Users of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones often encounter a situation where, when there is an incoming call, the contact is displayed in a small round window, and the rest of the display is occupied by a blurred background or remains black. This is standard behavior of the shell MIUI and new HyperOS, which many find inconvenient, especially on modern widescreen screens.
The desire to see a full-length or close-up photo of the subscriber is quite understandable, as this simplifies the identification of the caller. However, by default the system limits the display area of the avatar so as not to overlap the reply and additional information buttons. Fortunately, there are several proven ways to get around this limitation and customize the display of contacts to your liking.
In this article we will look in detail at how to take a full-screen call photo for Android Redmi, using both built-in system tools and third-party applications. You will learn why black bars appear on the sides and how to properly prepare the image so that it occupies the entire usable display area during a call.
Features of displaying contacts in MIUI and HyperOS
Xiaomi shells have a specific algorithm for processing contact images. The system automatically crops the photo into a circle or oval, ignoring the edges of the photo. This is done to maintain a unified visual style of the interface, but often leads to the fact that important details of the photo are outside the visible area.
Crop algorithm (cropping) depends on the firmware version and device model. Older versions Android used a square format, while modern versions strictly follow the mathematical proportions of a circle. If your source image does not meet these proportions, the system will either stretch it or crop the excess.
In addition, there is a concept screen resolutions. If the photo is low resolution, it may appear grainy and blurry when stretched across the entire display. Therefore, it is important to use high-quality sources so that when scaling, the detail of a face or object in the photo is not lost.
⚠️ Attention: Some themes downloaded from the theme store may forcefully change the call screen style, ignoring your settings. If after changing the photo it is not displayed correctly, try temporarily switching to the standard theme.
It is also worth considering that the pixel density (PPI) is different on different Redmi models. What looks good on a budget Redmi Note may look different on a flagship Xiaomi 13 or 14 due to different screen diagonals and aspect ratios.
Use original photos in JPG or PNG format with a resolution of at least 1080x1920 pixels for the best display quality on modern screens.
Image preparation: format and proportions
Before installing an avatar, you need to properly prepare the file. The standard screen of modern smartphones has an aspect ratio of 19:9 or 20:9. In order for the photo to take up the entire screen without black margins, it needs to be cropped exactly to these parameters.
Using the built-in gallery editor is often not enough, since it offers standard aspect ratios of 4:3 or 16:9. To get the perfect result, it is better to use specialized framing applications or online services. This will avoid automatically adding frames or distorting facial geometry.
- 📐 Use a 9:16 (vertical) aspect ratio to completely fill the screen.
- 🖼️ Make sure the face or main subject is in the center of the frame with some margin around the edges.
- 💾 Save the file at a high resolution quality, avoiding strong compression.
If you do not want to crop the photo manually, you can use the "Portrait" function in the camera or editors like Snapseed. They allow you to highlight an object and blur the background, which visually approximates the effect of a full screen, even if the photo does not fill every pixel of the display.
Therefore, after editing, it is better to resave the file as a new one in order to reset the thumbnail cache in the system. This ensures that the phone will take exactly the version of the file that you prepared.
Standard installation method through the Contacts application
The simplest method, available to every user without installing additional software, is to use the standard "Contacts" application. However, there are nuances here that many are not aware of. Simply selecting a photo from the gallery is not enough - you need to correctly confirm the display area.
Go to the application Contact and find the desired subscriber in the list. Click on his name to open the card. At the top of the screen you will see the current placeholder or small photo. Click on the editing icon (pencil) or directly on the photo area.
The system will prompt you to select the image source: take a photo with a camera or select from the gallery. After selecting a photo, the cropping interface will open. This is where many people make the mistake of immediately clicking “Done.” Instead, you need to use your finger to change the selection area, stretching the frame to the maximum.
Path to settings: Contacts → Select contact → Edit → Photo → Select area → SavePay attention to the round frame when editing. Try to fit as much useful photo space into it as possible. If the photo is vertical, the system may suggest rotating it - agree if this helps fill the circle better.
☑️ Correct installation of the avatar
Use of third-party dialers (Dialer)
If standard If you are absolutely not satisfied with the interface and want a real full-screen mode with beautiful animations, the best solution would be to install an alternative calling application. Such apps completely replace the native call interface.
