How to find and listen to phone conversations on Xiaomi Redmi 8

Have you accidentally deleted an important conversation, or want to make sure that the call recording feature on Xiaomi Redmi 8 really works? In this article, we will examine all possible ways to find stored audio files, from standard folders to hidden system directories, and also tell you what to do if the records suddenly disappear or the phone does not see them.

Redmi 8, codenamed olive, was released in 2019 with MIUI 10/11, and its call recording capabilities depend on the firmware version and regional restrictions, for example, in some countries this feature is disabled by law, but even if you didn't manually enable recording, the system could save fragments automatically, which is something that few people know.

Important: Before searching for records, check to see if antivirus or memory cleaner (such as Security or Cleaner in MIUI) blocks them.

1. Standard place of storage of records in MIUI

If you used the built-in call recording feature, the files should be in the folder. MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec. The way to her:

Internal memory → MIUI → sound_recorder → call_rec

The files are formatted.m4a or.amr and names of the species CallRecord_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS. To see them:

• 📁 Open the Files app (yellow folder icon).
• 🔍 In the search box, enter call_rec — The system will find the folder automatically.
• 🎧 To listen, tap the file - a standard player will open. MIUI.
• 📤 To copy the record on the PC, connect the phone to USB file transfer (MTP).

Problem: If the folder is empty but you're sure it was recorded, check the settings of the Phone app. In some versions of MIUI, files are saved to the Mi Cloud automatically - more on that.

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If the folders call_rec No, try searching by file extension: enter in the search bar.m4a or.

2. How to enable call recording if the function is disabled

On Redmi 8, the recording of conversations can be hidden due to regional restrictions.

1. Open the phone application (green handset).
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → Settings.
3. Select the Conversation Record (if there is no item, go to the method below).
4. Activate the switch and select which calls to record: 📞 Incoming 📱 Outgoing 🔄 All right.

If there's no record, your version of MIUI doesn't support it.

• 🔄 Update the firmware to the latest version (in Settings) → The phone. → Updating the system).
• 🌍 Change the region of the phone to India (where the feature is allowed) via Settings → Additionally. → Region.
• 📱 Install a third-party recording app (e.g. Cube Call Recorder) ACR Call Recorder - Automatic).

3.Search for records in the Mi Cloud cloud

If the phone was synced to Mi Cloud, the records could be automatically uploaded to the cloud to find them:

1. Open your Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud
2. Make sure the synchronization switch is active.
3. Slip on the call records (if there is no item, then synchronization is disabled).
4. Select the desired file and click Download.

Important: Files in Mi Cloud are only stored for 30 days if you have a free account (5GB) and then deleted without recovery.

If there are no records in the cloud, but you are sure they were, check the Mi Cloud Recycle Bin:

Mi Cloud → Cart → Filter by type → Audio

4. Recovery of deleted records

If the records are missing after resetting or cleaning the memory, you can try to restore them using specialized programs.

• 🖥️ DiskDigger (for recovery from internal memory).
• 📱 GT Recovery (works without root rights).
• 💻 Recuva (if you connect your phone to your PC in storage mode).

Instructions for DiskDigger:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Start the scan (select Audio in the filters).
3. After completion, mark the desired files and click Restore.
4. Save them to the cloud or on the SD-card (not in internal memory!).

⚠️ Warning: Do not install recovery software on the same memory as the files that were deleted.

If the records were on SD-connect it to the PC via the card reader and use Recuva:

1. Select the file type: Audio.


2. Specify the path to the SD- map.




3. Run a deep scan (Deep Scan).




4. Save the files found to the hard drive.

5. Hidden system folders with records

In some versions of MIUI, call records are stored in hidden directories that are not displayed in the standard Explorer.

• 📂 Use a file manager with root access support (such as Root Explorer or Root Explorer). FX File Explorer).
• 🔍 Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
• 📁 Cross the path: /data/user_de/0/com.android.providers.media/documents/ or /data/data/com.miui.voicerecord/files/

Alternative path (for firmware based on Android 9-10):

/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.voicerecord/files/

⚠️ Attention: access to folders /data/ It requires root rights. Without them, you'll see the message "Access denied».

If you don't have root, try connecting your phone to your PC and using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to extract files.

adb shell ls /data/data/com.miui.voicerecord/files/

6. Third-party applications for recording and their settings

If the built-in recording function doesn’t work, install one of the verified applications:

After installation:

Important: Android 10+ doesn’t allow apps to record calls without notifying the other person, so some apps may not work or only record your voice.

7.Why records may not be saved

If you have enabled the record but no files, the reasons may be as follows:

• 🚫 Operator-level ban: some mobile networks block recording (for example, MTS or Beeline in roaming).
• 🔕 Privacy settings: in Settings → Annexes → Permissions check if the Phone app has access to microphone and memory.
• 🗑️ Autocleaning: in Settings → Warehouse → Cleanup can be enabled by automatically removing "unnecessary" files.
• 📵 Incompatibility of firmware: on custom ROM (For example, LineageOS - built-in recording often does not work.

Operator lock solution:

1. Call ##4636## (test menu).


2. Select Phone Information.




3. Scroll down and find Disable Record Lock (if any).




4. Reboot the phone.

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If none of these methods worked, check if the Android kernel-level recording function is disabled. /system/build.prop (line ro.telephony.call_recording.supported=true).

Frequent questions