How to turn on the recording of conversations on the phone Xiaomi

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the need to record important details of a phone conversation, whether it’s a confirmation order, a customer agreement, or simply saving a memorable conversation with a loved one. However, after updating Google’s privacy policy on Android 9 and above, standard recording methods stopped working the way most users used to.

Making matters worse, Xiaomi’s MIUI shells and the new HyperOS are subject to strict GMS (Google Mobile Services) rules, which often hide the recording feature or remove it from a standard call altogether. However, there are proven ways to activate this option using built-in regional settings or third-party apps.

In this article, we will take a look at all the current methods available at the moment, learn how to enable native recording without installing excess software, what regional codes help unlock the function, and what to do if the standard paths do not work. We will look at the nuances for different versions of firmware and device models.

Why the phone call record on Xiaomi is missing

The main reason for the disappearance of the usual recording button is due to changes in the privacy laws and security policy of Android.Beginning with Android 9, Google blocked third-party apps from accessing the audio stream during a conversation, this was done to prevent covert surveillance, but at the same time deprived users of a convenient tool.

Xiaomi, as a partner of Google, is required to implement these restrictions in its devices sold in the global market. Global ROMs often have a software-enabled recording feature, but in China, India, Russia or Indonesia (China ROM, RU ROM), this option is often present out of the box, as local laws in these countries allow recording conversations with the notification of the interlocutor.

⚠️ Note: The use of telephone recording functions is regulated by the laws of your country. In some regions, recording without warning of the other party is illegal.

Users often confuse the lack of a button with a phone breakage. In fact, it's a software limitation. The standard Phone app may have hidden functionality that activates when you change region. It's also worth noting that on new HyperOS models, locking algorithms have become more rigid, and old methods may work unsettled.

Activation through region change in settings

The easiest and safest way to do this, without rooting or installing questionable software, is to temporarily change the region of the device, based on the fact that in some countries (for example, India, Indonesia, Russia) recording conversations is allowed and built into the system by default.

To implement this method, you need to go to the settings menu of your smartphone. Find the Settings section, then select Additional and click Region. In the list that opens, select the country where recording is allowed. Most often, users choose India or Indonesia, since this feature works most stable even on global firmware.

After changing the region, the phone interface may change slightly (local news will appear in widgets), but most importantly, the Phone application should have a recording button or it will become active in the settings. If the button does not appear immediately after changing the region, try clearing the cache of the Phone application through the application menu.

It's important to understand that changing region doesn't just affect recording calls, that you can change the set of pre-installed applications, the format of the date and time, and you can also get ads in system applications that are specific to the region you're choosing, so once you've successfully recorded the right conversation, you can bring the region back, but the recording function can go away again.

Use of the Google Phone application

On many modern Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12 and later, as well as on devices with HyperOS, the standard application for calling has been replaced by Google Dialer.This application has a built-in recording function, but it works with a significant limitation: when recording begins, both interlocutors hear a loud voice notification “Recording begins”.

If this application is installed in your phone, you can turn on the record as follows:

• 📞 Open the Phone app (Blue tube icon).
• ⚙️ Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Settings.
• 🔘 Find Call Record and activate the switch.
• 🗂️ You can also set up an automatic record of all incoming or outgoing calls.

The main advantage of this method is stability: it is recorded at the system level, files are stored in the Phone folder inside the internal memory, but the inability to turn off voice warning makes this method unsuitable for those who want to record secretly.

⚠️ Attention: Voice warning in the Google Phone application cannot be turned off without deep modification of the system (Magisk modules), which requires unlocking the bootloader and can lead to loss of warranty.

Users often try to find hidden flags in Google Phone settings to remove the notification, but current versions of the app don’t have such options.The only option is to use third-party calls, but they often don’t have access to the audio stream on new versions of Android.

Third-party applications for recording conversations

If the built-in methods don’t work or don’t work with voice notification, there is still the option of installing third-party software, but the choice of such applications is now extremely limited, most of them either do not work on Android 10/11/12/13/14, or require complex manipulation of access via ADB.

One of the few working solutions is the application Automatic Call Recorder from the developer Appliqato or Cube ACR. For their correct operation often requires granting special permissions through a computer.

The setup process usually looks like this:

1. Install the app from Google Play or a trusted source.
2. When you first start the application, ask for permission to access the phone and microphone.
3. Android 9+ often requires you to select Voice Call (audio) or use hands-free mode.
4. In some cases, you will need to connect to a PC and enter a command via ADB to provide (privilege).

It’s worth noting that third-party applications are highly dependent on the processor model and Android version, and Snapdragon processors perform better than MediaTek, and recording quality can suffer, with voices barely audible or recorded through a microphone in hands-free mode.

Comparison of recording methods on Xiaomi

To make it easier for you to choose the right option, we have prepared a comparison table of basic methods, which will help you assess the pros and cons of each approach depending on your quality requirements and secrecy.

As you can see from the table, switching from India to Indonesia is often a middle ground, allowing you to get native recording quality without voice warnings if you are lucky with the firmware version. Installing Chinese firmware gives better functionality, but carries the risk of losing warranty and the emergence of Chinese software.

Xiaomi.eu is a firmware port with translated menus and cut-out Chinese software, and it usually has a call recording feature that works perfectly, without Google’s restrictions, but installing it requires unlocking the bootloader, which resets the warranty and requires a status-specific Mi Account.

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Native recording via region change or Xiaomi.eu firmware gives better sound quality and no warnings, unlike third-party apps.

Where are the records stored and how to find them

Once the function is successfully activated, it is important to know where files are saved, and depending on the method chosen, the path to files may differ, which is critical for transferring records to a computer or backing them up.

If you use the standard MIUI app (after changing region) or Google Phone, the entries are usually along the way:

/storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec

Or in the newer versions of Android:

/storage/emulated/0/Recordings/Call

Files can have an extension of.m4a or.mp3. The.m4a format is more modern and provides better compression while maintaining quality. If you use a third-party application, it can create its own folder at the root of internal memory, such as /CallRec or /CubeACR.

You can use the built-in File Manager Explorer to access records quickly, and it often has a separate category called Records or Audio, where all audio files are sorted, including conversation recordings, and many recording apps allow you to set up cloud sync with Google Drive or Dropbox, which will save your data in the event of a phone loss.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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For maximum recording quality through third-party applications, try to turn on the "In the plane" mode during the conversation on the 2 Then turn it off so that the phone can reconnect to the network. 4G/LTE, This can sometimes improve the stability of the audio stream, but it's a risky method.