Where to listen to a recording of a conversation on Xiaomi: official and hidden ways

Recording phone conversations on Xiaomi smartphones is a feature that can be useful in a variety of situations, from storing important business information to recording evidence for litigation. However, many users face the problem of where exactly these records are stored, how to find and play them? Especially difficult to understand if you are not aware of the hidden capabilities of MIUI firmware or have not used third-party applications for recording.

In this article, we will take a look at all the ways you can listen to conversation records on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices, from standard tools to alternative solutions, where to look for files in your phone’s memory, how to turn on automatic recording, and what to do if the Suddenly records have disappeared, and we will also reveal some hidden features of MIUI 14/15 that are not mentioned in the official documentation.

1. The standard call recording function in MIUI: where to look for files

Most modern Xiaomi smartphones (starting with MIUI 12) have built-in conversation recording, but its location and settings may vary depending on the model and firmware region. By default, the records are saved in a secure folder and not displayed in a standard file manager.

To find the recordings made through the standard Phone app:

1. Open the phone application (pipe icon).
2. Go to the Call log section (the tab with the clock at the bottom of the screen).
3. Find a call with a microphone icon 🎤 — This means that the conversation was recorded.
4. Slip on the record and select Replay.

If there is no microphone icon, check the settings:

• 🔧 Recording: Telephone → ⚙️ Settings → Recording conversations. You can activate automatic recording for all or selected contacts here.
• 📁 Storage folder: Records usually lie along the way /sdcard/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/ (You need a file manager with access to root folders, such as Mi File Explorer).
• 🔒 Protection: Files have the.amr extension or.mp3 and can be encrypted on some firmware (for example, for India).

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If the folder call_rec Try searching for records through a system search for type:audio – this will show all audio files on the device, including hidden ones.

2.Why conversation records may disappear and how to recover them

Xiaomi users often experience a situation where call records are lost for no apparent reason.

• 🗑️ Auto-cleaning: MIUI Default deletes old records after 30 days (setting hidden in Settings) → Memory. → Autocleaning).
• 🔄 Resetting: When returning to factory folder settings call_rec cleansed without warning.
• 📱 Firmware updates: After major updates (for example, with MIUI 13 on MIUI 14) the path to the files may change.
• 🚫 Regional restrictions: Call recording feature for EU and US firmware may be disabled by law.

If the records are missing, try the following steps:

1. Check the Recycle Bin in the Files app – sometimes deleted audio files stay there for 7 days.
2. Use data recovery applications such as DiskDigger or Recuva (root rights required for deep scanning).
3. Look at cloud services: if you have sync enabled with Mi Cloud, records could be downloaded there (Mi Cloud → Backups).

3. MIUI's Hidden Capabilities for Recording Conversations

MIUI firmware contains several hidden features that allow you to flexibly configure call recording. These options are not dokumented in official manuals, but work on most models (tested on Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 13 Ultra, POCO F5).

To access the advanced settings:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Enter the code ##6484## (not working on all firmware) in the search box of the call log.
3. If the code didn’t work, try an alternative way: go to Settings → About Phone and tap 5 times on MIUI Version, then go back to Settings → Additional → Special Features → Record conversations.

In the hidden menu you will find:

• 🎚️ Record volume control (separate for your voice and interlocutor).
• 📡 Choosing an audio source: microphone, speaker, or both at the same time (useful for recording hands-free communications).
• 🔄 Autodelete: Set up a record retention period (from 1 day to "never").
• 📤 Export: Ability to save copies of your records in Google Drive or email automatically.

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Hidden call recording settings are only available on firmware for China and global versions of MIUI without regional restrictions (e.g. EEA).

Caution: changing these settings can cause the phone application to malfunction. If the records are no longer saved after editing the hidden settings, reset the Phone application settings to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Phone → Storage → Clear the data.

4 Third-party applications for recording calls: TOP-5 solutions

If you don’t like Xiaomi’s standard tools (for example, because you don’t have a feature on European firmware), you can use third-party apps. We tested 15 programs and selected the best ones for reliability and functionality.

Before installing a third-party application:

Make sure you have enough free memory (records take ~1-2 MB/minute)

Check the permissions of the application (access to microphone, storage, contacts)

Disable Battery Optimization for the Application in Settings → Battery

Test the recording on an unimportant call – some apps only record your voice

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adb shell settings put global capture_audio_output 1

This will unlock both sides of the conversation for some apps.-->

5. Where records from third-party applications are stored

Unlike the standard MIUI feature, third-party applications save records in different folders, often without notifications, which can confuse the user, especially if you use multiple programs to write.

• 📂 Cube ACR: /sdcard/CubeACR/ or /sdcard/CallRecorder/ (file-form:.mp3 or.ogg).
• 📂 Boldbeast: /sdcard/Boldbeast/ (subfolders by year/month).
• 📂 Automatic Call Recorder: /sdcard/CallRecordings/ (contact-sorting).
• 📂 Call Recorder by Lovekesh: /sdcard/CallRecorder/Lovekesh/.

If you can't find the folder:

1. Open the application record and find in its settings the section of the Storage folder or the Save Place.
2. Use a file manager with a search function (such as Solid Explorer) and look for files under the.mp3,.ogg,.amr extension.
3. Check cloud services: Some apps (like Cube ACR) automatically upload records to Google Drive or Dropbox.

Important: some applications (like Boldbeast) allow you to encrypt records with a password, and if you forget your password, you can't restore access to files, they're stored in encrypted form.

6 How to listen to recordings of conversations on a computer

If you need to listen to your PC recordings (for example, for editing or transferring to third parties), there are several ways to transfer files from Xiaomi:

• 🖥️ Through USB-cable: Connect your phone to your computer. Select File Transfer Mode (MTP) In the connection notification. Go to the entries folder (see previous section) and copy the files.

Through the cloud:

Google Drive

Mi Cloud

Telegram

By email:

Through FTP-server:

FX File Explorer

For computer reproduction:

• Open.amr files in VLC Player or Audacity.
• .mp3/.ogg files will be played in any player (e.g. Windows Media Player).
• If the recording is too quiet, use Audacity to normalize the sound (Effects → Normalization).

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When sending messages via email or messengers, files can be compressed, which degrades the quality. USB-connection.

Warning: If you plan to use the recordings for legal purposes, transfer them to your computer in their original form without editing. Any changes to the file (trimming, amplifying sound) can be considered falsification.

7. Legal aspects of recording conversations on Xiaomi

Before recording conversations, it is important to understand the legal implications: In most countries, recording telephone conversations is regulated by law, and breaking the rules can lead to fines or even criminal liability.

Highlights:

• 🇷🇺 Russia: According to Art. 138 of the Criminal Code, recording a conversation without the consent of the interlocutor is allowed if you are a participant in the conversation. However, distributing the recording without consent can be qualified as a violation of privacy (Article 137 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
• 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Recording of conversations without consent is allowed if it is conducted in personal interests and is not distributed publicly (Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
• 🇪🇺 In most EU countries (e.g. Germany, France) recording a conversation without notifying the interlocutor is prohibited and punishable by a fine up to €10 000.
• 🇺🇸 U.S.: Laws vary by state, 12 states (e.g. California) require consent from all participants in a conversation.