Where in Xiaomi stored recorded conversations: file paths, backup and secure deletion

Why recording conversations on Xiaomi is not always obvious

The feature of recording phone conversations in Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones is not as straightforward as it may seem. Unlike some Android devices, where audio files immediately appear in the gallery, here records are often “hidden” in system folders or require special actions to access, the reasons for this approach lie in the privacy policy of MIUI and the limitations of the operating system.

Many users are faced with a situation where the call was allegedly recorded, but then you can not find the file. Or vice versa, dozens of unknown audio files with crypto names are found in the phone’s memory. In this article, we will analyze all possible storage locations on Xiaomi devices, including hidden folders, cloud services and features of different versions of MIUI, and you will learn how to export, restore or permanently delete these files without disrupting the system.

Note that the logic of storing records may differ depending on:

• 📱 Smartphone models (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Pro vs Redmi Note 10)
• 🔄 Versions MIUI (12, 13 or 14 – each of its nuances)
• 📁 Recording method (built-in function, third-party application or cloud service)

Official place of storage: folder MIUI/sound_recorder

In most cases, conversation records made by the built-in MIUI function are saved along the following path:

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

This folder is automatically created when you first use a call record, and the files inside are.m4a or.amr formats, and are named by the template:

• 📞 call_rec_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_phone_number.m4a — for outgoing/incoming numbers
• 🔇 call_rec_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_unknown.m4a — If the number is hidden or undecided

However, there are a few pitfalls here:

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 14 newer file sound_recorder It can be hidden from the file manager by default. To see it, turn on the display of hidden files in the Explorer settings (three dots). → «Show hidden files»).

If the folder is not available or empty, check:

• 🔧 Recording settings: You may have disabled saving in Settings → Annexes → Calls. → Recording of conversations
• 🗑️ Recycle Bin: In some versions MIUI deleted records are in /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/.trash/ and stored there 30 days
• 📱 Memory: If there is critically little space on the phone, the system can automatically delete old records

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Use Files by Google to search for records – it’s better at finding hidden folders than the standard MIUI explorer.

Alternative paths: where else can records be stored

If in a folder sound_recorder Empty, don't jump to conclusions: Xiaomi conversation records can be saved in a few other places:

The folder deserves special attention. /data/user/0/com.android.dialer/. It can store temporary records that have not yet been moved to the main folder, but access to this directory requires root rights or use. ADB-For example, to copy files from here, you can use a command to do this:

adb pull /data/user/0/com.android.dialer/files/ ~/Desktop/call_records/

⚠️ Attention: Pattempting to access /data/ without root may cause the system to crash or trigger MIUI's anti-tampering protection. Use ADB only if you understand the risks.

Search for records through MIUI system tools

If manual folder search didn’t bring results, use the built-in MIUI tools:

1. Annex “Calls»: 📱 Open the call log. 🔍 Find the right contact or number 🎧 Click on the record icon (if any) – the file will open in the player
2. Search by device: 🔍 In the conductor MIUI search call_rec or.m4a 📁 Check the results in the folders. MIUI, Recordings and Download
3. File Manager with Root Rights: 🛠️ Install Root Explorer or FX File Explorer 🔓 Provide root access (if the phone is unlocked) 🔍 Search for keywords: call, rec, voice

If records are found but not played back, the problem may be in the codec..amr files require a special player (e.g., a player, VLC or AMR To convert to MP3 Use online services like Online-Convert.

Open the conductor MIUI|Enable the display of hidden files|Check the folder. /MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/|Check the folder. /Recordings/Call/|Use search for extension.m4a or-->

Cloud Storage: Mi Cloud and Google Drive

Xiaomi is actively promoting its own Mi Cloud, and conversation records can automatically sync there.

1. 🌐 Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. 📁 Open the section "Reserve copies» → «Application data»
3. 🔍 Find the Calls or Call Recorder folder»
4. ⬇️ Download the required files (if any)

For Google Drive, the algorithm is different:

• 🌐 Open drive.google.com
• 🔍 Type:audio or contact name
• 📁 Check the Calls folder (if the sync has been set up)

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 13/14 Default records are not synced to the clouds. To enable this feature, go to Settings → Accounts. → Mi Cloud → Synchronize data and manually add “Calls” to the list.

If you have used third-party recording applications (such as Cube Call Recorder or ACR), check their own cloud services. These programs often save files in folders like /Android/data/com.app.name/files/ and may have separate backup settings.

How to safely delete conversation records

Deleting conversation records requires caution, especially if you plan to sell or rent a phone.Mere deleting through Explorer is not enough - files can remain in cache or backups.

Complete removal:

• 🗑️ Delete files from folders sound_recorder and Recordings.
• 🧹 Clean the basket in the conductor MIUI
• 🔄 Reboot your phone (this clears temporary files)
• 📱 For guarantee, use applications like SD Maid or CCleaner for deep cleaning

Removal from the clouds:

• 🌩️ In Mi Cloud: Go to “Backups» → «Management» → remove unnecessary data
• 🌩️ In Google Drive: Find files through search and manually delete, then clear the cart

⚠️ Note: If you have used recording encryption (available in some versions) MIUI For business users, standard deletion will not work, in which case you need to reset the Calls app settings via Settings. → Annexes → Calls. → Warehouse → Clear the data.

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Even after deleting files can be recovered from MIUI backup. Before selling the phone, perform a full reset to factory settings.

Recovery of deleted records

If the records were deleted accidentally, you can try to restore them, and success depends on how long it took and whether the phone was used after the deletion.

Recovery methods:

• 🔄 From the basket MIUI: folder /MIUI/sound_recorder/.trash/ file-store 30 days
• 📱 Through apps: DiskDigger, Recuva (requires root for deep scanning)
• 💻 On PC: Connect your phone in mode MTP Use EaseUS Data Recovery or 7-Data Recovery
• 🌩️ From the cloud: check Mi Cloud or Google Drive for backups

To recover via ADB (if the phone is not rooted):

adb shell "su -c 'find /data -name \".m4a\" -o -name \".amr\"'"

This team searches for audio files in the system folders, and the files found can be copied to the PC:

adb pull /path/to/found/file ~/Desktop/recovered/

⚠️ Warning: Do not save recovered files back to your phone - this can overwrite the remaining pieces of data.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi conversation records