filled with the image of the interlocutor, and the control buttons become translucent and pop up only when touched.
| Theme type | Impact on photo | Setting complexity |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (Classic) | Round window, dark background | Minimal |
| Minimalistic | Full screen photo, hidden buttons | Medium |
| Animated | Video background + contact photo | High (requires resources) |
| Custom (Mod) | Complete freedom of placement | High (risk of instability) |
It is worth considering that complex topics with video calls may drain battery power faster. If autonomy is critical for you, choose static themes with optimized code.
Third-party applications for call management
If the built-in features and themes do not satisfy your needs, specialized applications from the store come to the rescue Google Play. They replace the standard dialing interface with their own, offering advanced customization functionality.
One of the leaders in this niche is an application Truecaller or specialized call launchers like Call Screen - Background & Themes. After installing such an application, you need to give it permission to access contacts, phone and display on top of other windows.
In the settings of these apps there is often a “Photo Size” or “Display Mode” item, where you can select an option Full Screen. Such utilities ignore MIUI system restrictions and render the image as specified in their own engine.
⚠️ Attention: Installing third-party applications for calls may lead to conflicts with the system blocking of spam calls from Xiaomi. Sometimes spam notifications stop coming because a new application takes over the call interception.
Also remember about privacy. By giving third-party software access to your calls and contacts, you are trusting them with sensitive information. Carefully read the developer's privacy policy before installation.
Why do some applications not work on Android 13+?
Starting with Android 13, Google has tightened the requirements for applications that replace the call interface. Now the user's explicit confirmation in the "Default Applications" system settings is required to work, otherwise the system will forcefully reset the call to the standard utility.
Clearing the cache and resetting the phone book settings
There are situations when all the settings are correct, the theme is installed, but the photo is still displayed incorrectly. In this case, the culprit is accumulated software garbage or desynchronization of the contact database.
You need to clear the system application cache. Go to Settings, go to section Applications → All applications. Find Contacts and Phone (or System Phone) in the list. Go to each of them one by one and press the button Clear cache.
Important: Do not press the "Clear all" or "Reset" button if you do not have backup contacts in your Google or Mi Cloud account. This action will delete all entries from the phone's memory, leaving only those synchronized with the cloud.
After clearing the cache, restart the device. When you first launch the Phone application, the system will rebuild the indexes and load the latest versions of images from the gallery, ignoring old thumbnails.
Clearing the cache is a safe procedure that does not delete your contacts, but forces the system to read the image files again, which often solves the problem with the scale.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it possible to put a video instead of a photo when making a call on Redmi?
This cannot be done using standard MIUI tools. However, by installing a theme from a theme store that supports video intros or using a third-party app like "Video Caller ID" you can implement this feature. Please note that this is a battery drain.
Why were contact photos reset after updating Android?
During global system updates (for example, switching to a new version of Android), the structure of the contacts database may change. Old paths to image files become invalid. Solution: edit your contacts again and link a photo from the gallery.
How can I make the photo visible on the lock screen?
To do this, you need to configure the display of notifications. Go to Settings → Notifications and status bar → Lock screen. Make sure that “Show notification contents” is enabled and the display style with large icons is selected.
Does the phone screen resolution affect the quality of the caller's photo?
Yes, directly. On 2K or 4K screens, standard small avatars can look soapy. Using original high-resolution images (minimum 1080p) is mandatory for such displays to avoid pixelation.
Is it possible to set up different photos for different SIM cards?
No, the photo is linked to a contact in the address book, not to the SIM card. If you receive calls from different numbers, but the contact is the same, the same photo will be displayed. For different photos, you need to create duplicate contacts linked to specific numbers.