Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the need to find a specific conversation that was recorded earlier. The standard “Bell” interface allows you to listen to the audio recording right in history, but access to the files themselves for forwarding or copying to the computer is hidden in the depths of the file system, this is done to protect user data and optimize the operation of the MIUI or HyperOS operating system.
Understanding the structure of Android folders is essential for every smartphone owner who wants to manage their digital archive. Unlike older versions of Android, modern Xiaomi shells have strict restrictions on access to system directories. Record files are no longer on the surface, and finding them will require knowing the exact path or using specialized file management tools.
In this article, we will take a look at all possible audio storage locations, how to extract audio data, and how to manage access rights. You will learn how to change the standard behavior of the system so that records are stored in a convenient place for you, and what to do if the desired file is lost in sight.
Standard path in file manager
So let's start with the most obvious and common place where, by default, the system stores all the audio recordings of conversations. MIUI And the new HyperOS directory structure has been changed to comply with Google's security policies./MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec. This is where all the recordings made through the standard “Phone” application are accumulated».
However, simply opening this folder may not be enough if you don’t have superuser rights or special access to system files. On Android 11 and above, access to the Android/data folder and some system partitions is limited to third-party applications. So a standard explorer can show you a list of files, but won’t let you copy or move them without additional permissions.
Why can a folder be empty?
For a comfortable work with files, it is recommended to use the built-in Explorer app from Xiaomi, as it has the necessary system privileges. In third-party managers such as Total Commander or Files by Google, you can encounter an access error or see an empty directory, which often leads users astray.
- 📁 Open the “Conductor” app on the main screen.
- 📁 Go to the section "Internal Storage).
- 📁 Find and open a folder with the name MIUI.
- 📁 Inside, find the directory. sound_recorder, then call_rec.
It is important to note that the files here have a specificity, often representing the date and time of the call in YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM-SS.mp3 or.m4a format. Finding a specific file manually can take a long time if you have accumulated a large archive over several years.
Automatic recording settings in MIUI and HyperOS
Before you search for files, make sure that the recording function is activated and configured correctly at all. On Xiaomi phones, this functionality is built deep into the Phone system app. To get to the desired menu, open the call app and click on the gear icon or three dots in the upper right corner, then select Settings.
You're interested in the settings menu, which is called Call Recording, where you can automatically record all incoming and outgoing calls, or select only certain numbers, which is a critical parameter, because without activating it, files will not be created, and there will be nothing to search in the phone's memory.
☑️ Checking the recording settings
There is a nuance with regional settings: In some versions of the firmware for the European region (Global ROM), the native recording function may be hidden or blocked due to privacy laws, in which case you will not find the "Record Calls" item in the settings menu, and you will not be able to record the conversation with standard means.
- 📞 Go to the phone app».
- 📞 Click on three dots in the corner of the screen.
- 📞 Select "Settings» → «Call recordings».
- 📞 Activate the "Auto Shooting" switch».
You can also choose a save format from this menu, and you can usually choose between MP3 and AAC. AAC format provides better sound quality with a smaller file size, which is the preferred option for most space-saving users.
Alternative Pathways and Third-Party Applications
If you don’t use a standard Xiaomi phone, but you have installed a Google Phone or a third-party recorder like Call Recorder (ACR), the path to files will be completely different. Third-party applications often create their own folders at the root of internal memory or in the Android/data directory.
Applications installed from the Play Market store are characterized by storing data in hidden folders. For example, Google Phone can store records in the Recordings/Call folder or in cloud storage if synchronization is enabled, which creates confusion when a user searches for files in a standard MIUI folder and they are located elsewhere.
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Use extension search. Instead of wandering through folders, open the file manager, select a search, and type in ".mp3" or ".m4a." Sort the results by date to find fresh entries.
