Where in Xiaomi recorded conversations: all the ways to find and extract audio files

Xiaomi’s smartphone phone recorder is a useful tool for business negotiations, interviews, or recording important information, but many users are faced with the problem of where exactly these records are stored? Unlike photos or screenshots, audio files of conversations are often hidden in non-obvious folders of the system, and their paths depend on the version of MIUI, device model, and even regional settings.

In this article, we will take a look at all possible record storage locations, including hidden system directories, cloud services, and the features of working with Redmi, Poco, and Mi on different versions of firmware, learn how to access files through a standard Explorer, ADB, and even recover deleted records using specialized tools.

Important: the search procedure may differ depending on whether you used a built-in MIUI voice recorder or a third-party app, and we will look at both options, as well as the nuances for devices with global and Chinese firmware.

If you’ve never consciously enabled conversations, but suspect they’re being recorded automatically (e.g., via services like Mi Cloud), there’s a section at the end of the article on how to check and disable hidden recordings.

Standard ways to store records in MIUI

In most cases, the recordings of conversations in Xiaomi are saved in the folder. /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec. However, this path is relevant only for devices with global or European firmware (MIUI Global/EU). On the Chinese versions (MIUI China) may be different – for example, files sometimes get into the /storage/emulated/0/Recorder/callrec.

Another common option is the /storage/emulated/0/Recordings folder, which is created if you used a built-in voice recorder to record a conversation manually (not through an automatic function during a call), and the files here are usually.m4a or.amr formats and are named by the template:

CallRecord_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_[ Phone number].m4a

• 📁 Main folder: /MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/ — Automatic recordings during calls.
• 🎤 Dictaphone: /Recordings/ or /Recorder/ — hand-written.
• ☁️ Cloud: /MIUI/Backup/CallRecords/ — If you have synchronization with Mi Cloud enabled.
• 🔍 Hidden files: Folders with a dot at the beginning (for example, /.call_records) — Requires inclusion of hidden elements in the conductor.

On Poco devices (like the Poco X3 Pro or Poco F4), the path can be simplified to /storage/emulated/0/CallRecords, especially if you use custom firmware like the Pixel Experience. Check all options - sometimes the records are duplicated in multiple places.

⚠️ Note: On some models (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro with the MIUI 13) records are encrypted and have the extension.dat. To listen to them, you will need to convert through applications like Call Recorder Decrypt.

How to find records through a standard conductor

To find records files without connecting to your PC, follow the following steps on your Xiaomi:

1. Open the Explorer app (or Files by Google if installed).
2. Go to the Device (or Internal Storage) section.
3. Turn on the display of hidden folders: click on three dots in the upper right corner → Settings → Show hidden files.
4. Check the folders in turn: MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec Recorder/callrec Recordings CallRecords

Sort files by date of change to find fresh records faster.

If there are no folders, but you are sure that the records were kept, try using a search by keywords:

call_rec


record




.m4a




.amr

Enable hidden files

Check the folder. MIUI/sound_recorder

Check the folder. Recorder/callrec

Sort by date

Use search for extensions (.m4a,.amr)-->

On some devices (such as the Xiaomi 12T), records can be stored in a secure memory area that is only available through ADB or after root permissions are obtained.

Access to records via ADB (no root)

If standard search didn’t produce results, but you’re sure the records exist, you can try extracting them via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a method that works even without superuser rights, but requires connecting the smartphone to a PC.

First, prepare the device:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version and press 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect the phone to your computer and confirm the debugging permission.

Recovery algorithm with DiskDigger (as in the example of Redmi Note 10):

1. Install DiskDigger from Google Play.
2. Launch the app and select Full Scan (requires root for maximum results).
3. In the filters, specify the extensions.m4a,.amr,.dat.
4. After the scan is completed, mark the records found and click Restore.
5. Save files to SD-map or cloud (not internal memory!).

⚠️ Note: If the records were deleted more than a month ago and the internal memory was actively used (install applications, shoot videos), the chances of recovery tend to zero).

💡

Before recovery, turn off automatic memory optimization in the MIUI settings (Settings → Memory → Autoclean) to prevent deleted files from being overwritten.

Cloud Copies and Sync with Mi Cloud

If your Xiaomi has Mi Cloud sync enabled, the conversation records can be automatically uploaded to the cloud.

1. Open the Mi Cloud app (or go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud).
2. Check if synchronization is enabled for the Records section or Recorder.
3. If yes, go to the web version of Mi Cloud (i.mi.com) and log in.
4. In the Records or Files section, find the folder with the audio files.

Please note:

• 🔒 On Chinese firmware, cloud records can be encrypted and not available for download without special software.
• 📅 Files in Mi Cloud are stored for a limited time (usually 30-90 days), after which they are automatically deleted.
• 📤 To save records forever, download them to your PC or transfer them to another cloud (e.g. Google Drive).

If sync is disabled, but you want to reserve records automatically, turn it on in the settings:

Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud → Synchronization → Records (include)

💡

Even if the recordings are not found on the device, check the Mi Cloud – they could sync automatically, especially on Chinese firmware.

How to Turn Off Automatic Recording of Conversations

If you find that your Xiaomi is recording conversations without your knowledge, you can turn it off, depending on whether the application is responsible for recording, built-in or third-party.

For the built-in MIUI function:

1. Open the phone app.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner → Settings.
3. Go to the Call Recording (or Call Recording)
4. Turn off the Automatic Recording option or Record all calls.
5. Delete existing records if they are not needed (Clear All option).

For Chinese firmware (MIUI China):

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the "Records" or "Mi AI Assistant."
3. Turn off the Microphone and Warehouse permissions.
4. Clear the cache and application data.

If the recording is conducted through a third-party application (for example, Cube Call Recorder or Truecaller):

• Open the application settings and turn off the recording.
• Check the permissions in Settings → Applications → [Application Name] → Permissions.
• Remove the app if you don’t need it.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12S Ultra) the conversation recording function is hard-stitched into the firmware and has no interface to disable it, and only flashing it to the custom version will help. MIUI Android.

FAQ: Frequent questions about recording conversations in Xiaomi