Where Xiaomi Stores Phone Call Records: A Complete Guide to Search and Save Phone Calls

Have you recorded an important conversation on Xiaomi but can't find the file? Or have you found that the old records have disappeared after the update? The problem with finding audio recordings of calls is one of the most common among smartphone owners of this brand, the fact that the storage location depends on the version of MIUI, the phone model and even the recording method (built-in feature or a third-party application).

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible places Xiaomi can save conversation records, from standard folders to hidden system directories. You’ll learn how to find files through Explorer, why they might disappear after resetting, and what to do if the record is not saved at all. And for owners of older models (for example, Redmi Note 4 or Mi A1), we have prepared separate instructions – their storage system is different from modern Xiaomi 13/14.

1. Standard place of storage of records in MIUI

In most cases, the call records on Xiaomi are saved in the folder. /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/. This is a good way to use devices with MIUI 12 and newer, including Xiaomi 12/13/14, Redmi Note 10/11/12 and POCO F4/F5. Files have extensions.m4a or.amr and named by template:

• 📅 Date and time: rec_20260515_143022.m4a (year, month, day, hours, minutes, seconds)
• 📞 Subscriber number: If the contact is saved, the file name may display its name (e.g., the name of the file, rec_Ivan Petrov_20260515.m4a)
• 🔢 Serial number: on some firmware files are numbered sequentially (call_rec_001.amr)

To find the folder quickly:

1. Open the Files app (the folder icon on the desktop).
2. Go to the Category section → Audio.
3. In the list, find a folder. sound_recorder Or use a search by word. call_rec.

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If the folder sound_recorder Empty, check your call record settings: you may have disabled saving in Settings → Annexes → Calls. → Recording of conversations.

An important nuance: on some models (e.g. Redmi 9 or POCO X3), the path may differ - /storage/emulated/0/Recordings/Call. This is due to customization of firmware for different regions. If the standard folder is missing, check this directory.

2. Alternative storage locations: where else the system looks

If the records are not found in the standard folder, don’t panic. Xiaomi can save files in several places depending on:

• 📱 Versions MIUI: in old firmware (up to) MIUI 11) the records may have been /storage/emulated/0/Recorder/.
• 🔄 Resetting: After resetting to factory settings, files can move to /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.android.dialer/files/.
• 🛠️ Rooting: On root-access devices, records are sometimes stored in the system folder /data/user_de/0/com.android.dialer/app_callRec/ (Only available through Root Explorer).

Also check the following directories:

Critical information: If you use dual-SIM (two SIM cards), the records from each card can be stored in separate subfolders (for example, call_rec_sim1/ and call_rec_sim2/).

3.Why records go missing: 5 main reasons

A common problem with users is that suddenly records disappear for no apparent reason, and here are the main scenarios and ways to prevent them:

⚠️ Note: If you have updated MIUI Before the new version, the system can automatically clear the folder of records if they are older than 30 days. MIUI 14+.

• 🧹 Auto Cleanup: The Files app settings may include a garbage cleanup feature that removes old audio files. → Warehouse → Cleanup.
• 🔄 Resetting: When returning to factory folder settings call_rec It's not always deleted, but the path to it may change.
• 📱 Transfer to SD-card: If you saved the records on a removable drive and then retrieved the card, the files will become inaccessible.
• 🔒 Encryption: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra) encrypt records and don't show up in standard Explorer. Use Mi File Explorer with root rights.
• 🚫 Region restrictions: In some countries (e.g. the EU), recording calls is prohibited at the firmware level, in which case files are not saved at all.

If the records are missing after the MIUI update, try:

1. Install the old Calls app (APK from MIUI 12) through Settings → Applications → Install unknown applications.
2. Use backup via Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset (if enabled before files are lost).

4 How to transfer records to a computer or cloud

To avoid losing important conversations, it is recommended to regularly copy the records to your PC or cloud storage. Here are step-by-step instructions for different ways:

🖥️ Transfer to the computer through USB

Enable USB debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (7 times press)

Connect your phone to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode

Open the folder. MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec phone-on

Copy files into a separate folder on the PC-->

If Windows does not see the folder with records:

1. Install Mi PC Suite drivers from Xiaomi’s official website.
2. Enable Developer Mode and activate Debugging over USB.
3. Use it. ADB-The command for forced mounting: adb shell am broadcast -a android.intent.action.MEDIA_MOUNTED -d file:///storage/emulated/0/

☁️ Automatic upload to the cloud

Set up automatic sync with Google Drive or Mi Cloud:

1. Open Files → Settings → Cloud Storage.
2. Select Google Drive or Mi Cloud and log in.
3. Enable the option of Auto Sync audio.
4. Put the folder in. /MIUI/sound_recorder/ source.

Important: Mi Cloud only provides 5GB for free, which is about 20 to 30 hours of audio (in.amr format) for recording calls.

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Use the.m4a format for recordings – it takes up less space at the same quality as.wav.

5. Features for older Xiaomi models

If you have Xiaomi in 2018 or older (e.g. Redmi 5, Mi Max 2, Mi A1), the record storage system may be radically different.

• 📁 default folder: /storage/emulated/0/Recorder/CallRecord/ (instead sound_recorder).
• 🎤 File format:.amr only (no support.m4a).
• 🔧 Recording settings: the option is included not in “Calls”, but in “Dictophon” (Settings) → Recording calls).
• 🚫 Restrictions: on Mi A1/A2 (with pure Android) built-in call recording is not at all – third-party software is required.

For these models, the problem with memory overflow is also relevant: if the internal drive is less than 1 GB of free space, new records are not saved. Clear the cache through Settings → Storage → Clear the cache.

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi with Android 8.0 Oreo and below, call records can be automatically deleted when the device is restarted. MIUI, corrected only in MIUI 10+.

6. Third-party recording applications: where they store files

If you don't use a standard Xiaomi voice recorder, but third-party apps (like Cube Call Recorder, ACR or Boldbeast), the storage paths will be different.

If you use one of these applications, but no records are saved:

1. Check permissions: the application needs rights to Microphone, Warehouse and Phone.
2. Turn off battery optimization for the application in Settings → Apps → Permissions → Battery Optimization.
3. Some models (e.g. POCO X3 Pro) require MIUI Optimization to be disabled via ADB: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.powerkeeper

7 How to Change the Place of Records

By default, Xiaomi saves records to internal memory, but you can redirect them to the internal memory. SD-It's a map or a cloud. Here's how to do it:

📁 Retention on SD-map

For this:

1. Put it in. SD-card to your phone and format it as internal memory (settings in the Warehouse) → Settings → Formatting as an internal).
2. Open the "Dictator" (or "Calls" → Record).
3. Go to Settings. → Place of preservation and select SD-map.

⚠️ Attention: If you extract SD-You can't keep any records until you put them back in, and you can't keep any records on a class 4 or lower card, because you can have a record failure.

☁️ Automatic upload to the cloud

For automatic synchronization:

1. Install the application “Automate” or “Tasker”.
2. Create a task with a trigger New file in a folder /MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/.
3. Add the action Download the file to Google Drive (authentication is required).

Another way to do this is to use the Mi Cloud:

1. Open your Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud
2. Enable file synchronization.
3. Manually copy the folder. call_rec Mi Cloud → Files.

FAQ: Frequent questions about recording calls to Xiaomi