How to Delete a Call Record on Xiaomi: All the Techniques Work

Xiaomi phone records can take up precious space in the device’s memory and sometimes contain sensitive information that needs to be urgently deleted. Unlike standard Android smartphones, MIUI firmware has its own nuances of working with audio calls – they can not simply be erased through a gallery or file manager. In this article, we will analyze all current methods of deletion, including hidden records that are not displayed in the interface of the Phone application.

Xiaomi's feature is that call records can be stored in multiple locations at once, in the Phone app folder, in the Mi Cloud cloud storage, and in the system services cache, and if you delete a record in the standard way, but it still plays back when you search by contact, then the files are duplicated, and we'll show you how to find and clean all the copies, including those that remain after resetting.

Important: Some methods require root rights or ADB. If you are not sure about your skills, use the safe ways in the first two sections. For POCO and Black Shark owners, the instructions are also relevant, but the path to settings may vary slightly (explained in the corresponding blocks).

1. Standard removal through the application "Phone"

The easiest way is to use the built-in MIUI tools, which are suitable for records that are displayed in the history of calls and have not been hidden by the system.

1. Open the Phone app** (the phone icon on the home screen).
2. Go to the Records tab (the microphone icon in the bottom menu).
3. Find the desired entry in the list and make a long press on it.
4. In the upper right corner will appear the icon of the basket – click on it.
5. Confirm the removal in the pop-up window.

⚠️ Note: If the record is not deleted the first time (there is an error "failed to delete"), then the file is blocked by the system. In this case, try to restart the smartphone and repeat the action. If the problem persists, use the methods from the following sections.

Turn off sync with Mi Cloud (Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Sync → Calls)

Check the memory space (less than 10% can block file operations)

Close all background apps (especially messengers that may use a microphone)

Disable VPN (some versions of MIUI block file transactions with an active VPN)

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On POCO F5 and Black Shark 5, the Records tab may not be in the bottom menu.

1. Open the call history.
2. Press on. ⋮ (three points) in upper right corner.
3. Select Call Records in the drop-down menu.

2. Delete via file manager (hidden records)

Not all records are displayed in the Phone app, for example, if the call was recorded via Google Drive or third-party software, the files may be stored in other folders to find them:

1. Open the standard Files** (Blue Background Folder Icon).
2. Go to the Category section → Audio.
3. Look for files with the.amr extension or.mp3, name-named: 📞 call_rec (record-name MIUI) 🔢 phone_record (substitute) 📱 miui_call (firmware)

Delete

If the audio folder is empty, check the hidden directories:

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


/storage/emulated/0/Recordings/Call/




/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.android.providers.media/

⚠️ Note: Delete files from the folder Android/data/ If you've lost the notification sound after cleaning, restart the device.

3. Clean up via MIUI settings (for cloud records)

If you're syncing with Mi Cloud, the records can automatically be uploaded to the cloud, even if you've deleted them locally, to erase them permanently:

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Select Calls (or Call Records in newer versions of MIUI).
3. Click on Storage Management.
4. Select unnecessary entries and select Delete.
5. Confirm the action by entering a password from the Xiaomi account.

⚠️ Warning: Once removed from the cloud, records can remain in local cache for up to 24 hours to speed up cleanup:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Mi Cloud and click Clear Cache.
3. Reset the device.

Instructions:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on your smartphone: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version. Go back to Settings → Additional → Developer. Activate USB Debugging.

Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer.

ADB

adb shell ls /sdcard/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/

If the folder is empty, check the alternative paths:

adb shell ls /sdcard/Recordings/Call/


adb shell ls /data/user/0/com.android.providers.media/files/

filename.amr

adb shell rm /sdcard/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/filename.amr

⚠️ Note: Rm commands in the folder /data/ Do not delete files whose names do not contain call, rec or phone.

1. reconnect the cable to another USB-port (preferably) USB 2.0).

2. disable the antivirus (it can block debugging).

3. Install drivers manually through Device Manager (select "Xiaomi" ADB Interface»).-->

5. Reset the Phone app (if records are not deleted)

In rare cases, the Phone app can forget about deleted records and keep displaying them, which involves a database corruption, to fix:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the phone (or com.android.dialer in the list of all apps).
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the data.
4. Confirm the reset (this will delete the call history and app settings).

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 14+ Resetting the Phone app can cause you to lose your associated VoIP accounts (like Google Voice or Skype.

6. Delete records on root-righted devices

If you have root access, you can manually clear all traces of records, including system logs.

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to /data/data/com.android.providers.media/databases/
3. Find the file external.db or media.db.
4. Make a backup of the file (copy it elsewhere).
5. Open a file in a text editor (such as SQLite Editor) and find a file table.
6. Delete the lines where mime_type contain audio/amr or audio/mp3.
7. Save the changes and restart the smartphone.

Alternative method (for experienced users):

su


cd /data/data/com.android.providers.media/databases/




sqlite3 external.db "DELETE FROM files WHERE mime_type LIKE '%audio%';"




reboot

⚠️ Warning: Incorrectly editing the database can result in the loss of all media files (photos, videos, music) on the device. If the gallery is lost after the changes, restore the file from the backup.

💡

On devices with MIUI 13+, call records can be encrypted. If files are restored after deletion, turn off encryption in Settings → Additional → Privacy → File Encryption

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

Even with the instructions, users are faced with problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

If none of the methods worked, maybe the records are encrypted or transferred to backup.

1. Check backups in Settings → System → Backup.
2. Disable all cloud services (Mi Cloud, Google Drive, Dropbox).
3. Perform a reset to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Reset settings).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions