Where on Xiaomi with MIUI 12 is stored call records: hidden folders and access methods

Have you turned on a conversation record on your Xiaomi with a MIUI 12 shell, but can't find the saved file? Or suddenly found that old records were missing without a trace? The problem with finding audio recordings of calls is one of the most common among smartphone users of the brand. The fact is that MIUI 12 uses a non-standard storage structure, and some system applications (for example, a standard Phone) hide files in secure directories.

In this article, we’ll look at all possible storage locations, from obvious folders in internal memory to hidden system directories that require additional manipulation, and you’ll also learn why records can be automatically deleted after 30 days (yes, that’s a feature). MIUI!), How to transfer them to a memory card and what to do if the files of Suddenly disappeared after the system update. POCO base MIUI 12 and newer.

1. Standard location of records in MIUI 12

By default, the MIUI 12 shell stores call records in a folder, the path to which depends on the firmware version and regional settings.

• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/ — It's a standard directory for most devices, and it's sorted by date in a format. YYYY-MM-DD.
• 🎤 /storage/emulated/0/Recordings/Call/ — An alternative path that appears if you use a third-party recording app (e.g. Cube Call Recorder).
• 📱 /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.android.providers.media/ — rare case where records are saved in the media provider of the system.

To open these folders, use any file manager (such as the built-in MI File Manager or Solid Explorer). If the folder is not, don't panic: it may be that the records are stored elsewhere (more on this below) or the recording function is disabled in the settings.

Important! MIUI 12 The file file has the.amr extension or.mp3 and are named by pattern: Call_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_XXXXXXXXXX.amr, where XXXXXXXXXX — This is the phone number of the subscriber. If you see files with these names, but you can't reproduce them, try renaming the extension as a name.mp3 or use a player that supports AMR-format, VLC).

2. Hidden system folders: how to access

If you don't have records in standard directories, check hidden system folders. MIUI 12 can save audio files in secure directories that don't show up without enabling debugging or root rights. Here's how to find them:

1. Enable the display of hidden files in the file manager: Open MI File Manager, tap three points (⋮) → Settings → Show hidden files.
2. Check the folders: 🔍 /data/user/0/com.android.dialer/files/ — Temporary records can be stored here if the function is activated through call settings. 🔍 /data/data/com.miui.voiceassist/files/ — directory of voice assistant, which sometimes gets records.

⚠️ Attention: Access to folders /data/ requires root rights or use ADB-Without them, you'll see a message that says "No access" or "Folder is empty." If you're not ready to root, skip this step and check the other ways below.

💡

To quickly find entries by date, use a search in the file manager for a keyword "Call_" (It saves time if you have a lot of folders.

3.Why records disappear: automatic cleanup in MIUI

Many users experience calls being self-deleted after 30 days, not a bug, but a feature of MIUI 12, which is designed to save space, and the shell considers the audio files temporary and cleans them on schedule, to turn off autodeleting:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Phone app (or Call Record if installed separately).
3. Slip on the Warehouse → Clear data → uncheck the box from Automatic cleanup.

If this item is missing, your version of MIUI uses a different mechanism, and the alternative is to manually transfer the records to another folder (like Downloads) or to a memory card.

Select files in the folder call_rec|Copy them in. /storage/emulated/0/Downloads/|Rename the files for convenience (optional)|Remove the originals from the system folder (optional)-->

⚠️ Attention: Some firmware MIUI 12 (especially in the Chinese region) completely block access to recording calls without root rights. If you see a notification "Recording is forbidden", check the phone's regional settings or install a third-party application to record calls.

4. Alternative methods of recording and storage

If the built-in MIUI 12 feature doesn’t suit you (for example, due to automatic removal or poor sound quality), consider third-party applications. They offer more options: format selection, cloud backup, and no storage limits.

To avoid conflicts with the built-in MIUI function, disable the standard entry before installing a third-party application:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Phone → Permissions.
2. Turn off the permission of Recording audio for the Phone application.

5. Recovery of deleted records

If the records are gone, don't panic, and in the first 24 to 48 hours after deleting, you can restore them with specialized utilities.

1. Stop using your phone – new data can overwrite deleted files.
2. Connect the device to the PC and use the programs: 🛠️ DiskDigger (free version only searches for photos, but plugins support audio). 🛠️ Recuva (works with internal memory through the ADB). 🛠️ EaseUS MobiSaver (specializes in mobile devices).

/data

⚠️ Note: Recovery from internal memory Xiaomi without root rights has limitations. If the records were deleted more than a week ago, the chances of success are minimal:

• Use the aircraft mode during the scan.
• Do not save recovered files to the same drive (preferably on a PC or memory card).

6. Transfer of records to a memory card or cloud

To free up space in internal memory and protect records from accidental deletion, transfer them to the SD-map or cloud storage. MIUI 12 allows you to do it manually or automatically.

Manual transfer:

1. Open the MI File Manager and go to the entries folder (see Section 1).
2. Select files, tap more. → Copy.
3. Move to the /storage/XXXX-XXXX/ (where XXXX-XXXX — ID yours SD-maps and insert files.

Automatic transfer (for third-party applications):

For example, on Cube Call Recorder:

1. Open the application settings.
2. Select the Warehouse → The Conservation folder.
3. Show the way to SD-map: /storage/XXXX-XXXX/CubeBackup/.

For cloud backup, you will be able to:

• ☁️ Google Drive (autoboot folder through the Autoboot app).
• ☁️ Mi Cloud (in Xiaomi settings, enable Recordings folder sync).
• ☁️ Dropbox or Yandex Disk (manual download via file manager).

💡

SD-The card must be formatted as internal memory (in the storage settings), otherwise some applications will not be able to write files to it.

7.Recording problems on specific Xiaomi models

Some devices on MIUI 12 have unique bugs or limitations, and the most common ones are:

If your model is not listed but there is a problem, check:

• 🔄 System updates - in new versions MIUI bugs are often corrected.
• 📱 Regional firmware - Chinese versions MIUI Can block the recording (solution: change region to Global via Fastboot).
• 🎧 Microphone settings - in Settings → Sound. → Call quality select HD-voice for best recording.

FAQ: Frequent questions about recording calls to Xiaomi