Where to turn on a recording of a conversation on Xiaomi Redmi: hidden settings

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face the need to maintain an important audio dialogue for later analysis or archiving. However, with the updates to the MIUI shell and the transition to Google Dialer stock interface, the standard Write button may disappear or stop working correctly, due to changes in Android privacy policy and regional restrictions that the manufacturer implements.

In this article, we will discuss in detail where to find the record switch, how to circumvent system limitations and what alternative methods exist for modern models. You will learn about the intricacies of the Google Assistant in the composition of the call and how to forcefully activate the native feature if it is hidden in your region.

Complicating matters, the settings menu may differ from firmware (Global, China, EEA) to one another, and we’ll look at universal ways to help you regain control of your calls regardless of the device model, whether it’s the budget Redmi Note or the flagship Xiaomi 13.

Native settings for MIUI calls

The first place to look for a recording feature is the built-in call app. In the classic versions of the MIUI shell, which are still found on many devices, developers left the full functionality unconstrained. To access it, open the Phone app and look at the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen.

Clicking on the menu, select Settings. You're interested in the "Call Record" section. This is where all the basic parameters are hidden: automatic recording of all incoming, selective recording of contacts or manual activation. If you see the "Automatically Record Calls" switch here, you're lucky that your version of the software allows you to use the function directly.

However, if the settings menu does not have a Call Record option or is inactive, it means that there are restrictions in your region, in which case the system blocks access to the microphone during a conversation for third-party applications and hides native tools. It is important to understand that simply updating the Phone application through the Play Market often leads to the disappearance of this feature.

It’s worth noting that in some regions, such as India or Europe, functionality is cut down more than in Chinese firmware versions. Users often try to change region in the Date and Time settings, but this rarely helps to activate hidden features in global builds.

Google Dialer Problems and Their Solutions

With the release of Android 10 and subsequent versions, Google began to actively implement its Google Phone (Dialer) application on smartphones of all manufacturers, including Xiaomi. This application has a built-in recording function, but with one significant nuance: when activating a recording, the interlocutor hears a loud voice notification “Call recording has begun”.

It is not possible to remove this notification in the standard way, as it is embedded in Google's server logic. However, many users prefer to use this option because of its stability. To check the settings, go to Phone → three dots → Settings → Call Recording. Here you can turn on automatic recording for all numbers or only for selected contacts.

⚠️ Note: When using Google Dialer, the recording of a conversation is always accompanied by a voice warning, and it is impossible to hide it without root rights or modification of system files.

There is a method of replacing the system application of the call with a version for a region where there are no warnings (for example, Taiwan or Indonesia), but this requires unlocking the bootloader and installing custom modifications. For the average user, a safer path is using third-party solutions or finding older versions of the MIUI Dialer that have not yet been removed from the device’s memory.

If you’re updated and the feature is gone, try clearing the Phone app cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Phone → Memory and click Clear. Sometimes this will return the missing menu items if the crash occurred due to an update error.

Automatic recording and selective contacts

The flexibility of Xiaomi’s recording settings allows you to not only save all conversations, but also create smart lists. This is especially useful when you need to archive dialogs only with certain services or customers without clogging your memory with unnecessary files. To set up, go to the recording menu and find the option “Select contacts to write”.

Here you can create groups or select individual numbers from the phone book, and the system will ignore other calls, focusing only on priority directions, which saves space in the internal drive and makes it easier to navigate through the archive.

Also available is the function of recording only certain types of numbers, such as unknown or hidden. This is true for those who often encounter scammers or intrusive marketing and want to have evidence of a conversation. Note that when you enable automatic recording, a file is created instantly after connecting, even if you do not hold the phone to your ear.

Remember to check the records folder periodically, as they can take up a significant amount of memory. The storage format is usually.m4a or.mp3, which provides good quality with a relatively small file size. Any standard media player is enough to listen to.

File Location and Archive Management

Understanding the Android file system is essential to quickly find saved dialogs. On modern Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS shells, the path to files may not be obvious due to access restrictions to system folders. By default, all records are stored in the device's internal memory.

The standard path is as follows: Internal memory → MIUI → sound_recorder → call_rec. In newer versions of Android (11+) file-access Android/data limited, so the Files Explorer may not display content without additional permissions. Use the built-in Recorder or Recorder app to easily view the list.

For easy archive management, you can use a built-in sorter in the voice recorder app, which allows you to sort records by date, duration or name of the subscriber, and the feature Favorites is also available, which protects important files from accidental deletion when cleaning the storage.

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When connecting your smartphone to your PC, use the file transfer mode (MTP), copy call_rec on a computer for long-term storage.

Use of third-party applications

When Xiaomi’s native tools are out of order or blocked by Google, third-party apps come to the rescue, a niche long considered the Call Recorder app – ACR – but new versions of Android severely restrict access to audio streams, and yet some programs are still able to bypass those restrictions.

The principle of these applications is to try to capture the audio stream through the audio drivers or use alternative input sources. Often require special permissions through ADB (Android Debug Bridge) or enable Safe Start mode in the special features settings. Without these manipulations, recording can only be done through the microphone, which reduces the quality of the voice of the interlocutor.

⚠️ Warning: Installing modified versions of a call or applications with superuser rights may lead to unstable system operation and breach of warranty obligations.

Popular alternatives include Cube ACR and TapeACall. Cube ACR often requires you to install a special App Connector in accessibility settings to be able to intercept calls. If an app says "sound source is not supported," try changing the recording source in the app's own settings to "Voice Call" or "Voice Communication."

Third-party solutions are highly dependent on the processor model and Android version. On older devices (Android 9 and below), they work almost perfectly, whereas on Android 13-14 they require complex settings. Always check user reviews for your Redmi model before installing.

Frequent problems and ways to fix them

Even when set up correctly, users can face a number of common problems, the most common being recording silence instead of voice, which occurs when the system blocks the application from accessing the communication channel, in which cases the speakerphone is turned on during a conversation, which allows the microphone to pick up the speaker's sound.

Another problem is that there's no record notification or it's not working properly, so if the record button doesn't appear on the screen during a conversation, check if it's hidden in the optional menu, and sometimes you have to click "More" or swipe left on the call screen to see the hidden controls.

If audio is being recorded but the file is not being saved, check for free disk space and app access permissions to storage. Android 11+ requires you to manually allow the app to access all files in the privacy settings. Also make sure that Do Not Disturb mode is not activated, which in some configurations can block background recording processes.

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The quality of the recording depends on the chosen sound source and the version of Android; on new systems, native MIUI tools work more stable than third-party counterparts.