Over the last couple of years, Xiaomi has launched some extremely popular handsets in India like the Redmi 4/4A, Redmi Note 4, Redmi Note 5, and the Redmi 5. They are all excellent handsets by all means and they rightfully deserve all the praise they have been getting. However, I have had one common issue with all of Xiaomi handsets: poor proximity sensor performance.

I had first faced this issue with the Redmi Note 3 but thought that it was specific to that handset. Over the years though, I have noticed that the performance of the proximity sensor on various Mi devices is just wonky. It is simply not as reliable as other smartphones.

Numerous times I have ended up disconnecting a call accidentally or putting the other party on hold because the proximity sensor did not work properly and the display ended up turning itself on. Turns out, I am not the only one facing this issue. The poor proximity sensor performance is apparently a very common complaint among Xiaomi handsets owners. While the issue is not as bad as it was on the Redmi Note 3, there’s simply no excuse for it to exist in this day and age.

Until Xiaomi gets around to fixing the poor proximity sensor performance on its devices like the Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4, Redmi Note 5, and Redmi 5, check out some tips below that should help in fixing the issue or keep it at bay.

Read: Redmi Note 5 Pro Review

Restart Your Phone

This is one solution that seems to work for a small time. Every time I am frustrated with the poor proximity sensor performance on my Redmi Note 5 or Redmi 5, I simply restart the device. That seems to help as the proximity sensor seems to work properly albeit only for a few hours. And sometimes, restarting the phone does nothing to help with the poor proximity sensor performance. You can simply restart your Redmi device every day to ensure that the issues with the poor proximity sensor are kept in check.

Update the Software

Make sure that your Redmi Note 5, Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4/5, Redmi 4A/5A is running the very latest build of MIUI 9. I have noticed that the proximity sensor’s performance has improved greatly with recent MIUI updates, though it is still far from perfect.

Check the Proximity Sensor is Working

It is always possible that the proximity sensor on your Redmi device is actually faulty. You can check if the proximity sensor on your Redmi Note 4, Redmi Note 5, Redmi 5, or Redmi 4/4A is working properly or not from the hidden service menu.

You can access the Service menu on your Redmi handset by keying in “*#*#64663#*#*” in the Phone app. With the menu open, tap on the Proximity option from the list. You can then check whether the proximity sensor on your device is working properly or not by covering your finger with it.

If the test fails, then you know for sure that the proximity sensor on your Redmi smartphone is faulty and it needs to be replaced.

From the service menu, you can also check if other components of the device are working properly or not.

Factory Reset

If all the above steps have not helped much in solving the proximity sensor woes on your Redmi handset, your last resort is to do a factory reset. While tedious and cumbersome, a factory reset seems to have done wonders for many.

However, even this solution seems to be temporary in nature as most users report that the proximity sensor woes seem to return after a few weeks. But then, if you are frustrated with the poor proximity sensor performance of your Redmi Note 4, Redmi Note 5, or Redmi 4/5, this is your best albeit a temporary one.

The above steps should help Redmi Note 4, Redmi Note 5, Redmi 5, Redmi 4A/Redmi 5A, and Redmi 4/5 users in fixing the proximity sensor issues on their handset. The above workarounds are temporary in nature until Xiaomi gets around to fixing the proximity sensor issue for good with a software update.