Where to look for a recording of a conversation on Xiaomi smartphones: all possible storage locations

Did you have an important conversation on the phone and now you can't find it? Or did you accidentally delete an audio file but need to restore it urgently? On Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark models), call records can be stored in several places, from obvious to well-hidden. The problem is that their location depends on the MIUI version, the device model, and even regional settings.

In this article, we will look at all the options: where exactly the conversation records are automatically saved, how to find them manually through the file manager, which applications can intercept audio without you knowing, and what to do if the recording is lost. MIUI/sound_recorder, which many users overlook – it contains backups even after resetting settings.

If you’re using Xiaomi 12/13/14 or older models like the Redmi Note 10 Pro, the instructions below will work for all versions of MIUI 12–14 (including HyperOS), starting with the easiest way to check the standard recording app.

1. Standard application "Dictophon" (Sound Recorder)

Most Xiaomi users don’t even know that their phone has a default voice recorder called Sound Recorder, which is where all automatic call recordings fall if you turn it on in your phone’s settings.

To find him:

• 📱 Open the app menu (swipe up from the main screen).
• 🔍 Enter “Dictophon” or “Sound Recorder».
• 📂 If the application is hidden, check the Tools folder).
• 🎤 Inside, you’ll see the Call Records tab (if the feature is activated).

Note: on some firmware (e.g., MIUI for the global market), call recording is disabled by default due to legal restrictions. To enable it, go to Settings → Applications → Permissions → Recorder → Allow call recording.

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If the recorder does not have a tab with call records, try updating the app through Google Play – sometimes hidden features appear after the update.

2. folder MIUI/sound_recorder inner-memory

Even if you haven’t used a tape recorder, MIUI It automatically backs up audio files in a hidden system folder. MIUI/sound_recorder It's at the root of the internal memory:

• 📞 Call records (.amr format or.m4a).
• 🎙️ Voice notes from a standard dictaphone.
• 🔄 Temporary files created when a saving failure.

How to get there:

1. Open any file manager (e.g. Files by Google or standard MI File Manager).
2. Go to the Inner Memory → MIUI → sound_recorder.
3. If there is no folder, turn on the display of hidden files in the manager settings.

⚠️ Warning: Do not delete.nomedia files in this folder! They hide entries from the gallery, but do not affect their playback. If you delete.nomedia, all audio files will appear in multimedia applications (for example, in Google Photos).

3. Cloud services: Mi Cloud and Google Drive

If your Xiaomi has enabled sync with Mi Cloud or Google Drive, the records could automatically be uploaded to the cloud, especially for Xiaomi 13/14 users with HyperOS, where cloud backup is enabled by default.

How to check:

⚠️ Note: Mi Cloud only stores records for 30 days at a free rate, and then they are automatically deleted without recovery. To avoid this, manually transfer important files to the Favorite Folder".

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4. Third-party applications for recording calls

If standard methods didn't work, it might not have been a system recorder, but a third-party app.

• 📲 Cube Call Recorder ACR (preserve /ACR/).
• 📞 Call Recorder – Automatic Call Recorder (Folder) CallRecorder/).
• 🔊 Truecaller (records are stored in its cloud, not on your phone).
• 🎧 Boldbeast Call Recorder (for root users, folder) /Boldbeast/).

To find the records:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Permissions → Microphone.
2. Check which programs had access to the microphone at the time of the call.
3. Run each of them and look for the History or Records tab.

💡 Tip: If you use Truecaller, you can only download the recordings through its web version (web.truecaller.com.

Check the microphone permissions in the settings|Open each application to record calls|Look for folders with application names in the file manager|Check out cloud-based app accounts (such as Truecaller)-->

5. Recovery of deleted records

If the record has been deleted, you can try to restore it with specialized utilities.

• 🔄 DiskDigger (works without root, but with limitations).
• 📁 Recuva (requires the phone to connect to a PC).
• 🛠️ EaseUS MobiSaver (paid version recovers audio files completely).

Instructions for DiskDigger:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Select Full Scan (for deep search).
3. Filter the results by extensions:.amr,.m4a,.mp3.
4. Save the recovered files to SD-map.

⚠️ Warning: Don't install recovery software on the same memory where the records were stored! This will overwrite the deleted data. Use SD-card or connect the phone to the computer.

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The chances of recovery are higher if less than 24 hours have passed since the deletion and no new data has been recorded on the phone.

6. Verification of system logs (for advanced users)

In rare cases, fragments of conversations can be stored in system logs (for example, if the recording is interrupted due to a failure).

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times press to unlock the developer mode).
2. Use ADB to extract logs: adb pull /data/log/
3. Look for files with the.log or.txt extension that contain the words call, record, audio.

🔍 Note: This method is only suitable for users with experience with ADB. In logs, audio is stored in encrypted form, and additional tools will be required to extract it (for example, Wireshark).

7.How to enable automatic call recording on Xiaomi

To avoid looking for records in the future, set up their automatic saving:

1. Open the phone application** (Phone).
2. Press three points (⋮) → Settings → Recording calls.
3. Select “Write Automatically” and specify contacts (all, selected or unknown numbers).
4. In the "Storage" section, select the internal memory or SD-map.

📌 Important: On some models (e.g. Xiaomi for the European market), automatic recording may be blocked due to privacy laws.

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Starting with MIUI 14, the default call records are saved in.m4a format (higher quality but larger file size).

FAQ: Frequent questions about recording conversations on Xiaomi