A popular solution is the application True Phone Dialer & Contacts. It allows you to flexibly customize the appearance of the incoming call screen. In the application settings, you can choose the style of displaying the photo: from a small circle to a full background with shading.
After installing such an application, the Android system will ask for permission to use it as the default app for calls. You must agree, otherwise the new interface will not be activated. You will also need to give access to contacts and call log.
| Application | Interface type | Full screen photo capability | Setting up complexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native MIUI Dialer | Standard | Partial (circle/oval) | Low |
| True Phone | Custom | Full (background + photo) | Medium |
| EXDialer | Retro/Classic | Full (themes) | High |
| Call UI Customizer | Modifier | Depends on theme | High |
Using third-party compositors has one drawback: they can consume a little more battery power in the background, since they must constantly monitor the state of the line. However, visual comfort for many users outweighs this minus.
What to do if a third-party compositor is not installed by default?
Go to Settings → Applications → Manage applications → Three dots at the top right → Default applications → Phone. If there is no choice there, clear the data from the native Phone and Contacts application, then try again.
Solving the problem with black fields and stretching
A common problem when installing a photo is the appearance of black bars at the top and bottom or on the sides. This occurs due to a mismatch between the screen and image proportions. The Redmi screen is usually elongated, and the photo can be more square.
To remove black fields, it is not enough to simply stretch the photo in the contact editor. You need to use the Fill function instead of Fit. In some launchers and themes, this setting is hidden in deep menus.
Try this trick: add solid-color fields to your photo in the same color as the call screen background (usually black or a blurry photo color). Visually, the borders will disappear and the photo will appear larger. This is an old design trick that works in Android.
⚠️ Attention: Shell interfaces are constantly updated. What worked in MIUI 12 may be changed in MIUI 14 or HyperOS. If the menu has changed, look for similar items in the “Call Screen” or “Design” sections.
Another option is to use live wallpapers or special themes that adjust the background to the contact’s avatar. In the Xiaomi theme store, search for "Full screen caller" or "Photo caller" to find ready-made solutions that do not require manual configuration of each contact.
The main reason for black fields is the difference in the aspect ratio of the screen (20:9) and the photo (4:3 or 1:1). The solution lies in preliminary cropping the image to a vertical format.
Additional settings and troubleshooting
Sometimes a photo is installed, but it does not appear on the call screen or is displayed incorrectly. This could be due to permissions or system cache. Check if the Contacts app has permission to read the storage.
Go to Settings → Applications → All applications → Contacts → Permissions. Make sure access to memory and phone is allowed. Without this, the system will not be able to load an image from the gallery at the time of the call.
If the problem persists, try clearing the cache of the "Phone" and "Contacts" applications. Don't worry, this won't delete your numbers, but it will reset temporary thumbnail files that may have become corrupted. After cleaning, reboot your device.
- 🔄 Reboot your smartphone after installing new photos to update the cache.
- 📂 Check if you have moved the original photo to another folder or cloud.
- 🚫 Turn off the power saving mode if it blocks the background processes.
In rare cases, the problem lies in the file format. Some specific formats (for example, HEIC from iPhone or WebP) may not be processed correctly by older versions of the gallery on Redmi. Convert such photos to a standard JPG before installation.
Why does the photo disappear after a reboot?
This often happens if the photo is stored on an SD card that mounts slowly at startup. Move all contact images in the phone's internal memory to the DCIM or Pictures folder.
Why does full screen photo not work on some Redmi models?
This may be due to hardware limitations of the processor or a specific firmware version where the developers have disabled this feature to optimize performance. Also, some budget models have a simplified version of the call interface.
Is it possible to set a video instead of a photo for a call?
This is not possible using standard MIUI tools. However, there are third-party apps like "Video Live Caller" that emulate the call screen and play video when a call comes in. This requires more battery resources.
How to return the standard call view if everything is ruined?
Go to the settings of the "Phone" application, find the "Incoming call screen" item and select the "Default" option. If you installed a third-party compositor, simply uninstall it or change the default application in the system settings.
Does the Android version affect the quality of photo display?
Yes, newer versions of Android (12, 13, 14) have improved image rendering algorithms and support for high resolutions. On older versions (Android 9-10), photos may look less clear when stretched.