How to completely disable recording of the recorder on Xiaomi: all ways

Xiaomi’s MIUI-based smartphones feature a built-in voice recorder that can automatically record sound in the background, such as when calling or when a voice assistant is activated. For many users, this becomes a problem: unexpected audio files take up memory, and random recordings pose risks of leaking confidential information, especially for owners of Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and other popular models from 2023-2026.

In this article, you will find 5 proven ways to disable recording of a recorder, from standard MIUI settings to hidden features for power users. We will discuss how to disable background recording, delete saved files and prevent automatic activation of the recorder when calling. All instructions are relevant for MIUI 14 and MIUI 15 (including global and Chinese versions of firmware).

Important: Some methods require that you turn off the microphone resolution in system applications, which can affect voice search, Xiao AI assistant, and OK, Google functions. If you need these services, choose alternatives from our instructions.

1. Disabling the recorder through the MIUI settings

The easiest way is to use the built-in system options, which is suitable for all Xiaomi models, including the Redmi 13C, POCO F5 and Black Shark 6. The main advantage is that no root access or additional programs are required.

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Settings app (cog icon).
• 🔍 Go to the Appendix section → Application management.
• 🎤 In the search bar, enter "Dictophon" (or "Recorder" in English firmware).
• 🚫 Press "Off" (button turns grey).
• 🗑️ To clean up completely, press "Storage" →"Clear the data".

After this, the application will stop working and all background recordings will be deleted. However, this method does not block the recording of sound by other system services (for example, during calls or when using a voice assistant).

Make a backup of important records|Check the version. MIUI customized|Close all background applications|Turn off the internet (optional)-->

2. Prohibit microphone access for all applications

If you need to block audio recording completely, turn off microphone access for all apps, a radical method that will affect instant messengers (like WhatsApp voice messages) but is guaranteed to prevent any audio recordings.

How to do this:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy → Application Permissions → Microphone.
2. Turn off the switch for each app in the list (or use the “Disable All” button in the top menu).
3. For system applications (such as Phone or Xiao AI), click on the name and select Prohibit.

⚠️ Note: Disabling the microphone for the Phone application can cause failures when voice calls via VoLTE or VoWiFi. If after the changes, the sound disappeared during calls, return the permission for this application.

3. disable call recording (if the voice recorder is activated automatically)

Many Xiaomi users are facing a problem: the voice recorder automatically turns on during calls and saves conversations in the device’s memory, due to the Call Record feature, which is activated by default in some regional firmware (for example, for India or China).

To disable automatic recording:

• 📞 Open the phone application (pipe icon).
• ⚙️ Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Settings".
• 🎙️ Go to the "Call Recording" section (or "Call Recording").
• 🔄 Turn off the switch "Automatic recording".
• 🗑️ Click "Delete all records" to clear the storage.

If your phone does not have a call record, it means that the function is disabled by default, in which case, check the voice recorder settings (section 1) or use the permissions-off method (section 2).

4. Deletion of hidden audio files of the recorder

Even after the recorder is turned off, there may be hidden audio files on the device that take up space in memory, stored in system folders and not displayed in the standard file manager, to find and delete them:

Method 1: Through a File Manager

1. Open the Files app (or any other manager, such as Solid Explorer).
2. Turn on the hidden file display: click on the three lines in the upper left corner → “Settings” → “Show hidden files”.
3. Cross the path: /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/ or /storage/emulated/0/Recorder/
4. Delete all files with the.m4a,.mp3, or.amr extension.

Method 2: ADB (for experienced users)

If files are not deleted in the standard way, use the command:

adb shell rm -rf /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/*

To do this, you need to install ADB on your computer and connect the phone in debugging mode.

⚠️ Note: Delete files from the folder /MIUI/sound_recorder/ This can cause system audible notifications to malfunction, and if the alarm or alerts are gone after cleaning, restart the device.

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Before mass deletion of audio files, check their contents – there may be important notes or voice messages saved by mistake.

5. Disconnect the recorder via ADB (no root rights)

If standard methods do not work, you can forcibly disable the voice recorder using Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method does not require root rights, but requires a computer and USB-cable.

Step-by-step:

1. 💻 Install. ADB Download Google's Platform Tools. Unpack the archive into a folder. C:\platform-tools\. Open the command line in this folder (click Shift). + right-button →"Open the team window").

"Developer Mode"

• Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.
• Click on the line with the version 7 times until the notification “You became a developer” appears.
• Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable “Debugging by USB”.
• 🔌 Connect your phone to your computer and execute the commands: adb devices (you should have the name of your device) adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.soundrecorder

Once the last command is executed, the recorder will be completely deleted for the current user (without deleting system files).

adb shell cmd package install-existing com.miui.soundrecorder

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Disabling via ADB is the only way to completely remove the voice recorder without root rights. After this procedure, the application will not appear in the menu and will not be able to run even through system services.

6. Alternative methods: root access and third-party applications

If you are ready for radical measures, you can use root access or specialized utilities for deep customization of MIUI. These methods are suitable for power users, as they require unlocking the bootloader and can potentially lead to loss of warranty.

Method 1: Remove via Magisk (root required)

• 📲 Install Magisk Manager and get root access.
• 🛠️ Use a file manager with root support (e.g., Root Explorer).
• 🗃️ Go to the folder. /system/priv-app/SoundRecorder/ and delete the file SoundRecorder.apk.
• 🔄 Reset the device.

Method 2: Applications for locking the microphone

Google Play has utilities that can emulate the microphone shutdown for selected applications.

• 🔇 App Ops – allows you to manage permissions at a low level.
• 🛡️ Bouncer temporarily blocks access to microphone.
• 🔒 Permission Manager – Advanced Rights Management.

Note: most of these apps require Android 10+ and may not work on MIUI due to manufacturer restrictions.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the recorder on Xiaomi