Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the need to free up the internal space of the device, especially for the Redmi Note 9 model, where audio recordings of conversations can take up a significant amount of memory. The standard MIUI shell offers several ways to manage these files, but not all of them are obvious to the average user. Understanding the storage structure will help avoid the accidental deletion of important information.
The automatic call recording system built into the phone book saves files in a special format other than regular music tracks, so that the user can quickly find the desired dialogue tied to a particular number. However, if hundreds of such files accumulate, navigation becomes difficult. In this article, we will discuss all available cleaning methods, from standard to advanced.
Mismanagement of files can lead to the loss of important evidence or just valuable memories. So before starting a mass cleaning, it is worthwhile to understand the nuances of the Android file system based on MIUI. We will consider how to find hidden folders and what tools are best used for secure removal.
Removal through call history
The fastest and most logical way to remove an unnecessary record is to do it directly from the call log, which is convenient because you can immediately see which caller and when you called. In the Redmi Note 9 interface, this feature is implemented quite flexibly, allowing you to delete both single files and entire groups of records.
To start, open the Phone app and go to the call history tab, find the contact you want, or the number that usually shows a small voice recorder icon or a text tag, and click on this item opens the file management menu, and you can listen to the record to make sure it's no longer needed.
- 📞 Click on the phone number in the call log to open the details.
- 🗑️ Select the basket icon or the item "Delete entry" in the menu that appears.
- ✅ Confirm the action in the system pop-up window.
If you need to delete multiple conversations with one contact, the system will suggest selecting a date range or specific files from a list, which prevents the entire history of communication with an important client or relative from being accidentally erased, and remember that it is impossible to restore files deleted in this way by standard means.
⚠️ Attention: Deleting the recording through the call log often erases only the audio file, but may leave a text note stating that the conversation has been recorded.
In some versions of MIUI firmware, the menu may be different. If you don't see the delete button right away, try making a long tap (tap and hold) on the phone number. This action activates the highlight mode, allowing you to mark multiple contacts at once. Then a toolbar with a clean button will appear at the top of the screen.
Search and clean up through the file manager
A deeper level of file management is provided by an integrated or third-party file manager, which is necessary if you want to audit all stored audio files at once without being tied to specific phone numbers.
Open the Explorer app or Files app, and you'll need to go to the device's internal storage. MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec. However, depending on the Android version and regional firmware, the path may vary. For example, on some global versions, the folder may simply be called Recordings.
Why are the files not visible in the gallery?
Once you enter the records directory, you will see a list of files with names that contain the date and time of the call, you can sort them by size or date to find the oldest or "heavy" files, and the selection and deletion here is the same as with ordinary photos or documents.
- 📂 Open the "Conductor" application on the main screen.
- 🔍 Going the Way: Internal Memory → MIUI → sound_recorder → call_rec.
- ❌ Select unnecessary files with a long press and press "Delete".
Using a file manager gives you the advantage of being able to sort by size, sometimes one file can weigh more than others because of interference or length of conversation, and cleaning up these heavyweights will quickly make room for the Redmi Note 9.
Setup of automatic deletion of records
To avoid manual cleaning in the future, it's wise to set up automatic deletion of old records, which is built into the Dictaphone app, which manages all the audio recordings in the system, and it saves you from having to constantly monitor the memory's fullness.
Go to the Recorder app and click on the menu (usually three dots or bars in the corner). Select Settings. Here you are interested in the section related to managing records or their retention period. In some versions of MIUI, this item is called "Delete old records."
The system will ask you to choose a period after which files will be automatically deleted, which can be 30 days, 3 months or a year, which depends on how often you need to access the conversation archive. For most users, the best option is a one-month period.
| Storage period | Description | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | Automatic deletion of files older than 30 days | For active users |
| 3 months | Quarterly archives | For business negotiations |
| 1 year | Long-term storage | Only if there is a cloud. |
| Never. | Manual removal | Not recommended (overflow risk) |
It is important to note that this setting only applies to new records or requires a one-time cleanup procedure for the old dataset.Check the storage status after enabling this feature to make sure that the old files have actually started to be deleted.
Use of the Dictator Application
The Xiaomi Dictaphone app is the central hub for all audio recordings, including phone conversations. The interface of this app allows you not only to listen, but also to effectively manage the library. It provides more detailed information about files than in the call log.
Inside the app, all records are often grouped into categories. Find the Call Recording tab or folder. In this section, files are sorted chronologically. You can use the search function if you remember the date or name of the contact to quickly find the desired file to delete.
One of the useful features is the ability to rename files before deletion if you want to create a temporary archive before cleaning, and you can see the exact size of each file in megabytes, which helps you estimate how much space the deletion will free up.
⚠️ Note: When deleted through the application, the recorder file is permanently erased. The basket in this application may not function for system recordings of conversations, unlike conventional dictaphone notes.
If you use a Mi Cloud account, check your sync settings. Sometimes deleting a file on your phone may trigger deleting it in the cloud, or vice versa if the sync is set to mirror, and make sure you don't lose data that is important to your other devices.
Mass removal and sorting
When you have thousands of records, it's not effective to delete them one by one. Redmi Note 9 allows you to do mass operations. To do this, you need to activate the allocation mode in the file manager or voice recorder application, usually by long pressing the first file, and then checkboxes for the others appear.
You can use date sorting to highlight the entire array of records from the past year. Just swipe across the screen to highlight the contiguous block of files, and press the delete button. This action is much faster than working with each file separately.
☑️ Mass clean-up plan
There is also the option of cleaning through the settings of the record application itself. The settings menu often has a "Clear all records" or similar option. Be extremely careful with this feature, since it does not require confirmation for each file separately.
- 📱 Open the list of all records in the recorder.
- 🖱️ Press and hold your finger on one of the files to enter the selection mode.
- 📑 Use the "Select All" button or select the desired range manually.
- 🗑️ Click on the basket icon for group removal.
After a mass operation, the system can request permission to access the storage again. This is normal Android security behavior. Confirm the request to complete the cleanup process.
Decision and advice
Xiaomi users sometimes face a situation where records are not deleted or take up space even after deleting, which may be due to system caching or media file indexing errors, in which case a device reboot helps, which forces the system to re-scan the file system.
Another problem is hidden files. Some third-party calling apps can create their own copies of records in other directories. Check the Download or Documents folder for files with the.mp3 or.m4a extension, which can be copies of conversations.
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Use the Cleanup app in the Services folder to find duplicates and junk files that may have been left behind after manually deleting conversation records.
If the memory is filling up critically quickly, consider transferring the conversation archive to a computer or cloud storage before deleting. USB-cable, connecting the phone to the PC in file transfer mode (MTP).
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Regularly checking the folder call_rec Auto-delete settings are the best way to avoid memory overflows on the Redmi Note 9.
It is also worth checking whether the function of recording all incoming and outgoing is automatically enabled, if so, turn off the recording for contacts with which the dialogues do not require documentation, this will prevent the accumulation of unnecessary digital noise.