Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face the need to save an important phone conversation for later listening or transmission as evidence. Google’s standard Phone app, which is pre-installed on most of the brand’s modern devices, automatically logs all calls, but hides the audio files themselves from the surface. Understanding the structure of the Android file system on the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS is critical for quickly accessing the right information without installing third-party software.
By default, the system hides media files deep in the system directories to protect them from accidental deletion by a user or malware. However, with an accurate algorithm for navigating the internal storage, you can find the record in seconds. In this article, we will detail the path to files, naming features and how to automatically transfer records to the cloud.
The main challenge for many users is that once the firmware update is updated, paths to system folders can be changed or blocked by access rights, which is why it is important to know not only the standard route, but also alternative ways to search through the built-in Explorer or computer.
Standard path to audio files in internal storage
To find recorded conversations, you will need access to the standard Explorer or Files, which is the system component of Android. Once you run the program, you will need to go to the internal drive section, which is often designated as Internal Memory or Internal Storage, and this is where the root structure of the folders used by the operating system to sort these applications is located.
The key directory where all records automatically fall is a folder with the name MIUI. You should find a subdirectory inside it. sound_recorder. This is a universal path for the vast majority of the company's devices, regardless of the year of release, but depending on the version of the shell, the structure may have small variations in folder nesting.
The complete path to the desired file is usually as follows: /MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/. This directory stores all audio files sorted by date of creation. It is important to note that access to this folder may be restricted in new versions of Android (11, 12, 13 and above) because of Google's security policy, so you may not see it when you connect to your computer without special permissions.
- 📂 Open the “Conductor” app on the main screen.
- 📂 Go to the root folder of internal storage.
- 📂 Find and open the folder. MIUI.
- 📂 Consistently move into sound_recorder and then call_rec.
⚠️ Attention: On smartphones with a HyperOS shell access to a folder Android/data It can be completely closed to third-party file managers, so use only a regular Explorer.
Features of naming and file formats
The system assigns each file a unique name based on the date and time of the conversation. YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM-SS, So it's easy to navigate the call chronology, like a file with a name. 2023-10-25-14-30-05.mp3 It means that the conversation has begun. 25 October 2023 yearly 14 hours 30 minute.
As for the audio encoding format, modern Xiaomi smartphones use MP3 or M4A (AAC) formats by default. These formats provide good sound quality with a relatively small file size, which allows you to store thousands of hours of recordings even on devices with a small amount of memory. In older models or under certain settings, you can find the AMR format, which takes up less space but has a lower playback quality.
Why is the recording format changing?
If you plan to transfer files to your computer for archiving, MP3 is the most compatible format. It opens on any operating system without the need to install additional codecs. In the case of M4A, it can be difficult on older versions of Windows, so it is recommended to convert them immediately or change the recording settings.
Search for records through the Dictophone application
An alternative and often more convenient way to search is to use the built-in Dictatoron app. Unlike manually wandering through file system folders, this method provides a user-friendly interface with sorting, title searching and quick listening, and the phone records here are separated from the usual dictaphone notes in a special tab.
When you start an app, look at the top of the screen or the side menu, and it should have a phone tab or a handset icon, and when you switch to this mode, you'll see a list of all the recorded conversations, grouped by contacts or dates, which is especially useful when you need to find a conversation with a particular subscriber, but you don't remember the exact date of the call.
And this interface also has a file transfer feature, so if you click three dots next to a record or you pinch a file with your finger, you'll see an action menu, where you can send a file via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, messengers, or save it to the cloud, and you don't have to copy files through a Explorer.
💡
Using the Phone tab in the Dictaphone app is the fastest way to find and listen to the right conversation without manually searching for files.
Automatic synchronization with the Mi Cloud
For those who are afraid of losing important data when a device breaks down or resets, Xiaomi offers a cloud synchronization feature.Mi Cloud service allows you to automatically upload conversation records to the company's servers. This frees up space on the internal storage of the smartphone and ensures the safety of information.
