Where Xiaomi Stores Records of Phone Calls: A Complete Search and Recovery Guide

Why Call Records Are “Hidden” in MIUI

You turned on a call recording on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5 Pro, but now you can't find the file? This problem is familiar to many smartphone users on MIUI, Xiaomi's proprietary shell. The fact is that the system stores audio files of calls not in the standard Downloads or Music folder, but in hidden directories, the path to which depends on the firmware version and device model.

Moreover, since MIUI 12.5, Xiaomi has tightened its privacy policy: records are encrypted by default and only accessible via the Phone app. In some regions (e.g. the EU), the recording function is completely disabled due to legal restrictions, and in this article we will look at all possible storage locations on Xiaomi, including hidden folders, cloud backups and ways to restore deleted files.

1. Standard storage location: folder MIUI/sound_recorder

On most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices with MIUI up to 14.0.5, the default call records are stored in internal memory along the way:

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

The files here are.amr or.mp3 (depending on the settings) and are named by the template: call_rec_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_XXXXXXXXXX.amr, where XXXXXXXXXX — telephone number.

• 📁 How to find a folder: Use any file manager (such as Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer) and enable the display of hidden files in the settings.
• 🔍 Why the folder can be empty: If you haven’t changed your recording settings, files can be automatically deleted after 30 days (Clean Up feature) MIUI).
• 📱 Exceptions: on devices with MIUI For the global market (e.g. Xiaomi) 13T Pro) the folder may be called MIUI/voice_recorder.

⚠️ Warning: Don't rename the records manually! This may break their link to the phone application's call history. If you need to save a copy, copy the file to another folder.

2. Alternative paths: where else to look for records

If in a folder sound_recorder empty, check out these locations:

On devices with MIUI 13+ and Android 12+, Xiaomi has implemented Scoped Storage, which restricts applications from accessing shared folders, so records can be stored in isolated directories only accessible through the Phone app itself.

To check all possible paths:

1. Open Mi File Manager.
2. Enable the display of hidden files (three dots → “Settings” → “Show hidden files”).
3. Enter a request in the search bar call_rec or.

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If you're using POCO Launcher, standard file search may not work.Install Files by Google from Play Market for deep crawl.

3. How to export records from the Phone application

The most reliable way to access records is to use the built-in Phone app.

1. Open the phone application (pipe icon).
2. Go to the "Journal" section (bottom of the screen).
3. Find the recorded call - next to it will be a microphone icon 🎤.
4. Click on the record. → «Share" or "Save».

If there is no "Share" button:

• 🔧 Check the settings: "Phone» → «⋮» → «Settings» → «Recording of conversations» → «Preservation of records».
• 📎 Maybe the record is secure. DRM (Some models, such as Xiaomi 12S Ultra).
• 🔄 Restart the device – sometimes it restores access to files.

Whether the recording function is enabled in the phone settings|Is there enough space on the device?|All permissions are allowed for the phone application"|Is the phone app updated to the latest version?-->

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI For India (e.g. Redmi 10 Prime), call records can be automatically sent to Mi Cloud and deleted from your phone after 7 days».

4.Recovery of deleted records: 3 working methods

If the records are missing, try these methods:

Method 1: Checking the basket in Mi File Manager

MIUI has a built-in recycle bin where files are stored for up to 15 days:

1. Open Mi File Manager.
2. Go to the “Basket” section (dumpster icon).
3. Find files with the.amr or.mp3 extension and restore them.

Method 2: Using DiskDigger (without root)

The DiskDigger app can find deleted audio files:

1. Download DiskDigger from Play Market.
2. Select Full Scan (without root available only for non-system files).
3. Filter the results by type “Audio”.

Method 3: Recovery through ADB (for Advanced)

If you have access to ADB, run the command to search for records:

adb shell find /storage/ -name ".amr" -o -name ".mp3"

This will scan all the folders on the device. Attention: developer rights and USB debugging enabled.

5.Why records can disappear: 5 main reasons

Xiaomi users often find that call records disappear without a trace, and here are the most common reasons:

• 🧹 Autocleaning: MIUI Has a built-in garbage cleaning function that can delete old records (setting: Security» → «Cleanup»).
• 🔄 Firmware Update: After Updating to a New Version MIUI The path to the folder with records can change, and old files can get lost.
• ☁️ Cloud Sync: If backup is enabled in Mi Cloud, records can move to the cloud and be deleted from the device.
• 📵 Region restrictions: On EU and US devices, the recording feature can be disabled or operated with restrictions.
• 🛠️ Resetting: After resetting to factory settings, all local records are deleted (but can remain in Google Drive).

To prevent the loss of records:

1. Turn off the autoclean for the folder sound_recorder (In Mi File Manager, click on the folder → «Eliminate from cleaning»).
2. Regularly copy your records to your PC or cloud (like Google Drive or Dropbox).
3. Use third-party recording apps (such as Cube Call Recorder) that save files to the folder you choose.

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On devices with MIUI for China (for example, Xiaomi 13 with CN firmware), call records can be stored in encrypted form and not available without special software.

6. How to change the place of saving records (instructions)

By default, MIUI does not allow you to select a folder to save records, but there are workarounds:

Method 1: Using a third-party application

Install Automatic Call Recorder or Cube ACR from Play Market, and you can specify any path in the settings of these applications, for example:

/storage/emulated/0/Download/Call_Records/

Method 2: Symbolic link (root required)

If you have root access, create a symbolic link to the desired folder:

su


ln -s /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/ /storage/emulated/0/Download/My_Calls/

The records will now be duplicated in a folder. Download/My_Calls.

Method 3: Automatic synchronization with the cloud

Set up automatic uploads to Google Drive or Dropbox:

1. Open Mi File Manager.
2. Move to the MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/.
3. Select files → Share → Save to the Cloud.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with Android 13+ (For example, Xiaomi 13 Lite, changing the way you save records can cause the Phone app to crash.

7. Frequent errors and how to fix them

Let’s look at the typical problems and their solutions:

If none of these methods worked, try:

• 📲 Update the Phone app to the latest version in the Play Market.
• 🔧 Reset the application settings: “Settings» → «Annexes» → «Phone» → «Warehouse» → «Drop it».
• 📡 Switch to another. SIM-map (on some firmwares, the record works only with the main SIM).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions