How to listen to a recorded conversation on a Xiaomi phone: official and hidden ways

Introduction: Where Xiaomi Stores Call Records and Can They Be Recovered?

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones based on MIUI do not have the built-in feature of recording all calls by default, unlike some Chinese firmware for other brands, but the recording of a conversation can be saved in three cases:

1) You activated the recording yourself through the standard Phone application (a feature is available in some regions). 2 Used third-party software like Cube Call Recorder or ACR. 3 Your interlocutor recorded on his device, and the file was sent to you via the messenger. If none of these conditions were met, it is technically impossible to restore an unsaved conversation - Xiaomi does not conduct hidden listening without the user's knowledge.

In this article, we’ll look at all the legal ways to find and listen to stored records on Xiaomi phones, including hidden folders, cloud services, and third-party apps, and explain why some methods (like manual file system search) may not work on newer versions of MIUI 14/15 with enhanced data protection.

Method 1: Standard Application "Phone" (official method)

Starting with MIUI 12, in some regions (India, Russia, CIS countries) the Phone app has a built-in call recording feature to check for it:

1. Open the phone application (pipe icon).
2. Go to the Journal section (bottom of the screen).
3. Find the recorded call – next to it will be a microphone icon or the inscription “Recorded”.
4. Slip it on the tape to listen to it directly in the app.

If there is no function, it means:

• 📱 Your Xiaomi model does not support recording (see list of compatible devices below).
• 🌍 The feature is disabled for your region (for example, in the EU, recording calls without notifying the interlocutor is prohibited by law).
• 🔄 Your version. MIUI outdated (update via Settings) → The phone. → Updating the system).

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If your region has a recording feature blocked but you really need it, try changing the region in the MIUI settings to India (without resetting). Go to Settings → Additional → Region and select India. After rebooting, check for the recording function in the Phone app.

List of Xiaomi models with official call recording support (2023–2026):

Method 2: Find records in the file system (hidden folders)

If you used third-party recording software (such as ACR or Cube Call Recorder), the files could have been saved to one of the system folders.

1. Connect your phone to your PC via USB (File Transfer Mode).
2. Open your internal memory and follow one of the paths: /storage/emulated/0/CallRecordings/ /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/ /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/[package]/files/
3. Look for files with.mp3,.amr,.m4a extensions.

Important: Starting with Android 11, access to folders of other applications is limited. If you can’t see files through Explorer, use a root-access file manager (for example, you can’t see files through Explorer, FX Explorer or ADB-team.

Use a guide with root rights

Check the folder /CallRecordings/

Try to connect your phone to a PC

Install an audio search app (e.g. Files by Google)-->

If the records are not in the standard folders, check:

• 📁 Downloads folder – some applications save files there by default.
• 🔍 Keyword Search: Open any file manager and type in a call, record, call.
• ☁️ Cloud services: Google Drive, Mi Cloud – records may have been automatically synced.

Method 3: Recover deleted records (if files are erased)

If you accidentally delete a recording of a conversation, you can try to restore it with specialized utilities, and keep in mind that the odds depend on how long it took after deleting it and how much memory the phone was using.

Steps to recover:

1. Install a data recovery app: DiskDigger, Recuva (for PC) or GT Recovery.
2. Select the file type: Audio or All types.
3. Start a deep scan (can take 30+ minutes).
4. In the results, look for files with a date corresponding to the time of the call.

⚠️ Warning: Do not install recovery software on the same memory that deleted files! This will overwrite the data and make recovery impossible. Use a memory card or connect your phone to your PC.

Paid vs. Free Solutions:

Method 4: Listening through cloud services

If your Xiaomi has Mi Cloud or Google Drive sync enabled, the records could automatically be uploaded to the cloud.

For Mi Cloud:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Account → Mi Cloud
2. Check the Backups or Files section.
3. Look for folders with CallRecords, SoundRecorder names.

For Google Drive:

1. Open Google Drive in your browser.
2. In the search box, type:audio.
3. Sort the files by date of change.

If there are no records in the cloud, but you are sure that sync has been enabled, try:

• 🔄 Update data: in Mi Cloud tap the button Sync.
• 📧 Check Email: Some Apps Send Records to Email.
• 🤖 Use the web version of the cloud: sometimes files are only visible through the browser.

⚠️ Note: In Mi Cloud, call records are only stored for 30 days unless extended storage is enabled, and then they are automatically deleted without recovery.

Method 5: Use ADB-Teams (for experienced users)

If standard methods don't work, you can try to find records through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires command-line skills and developer mode enabled.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times on build number, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and open the terminal (or cmd in Windows).
3. Enter the command to search for audio files: adb shell find /storage/ -name ".mp3" -o -name ".amr" -o -name "*.m4a"
4. If you find files, copy them to your PC: adb pull /path /to / file C:\folder to pc\

What to do if ADB does not find the files:

• 🔧 Make sure you have root rights (on most Xiaomi without unlocking the bootloader) ADB has limited access).
• 🔍 Try looking for other extensions:.3gp,.ogg.
• 📡 Use alternative utilities like Scrcpy to access the file system.

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ADB-Teams only work when the debugging is enabled USB On devices with a locked bootloader (most Xiaomi default), access to system folders will be restricted.

What to do if there is no record: alternative solutions

If none of these methods have worked, consider the following options:

1. Ask the person, If the call was important, maybe your counterpart was recording it. Contact him and clarify.
2. Check messengers: Sometimes voice messages on WhatsApp, Telegram or Viber are confused with call records.
3. In rare cases, mobile operators can provide a transcript of the conversation (a formal request is required, usually for litigation).
4. Set up recording in advance: Install an automatic recording app (like ACR) and enable cloud sync.

Applications for automatic call recording (compatible with MIUI):

⚠️ Note: In some countries (e.g. the EU), recording telephone conversations without notifying the interlocutor violates privacy laws.

FAQ: Frequent questions about recording calls to Xiaomi