To activate this feature, you need to go to the Mi Account settings. In the "Mi Cloud" section, find "Dictorney" or "Talk Records" and enable synchronization. After that, all new records will automatically be transferred to the cloud when you have a Wi-Fi connection. Old records can be downloaded manually through the cloud management menu.
It is important to consider that free cloud space is limited to 5 GB. If you are actively recording conversations, this volume may not be enough for a long time, in which case it is worth considering buying additional space or regularly uploading archives to an external hard drive.
- ☁️ Go to "Settings» → «Mi Account».
- ☁️ Select the section "Mi Cloud».
- ☁️ Find the "Dictophone" and activate the switch.
- ☁️ Check the synchronization status in the notification.
⚠️ Note: When you delete a record from the cloud via a web interface or other device, it will automatically be deleted from your smartphone memory due to two-way synchronization.
Access to the record folder via computer
Connecting a smartphone to a computer through USB-cable is a classic way of mass uploading files, but since Android 11, Google has implemented strict restrictions on access to system folders» (MTP) folder MIUI It may not be visible in the root of the internal storage.
In this case, the system takes the path to the records deep into the Android system directory. The full path will look like this: Internal. Storage/Android/data/com.android.soundrecorder/files/Recordings/call_rec/. Attempting to open this folder through a standard Windows Explorer may result in an access error.
To circumvent restrictions, you can use the program ADB (Android Debug Bridge) or special utilities for file management, such as Total Commander with ADB plugin, running directly on your smartphone, and also helps to enable debugging via USB in the menu “For developers”, which sometimes opens up full access when connecting to a PC.
adb pull /sdcard/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/ C:/Backup/Calls/This command, executed in the ADB console, copies all the records from the call folder to the computer in the specified directory, and this is the most reliable way to back up large amounts of data without losing the file structure.
Set up recording and quality parameters
Record quality directly affects the intelligibility of the interlocutor’s speech, especially in conditions of poor signal or noisy environment. In the settings of the application, you can choose the source of sound and bitrate.
And you can also set up a record mode, automatic or manual, and when you choose automatic, you can start recording immediately after the beep, without you, and you can't lose the beginning of an important conversation because you're forgetful, and you'll have to manually press the record button every time you call.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|
| Format | MP3 / AAC | High compatibility |
| Quality. | High. | Increases file size |
| Regime. | Automatic. | Guarantees a start recording |
| Alarming | Included. | Compliance with the law on recording |
☑️ Checking the recording settings
Frequent problems and their solution
Users often experience a situation where the file was not saved or was empty, most often due to a lack of free space on the internal drive. Android can block the recording if less than 100 MB is free. Regular cleaning of the cache and deleting old files solves this problem.
Another common problem is the lack of sound in the recording, which can be caused by noise cancellation or the hardware design of a particular smartphone, in some cases, changing the position of the phone during a conversation or turning off the speakerphone.
⚠️ Warning: Recording conversations without warning may violate your country's laws. Always use the voice alert feature.
If the file itself is missing call_rec, Check the application permissions, maybe after the system update, the phone application has been stripped of its memory permission» → «Permits» → «Memory».
Transferring entries to SD memory card
MicroSD-enabled smartphones can redirect the storage of records to an external medium, which is true for devices with small internal memory, but is often hidden or absent by standard MIUI.
You can use third-party file managers with Move function to implement the transfer, but you need to do this manually for each file. A more advanced way is to use macros or automation scripts that will transfer new files from internal memory to the storage of the file. SD-card immediately after the call is completed.
💡
Use memory cards of class speeds not lower than Class 10 UHS-I, so that the recording is not interrupted due to low speed write to disk.
When transferring files, make sure that the memory card is formatted in the exFAT or FAT32 file system. The NTFS format may not be read by a smartphone without special drivers, making the recordings unreadable.