Where is the recording of the conversation on Xiaomi Redmi: a complete analysis

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face a situation where it is urgent to find a stored record of an important phone call. Unlike some other manufacturers, MIUI has a specific folder structure that can confuse an inexperienced user. Understanding exactly where an audio file is physically stored is critical to transferring it to a computer or backing it up.

Automatic recording is not enabled by default on all models, but if the function is activated, the system creates a copy of the dialog as soon as it is completed, the location of this file depends on the version of the Android operating system and the MIUI shell, as well as the settings of the Phone application itself. In this article, we will discuss in detail all possible ways to search and manage these files.

It's worth noting that searching through standard Explorer can be difficult with hidden system folders, so it's important to know the exact address or use specialized search tools inside the device. On modern versions of MIUI, the path to files is often hidden within the Android/data system directory, which is restricted. Let's take a look at the basic scenarios.

Standard path in file manager

The fastest way to find a file is to use the built-in Explorer app. On Xiaomi smartphones, it's simply called Explorer or File Manager. When you open the app, you enter the main menu where the main file categories are displayed, but to see the conversation records, you need to go to a specific system data storage directory.

Traditional path used in older versions MIUI (before 11-12 The version, it looked pretty simple. The files were at the root of the internal memory in the folder. MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec. If you have an old smartphone, for example, a Redmi Note 8 Or earlier firmware models, you should look for them there. Files usually have an extension.m4a or.mp3 and named by the date and time of the call.

However, starting with Android 11 newer versions MIUI, Google's security policy has changed the way we access the file system, and now it's much more complicated and deeper. → Android → data → com.android.soundrecorder → files → call_rec. In some cases, instead of com.android.soundrecorder, a folder may be called com.miui.recorder or have a similar system name.

⚠️ Attention: On Android 11/12/13/14 When you try to open a data folder inside Android, the system can issue a security alert or show a blank folder. It's not a bug, it's a security mechanism.

If you can’t find files along the specified path, you may have a third-party phone installed on your device, such as Google Phone or Truecaller, in which case the storage logic changes completely, and the files will lie in the folders of the corresponding applications, often in.ogg or.wav format.

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If the built-in Explorer doesn’t see the Android/data folder, install a third-party file manager, such as Total Commander or Files by Google, which can request special permissions to access system folders.

Search through the Dictator app

In the Xiaomi ecosystem, recording audio, including phone conversations, is often handled by the system app Recorder, which is a central repository that aggregates all audio recordings made by the phone's standard means, and you don't have to go through the woods of the file system to find recordings through this interface.

Open the Dictophone app on your desktop or in the Tools folder. At the top of the screen, you'll see a switch or tab. One of them is usually called a Phone or has a phone handset icon. When you click on this tab, you'll see a list of all the recorded conversations, sorted by date and contact.

You can do the basic things with the file here: listen, rename, delete, but most importantly, you can either find out the exact path to the file or send it, click three dots next to a particular file, or press it to highlight, then select Properties or File Information. The window that opens will show the full path to the object in the device's memory.

• 📁 Click on the icon "i" or "More information" to view the properties of the file.
• 📤 Use the “Share” button to send an entry to the messenger or cloud.
• 🗑️ The "Delete" function will clear the file from memory irrevocably.
• ✏️ Rename the file will help you find the right conversation in the conductor faster.

The advantage of using the Dictator app is that it bypasses some of the file access restrictions that can occur in a standard Explorer, and it often presents the records as a convenient list with contact names, making it easier to navigate through the archive of calls.

Automatic recording settings and their impact on the path

The location of files depends on how the recording function is configured in the Phone application itself. In MIUI, these settings can be located in different places depending on the version of the shell, most often you need to open the Phone application, click on three dots in the corner and select Settings or Call Record.

From the settings menu, you can select the mode of operation: "All numbers", "Some numbers" or "Selected contacts." If you select "Some numbers", then the records will be created only for those who are on the special list, which is an important nuance, since users often search for a record without realizing that this contact was simply not recorded.

You can also find Save to the Cloud (if supported by a region) or a recording format, some versions allow you to choose between high quality and standard quality, high quality takes up more space, but provides better speech intelligibility, which is critical for important negotiations.

⚠️ Note: If you change your phone settings (e.g. from Russia to India or the UK), the call record menu may disappear or reappear due to legal restrictions on recording conversations in different countries.

If you have changed your save settings (for example, transferring to the SD-If you have this option in your version, the path to the files will change. Instead of internal storage, the root folder will start with the root folder. SD card MIUI SD. Always check this option if you have a memory card installed.

Using Google Drive for Backup

Modern Xiaomi smartphones are closely integrated with Google services. If your Google account settings include data sync or backup, conversation records can be automatically sent to Google Drive, especially if you use a standard phone from Google, which is often pre-installed on global versions of MIUI.

You can check for backups through the Google One app or directly in the Drive app. Go to the storage menu and find the Backups section. This can show the size of the data occupied by the call records. However, direct access to files from the cloud through the phone's Explorer is often impossible without first downloading them.

To recover a record from the cloud to your phone, you need to go to the call history, find the desired call (if it is marked with a voice recorder icon), and select the option of listening or saving. In some cases, files are stored in a hidden Google Drive folder inside the file system, access to which is only possible through authorized applications.

It's important to keep in mind storage limits. Talk recordings, especially in high quality, can quickly run out of the free 15GB provided by Google. Check cloud occupancy regularly so that sync doesn't stop at the most inopportune moment.

Access problems on Android 11, 12, 13 and later

With the release of new versions of Android, Google has imposed strict restrictions on applications’ access to the file system of other applications (Scoped Storage), which means that even the file manager by default may not see the Android/data folder where the records are located, which causes panic among users who believe that the files are missing.

The files are actually still there. They're at the address. /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.android.soundrecorder/files/call_rec. The only problem is the display. To access these files without root permissions, you can use a computer. Connect your phone to your PC with a cable, select File Transfer Mode" (MTP) and follow the path through "My computer".

An alternative is to use special file managers that can request access through the system API (SAF), and when they first run a file manager (such as Material Files or CX File Explorer), they will ask permission to access the Android folder, and once confirmed, you will be able to see, copy and delete the records files directly on the phone.

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On Android 11 and later, the entries folder has moved to a deep system directory, and a standard Explorer can hide it for security reasons.

Frequent Questions and Problem Solutions (FAQ)

Users often ask questions about missing records or the inability to find them, and here are the answers to the most popular ones that will help solve the problem without contacting the service.