Owners of the popular Xiaomi Redmi 8 budget smartphone often face the need to free up interior space or delete sensitive data. The built-in voice recorder feature, which automatically records calls, can quietly take up hundreds of megabytes if you actively communicate on the phone. The process of clearing the history of calls on devices with a shell MIUI has its own features that differ from standard Android.
Understanding where these audio files are stored and how to manage them is a key skill for any user: you can delete the records either one at a time after a conversation or massively through system folders. It is important to know that simply removing the number from the call log is not enough, since the audio file itself will remain in the device's memory.
Delete the recording immediately after the call
The fastest way to get rid of an unnecessary audio record is to do so immediately after a conversation is over. When you complete a call, MIUI often suggests you go to the details of the call or save it at the top of the story list, and if you notice that the record has taken place but you don't need it, you shouldn't put it off for long.
Open the standard Phone app and find the contact or number you want in the latest call list. Click on the arrow next to the number or the line itself to reveal the details. If you've recorded it, you'll see a voice recorder icon or play button next to the duration of the call.
- π± Click on the play icon to open the recording player.
- ποΈ In the window that opens, find the basket icon, usually located in the lower or upper corner of the screen.
- β Confirm the deletion action when the system requests a final decision.
This is convenient because you delete a file in the context of a particular dialogue, but if you want to clear the story from the past month, it takes too long. It's perfect for single cases.
β οΈ Note: Once confirmed, the deletion in this menu will land in the Recycle Bin, but can be restored within 30 days if you donβt manually clean the Recycle Bin.
π‘
Instant deletion after a call is the easiest way to control privacy if you notice the recording too late.
Mass removal through the Dictator app
All conversation records on Xiaomi Redmi 8 are stored by default in the system application Dictaphone, a centralized storage where audio files of calls are adjacent to voice notes. For mass cleaning, this tool is best suited, because it allows you to allocate many objects at once.
Find an icon called "Dictophone" on your desktop or in the Tools folder. When you run the app, you'll see a list of all records sorted by date. Please note that it may contain not only calls, but also your personal notes, so be careful when selecting files to delete.
To activate the selection mode, you have to press and hold your finger on any entry in the list, and then checkboxes will appear in front of each item, and you can flip through the list and select all the unnecessary files by ticking the boxes.
βοΈ Pre-deletion check
After all the required entries are highlighted, click on the "Delete" button, which usually appears at the bottom of the screen or in the three-dot menu. The system may suggest that files be deleted irrevocably or moved to the Recycle Bin, depending on how confident you are about what you are doing.
β οΈ Note: When deleting via the Dictaphone application, files are deleted from the general database, but their copies can remain in the folder. MIUI, If the synchronization is not working properly.
Cleaning through system conductor
For users who prefer to work with the file system directly, Xiaomi Redmi 8 provides full access to folders through the Explorer app, a method that is especially effective when you need to find βhiddenβ or lost records that are not displayed in standard applications.
Run the File Manager app and go to the partition that displays the device's memory. You'll need to find a folder that's called MIUI, And inside it is a folder. sound_recorder. This is where all the audio files created by the system are physically located.
Inside the folder. sound_recorder You'll find several subfolders. Phone records are usually stored in a folder. call_rec. Opening it, you will see a list of files with the extension.m4a or.mp3, named according to the date and time of the call.
Why aren't files deleted?
Select the files you don't need with a long press and select the deletion option, and the advantage of this method is that you can see the actual file size and make room more accurately, and you can immediately rename important records to avoid getting confused with dates.
Removing the Removal and Irreversible Removal
Modern versions of the MIUI shell are protected against accidental data loss, so deleted files often don't disappear forever immediately, but they move to a special system folder called the Recycle Bin, where they are stored for a certain period of time, which allows you to recover a record if you deleted it by mistake.
To finally free up space on Xiaomi Redmi 8, you need to clean this basket. Go to the Gallery app (for audio files sometimes works through Explorer) or to the storage settings, find the Recycle Bin section.
Here you will see all the files deleted in the last 30 days, you can select specific call records or use the "Clear All" button, and after this procedure, it will be impossible to restore data using standard methods.
- β»οΈ Open the Explorer app and find the "Basket" section in the menu.
- ποΈ Click on the βClearβ button or highlight specific files.
- π Confirm the irrevocable deletion, knowing that you can not return files.
Cleaning the cart regularly is a good habit for keeping your phoneβs memory in order, especially for the Redmi 8, which can quickly fill up with media.
Set up automatic recording and disable it
Before you delete gigabytes of records, you should consider whether you need to record every call. On Xiaomi Redmi 8, the automatic recording feature can be enabled by default or activated for certain contacts. Disabling this feature will prevent the accumulation of excess debris in the future.
Open the Phone app and click the menu button (three dots or gears). Select Record settings. Here you will see the Record Calls switch. If it is active, the phone will save every conversation you have.
You can flexibly configure this feature: leave automatic recording only for selected numbers or turn it off completely, and this menu often provides a setting for recording quality and file format, which affects the space occupied.
β οΈ Warning: Disabling the recording function will not delete existing files, it will only stop creating new ones.
π‘
Use the "Record of Selected Numbers" feature if you only need to save conversations with your bank or customer service, ignoring personal conversations.
Table: Comparison of removal methods
To make it easy to choose the best way to clean your Xiaomiβs call history, weβve prepared a comparison table that will help you quickly navigate which tool to use depending on your goal.
| Method | Speed of operation | Convenience | Risk of error |
|---|---|---|---|
| After the call. | Tall. | High. | Low. |
| Application Dictator | Medium | High. | Medium. |
| Conductor(s) | Low. | Average. | High-pitched |
| Cleaning the basket | Tall. | Low. | critical |
As you can see from the table, removal immediately after a conversation is best for one-off actions. If you need a general cleaning, the Dictaphone application will be the most balanced solution. Using Conductor requires more care, since there is a risk of removing the system sounds.
Files deleted through Explorer bypassing the Recycle Bin (for example, using Shift+Delete on a PC when connecting a cable) are not recoverable.