Where to look for a recording of a conversation in a Xiaomi Redmi 8 phone: all possible storage places

Have you had an important phone conversation on Xiaomi Redmi 8, turned on the record, but now you can't find the file? Or suspect that someone secretly recorded your calls? In this article, we will analyze all possible places where audio files with conversations can be stored, from standard MIUI folders to hidden directories and cloud services. The peculiarity of Redmi 8 is that recording calls here works differently than on new Xiaomi models: there is no built-in voice recorder in the Phone application, but there are alternative ways.

We analyzed MIUI 10-12 firmware (relevant to Redmi 8) and identified 5 key places where records can be saved, and we'll also tell you how to recover deleted files if you accidentally erase a record, and we'll warn you against common search errors. Importantly, Redmi 8 has disabled the default call record — it needs to be activated in advance or use third-party apps.

1. Standard Storage: Recorder folder in internal memory

If you recorded a conversation through the built-in MIUI voice recorder (Records app), the files are saved to the folder:

/storage/emulated/0/Recorder/

How to get there:

1. Open the Files app (yellow folder icon).
2. Go to the "Internal Drive" tab.
3. Find the Recorder folder, and you’ll find files with the.m4a or.mp3 extension inside.

Features of Redmi 8:

• 📁 The folder can be hidden if there are no records. Check the settings for displaying hidden files in the Files app (three dots). → «Show hidden files»).
• 🔊 Files are named by date and time: for example, 20260515_143022.m4a (15 may 2026, 14:30:22).
• ⚠️ If you don't have a Recorder folder, you haven't used the built-in recorder.

⚠️ Attention: Redmi 8 with firmware MIUI 10 Call recording via the standard Phone application does not work. To record conversations, you need to use a voice recorder manually (enable recording before the call begins) or third-party programs to record conversations.

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If the Recorder folder is empty, check the Recycle Bin in the Files app – deleted records are stored there for up to 30 days.

2. Records through the application "Phone": where to look?

The Redmi 8 doesn’t have a built-in call record feature (unlike the new Xiaomi models), but some users claim that the records are still stored — but in non-obvious places.

Method 1: folder MIUI/sound_recorder

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

This can store records made by system services (for example, when you activate the Blacklist mode), files are.amr format and short names like this. call_1589234765.amr.

Method 2: Cache of the Phone application

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Phone. → Memory. → Cash.
• 🔍 Click Clear Cache — if there were temporary records, they will be deleted. But before clearing, you can try to extract files through the Root Explorer (superuser rights are required).

3. Cloud Storage: Mi Cloud and Google Drive

If Redmi 8 is synced to Mi Cloud or Google Drive, the records could automatically upload to the cloud.

Mi Cloud:

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Check the "Reserve copies" section - if there is a "Records" or "Dictophon" item there, download the archive.
3. The audio files will be in the MIUI/Backup/AllBackup/recordings/ folder after unpacking.

Google Drive:

• 🌐 Go to drive.google.com from your account.
• 🔍 Type:audio will show all audio files, including phone records.
• 📁 Check the Downloads or Backups folder – sometimes files are saved there automatically.

⚠️ Note: If you have used third-party recording apps (such as Cube Call Recorder or Cube Call Recorder) ACR), They could upload files to their cloud!

4. Third-party applications for recording calls

On Redmi 8, most users record conversations through third-party programs.

• 🎤 Cube Call Recorder ACR — saves files /ACR/ or SD-map.
• 📞 Call Recorder – Automatic Call Recorder /CallRecorder/.
• 🔊 Truecaller – records are stored in the application cloud (available only to premium users).

How to find files:

1. Open the app that recorded the call.
2. Go to the "Records" or "History" section.
3. Click on the entry → Share → Save (the file is copied to the Download/ folder).

Check the application folder at /storage/emulated/0/|

Open the history of the recordings in the application |

Export files to Download/ for reliability |

Check the auto-deleting settings (may be enabled)

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On Redmi 8 with MIUI 11+ firmware, some call recording apps may not work due to the limitations of Android 10+. Solution: Install the app version for Android 9 or lower (download APK from APKMirror).

5. Hidden system folders and technical methods

If standard methods didn’t work, the records could be saved in hidden system directories, requiring a root Explorer (like Root Explorer or FX File Explorer) or a phone connection to a PC.

Where to look:

/data/data/com.android.providers.media/databases/


/data/data/com.miui.voicerecorder/databases/




/sdcard/Android/data/[name packet app]/files/

How to view:

1. Connect Redmi 8 to your computer in MTP (file transfer) mode.
2. Use DiskDigger or 7-Zip to scan internal memory for audio files.
3. Look for files with extensions:.amr,.m4a,.mp3,.3gp.

⚠️ Attention: Pattempting to access /data/data/ without root rights may cause system errors. Use adb pull commands only if you understand the risks:

adb shell


su




ls /data/data/com.android.providers.media/databases/

6.Recovery of deleted records

If you accidentally deleted a recording of a conversation, you can try to restore it. Redmi 8 will do this.

Method 1: Recovery programs

• 🖥️ DiskDigger (Android) scans internal memory for deleted files.
• 💻 Recuva (Windows) – connect your phone in drive mode and scan.
• 🍎 EaseUS Data Recovery (Mac) – Supports recovery from Android devices.

Method 2: Backup copies of MIUI

If automatic reservation is enabled:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Select the last copy and restore the data (Section "Records" or "Dictophon").

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The chances of recovery are higher if less than 24 hours have passed since deleting and you haven’t written new files to your phone.

7. How to prevent future loss of records

To avoid searching for records on all folders, set up automatic saving:

• 📲 Use Cube Call Recorder ACR with autosave settings in Google Drive.
• 🔄 Turn on folder sync. Recorder/ cloud-based via FolderSync.
• 📁 Regularly copy files from /Recorder/ computer-drive.

Redmi 8 also allows you to activate the developer mode and enable call logging (not recording, but saving metadata):

Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times)


Settings → Additional → For developers → Enable “Call log”

FAQ: Frequent questions about Redmi 8 conversation recordings