The most important thing to note is the Call Recorder app, ACR, which is one of the most popular solutions, and it has its own interface and file structure, and the path to files is usually like Internal Memory/ACR. Inside this folder, files can be further sorted by date or contact, depending on the settings of the application itself.
| Annex | The path to files | Default format | Access without Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIUI Dialer | /MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec | MP3 / AAC | Yes. |
| Google Phone | /Recordings/Call | M4A | Yes. |
| Call Recorder ACR | /ACR | MP3 / WAV | Yes. |
| Cube ACR | /Cube ACR | MP4 / AMR | Yes. |
Remember that when using third-party apps on Android 10 and above, you may have problems accessing the microphone during a call due to system limitations. In such cases, recording can be conducted only from one channel or not at all, which requires additional configuration of special features (Accessibility).
Access problems for Android 11, 12, 13 and 14
With the release of new versions of Android, Google has implemented strict restrictions on file system access, known as Scoped Storage, which means that apps can’t just read and write to any folder, especially the system partitions where call records are stored, which in practice translates into the file manager being able to show files but refusing to copy them.
To circumvent these restrictions on Xiaomi smartphones, you often need to provide special permissions through the Access to Data menu or use the SAF (Storage Access Framework) protocol. When you first try to copy a file from the system folder, the system can redirect you to a special window where you need to confirm access to the root directory.
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On Android 13+, access to folders inside Android/data is completely closed to third-party file managers without using special methods or root rights.
If standard conductor fails, you can try a method of connecting your smartphone to your computer in file transfer mode (MTP). The computer often has higher privileges to read the contents of the phone's memory than the apps inside the Android itself, which allows you to copy the desired audio files to the hard drive without unnecessary dancing with a diamond.
In some cases, cleaning the Explorer app cache or resetting it helps. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Memory → and click Clean. This won’t delete your files, but can fix directory display errors.
Recovering Deleted Records of Conversations
The situation where an important recording of a conversation has been accidentally deleted is common. Fortunately, there are several layers of data protection in the Xiaomi ecosystem. First of all, check the shopping cart in the Dictophone or Sound Recording app. Deleted files often get there and are stored for 30 days before final erasure.
If the cart is empty, the next step is to check the cloud services, if you have sync with Xiaomi Cloud or Google Drive, a copy of the file could be saved there automatically, go to your account settings and check the sections associated with the voice recorder or data backup.
⚠️ Warning: Do not write new data to your phone immediately after deleting an important file. New information can overwrite the memory sectors where the deleted audio file was physically located, making recovery impossible even with special programs.
For deep search, you can use specialized computer-assisted recovery software, programs like DiskDigger (requires root for deep scanning) or Dr.Fone can find file remnants, but the effectiveness of such methods on modern smartphones with encryption is extremely low without superuser rights.
- 🔍 Check the basket in the application "Dictophon».
- 🔍 Log in to Xiaomi Cloud (i.mi.com) via browser.
- 🔍 Check the cart in Google Photos or Google Drive.
- 🔍 Use PC software to recover if the file is critical.
Archive transfer and backup
Regular backup of call records is a good practice, especially if you use your phone for work calls. The most reliable way is to set up automatic uploads to the cloud. The Dictophone app on Xiaomi has a cloud sync feature that you need to activate in your account settings.
For manual transfer of a large amount of data, it is best to connect the phone to the computer through USB-Cable. Select "File Transfer" mode» (MTP) In the connection notification, copy the entire folder. call_rec It takes less time than transferring each file separately through messengers.
How do you automate the backup?
If you're planning to change your smartphone, remember to migrate these files. Just tossing them to the same folder on a new device may not be enough if the Android versions don't match. It's better to save them in a separate folder on the new phone and play them through any media player so as not to disrupt the structure of the new firmware's system files.
⚠️ Note: When transferring files to another phone, make sure that the audio formats are supported by the new system. Old.amr recordings may not play on new devices without installing an additional codec or player.
You can also configure the synchronization of the record folder with the service Google Drive or Yandex.Disk through their official applications, adding a folder MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec This will ensure the safety of the data even in the event of loss or failure of the device.