How to turn on a voice recorder on Xiaomi to record conversations: the complete guide

Recording phone conversations on Xiaomi smartphones is a challenge that users face for a variety of reasons, from fixing important business agreements to preserving evidence in controversial situations. However, standard MIUI applications do not always provide obvious functionality for recording calls, and in some regions this ability is completely blocked due to legal restrictions. In this article, we will discuss all the available ways to activate the voice recorder on Redmi, POCO and other Xiaomi devices, including bypassing restrictions and configuring third-party applications.

It is important to understand that recording conversations without the consent of the interlocutor may violate the laws of your country. For example, in Russia, according to Art. 138 of the Criminal Code and Federal Law On Communications, recording negotiations is allowed only with the notification of the second party.

Depending on the smartphone model and the MIUI version, the process of turning on the recorder may vary. Below you will find the current instructions for Xiaomi 12/13/14, Redmi Note 11/12, POCO F4/F5 and other popular devices. We will also consider alternative solutions for cases where the built-in recording function is missing or does not work correctly.

1. Checking the presence of a built-in voice recorder in MIUI

Not all Xiaomi firmware has a built-in voice recorder to record calls. To see if the feature is available on your device, follow the following steps:

1. Open the Phone app (the tube icon on the home screen).
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Settings.
3. Scroll through the list to the Recording of Conversations or Call Recording section (in English version of firmware).

If this is not available, then your version of MIUI does not support recording calls out of the box, as is the case with devices sold in countries with strict privacy regulations (e.g. the EU), in which case you can go to the pro-third-party app section.

On some models (such as the Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi K50), the recording option may be hidden to activate it:

1. Go to Settings → All settings → Additional → Special features.
2. Find the item Record conversations and turn on the switch.
3. Return to the Phone app and check for the recording icon during the call.

⚠️ Attention: On firmware MIUI 14+ European region (EEA) Call recording can be blocked at the system level, and attempts to circumvent this restriction through an engineering menu or root rights result in a loss of warranty.

2. Alternative applications for recording conversations

If there's no built-in feature, third-party apps are the best solution, and we tested a few options and selected the most reliable ones:

• 📱 Cube Call Recorder ACR — It supports automatic recording of incoming/outgoing calls, integration with cloud services, even on Android. 13/14.
• 🎤 Call Recorder by Lovekesh – simple interface, the ability to choose recording formats (.mp3,.wav).
• 🔍 Truecaller – in addition to the number detector has a built-in voice recorder (available not in all regions).
• 📲 OTT Call Recorder – specializes in recording calls via WhatsApp, Telegram and other messengers.

Before installing, check the permissions of the application. The recorder must request access to:

• Microphone to record voice.
• Contacts – to identify subscribers (optional).
• Storage - to save files.
• The phone is for integration with calls.

Download APK from the official website (not from third-party sources)

Check the Android version (some apps don't run Android 14+)

Disable battery optimization for the application

Set up exceptions for auto-start-->

Note that with the release of Android 10+, Google has tightened its privacy policy, and many of the call recording apps have stopped working properly due to restrictions on access to audio streams.

3. Set up automatic call recording

If you record conversations often, it's more convenient to set up automatic mode. In the Cube Call Recorder ACR app, it's done this way:

1. Open the app and go to Settings → Record calls.
2. Enable the option of Automatic Recording.
3. Select the types of calls to record: 📞 Incoming 📱 Outgoing 🔄 All (recommended for full control)
4. Please indicate contacts that do not need to be recorded (for example, banking services).
5. Set up the save format: 📁 Folder on the device or cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox). 🔊 File format (.mp3 — Compact,.wav – High quality).

Important: Automatic recording may conflict with some messengers (like Viber or WhatsApp) if they use their own audio driver, in which case the recording will only contain your voice.

💡

If the automatic recordings are not saved, check the available space on the device. The recorder can stop working when the storage is filled by more than 90%.

For the POCO F4/F5 models with MIUI 14, there's a caveat: Automatic recording only works when the Display Notice option is turned on. This is Google's requirement for user transparency.

Settings → Applications → Permits Management → Special Access → Recording Notifications

4 Manually control recording during call

If the automatic mode doesn't work, you can turn on the recording manually.

1. Click on the Record icon (usually depicted as a microphone or circle with a dot) on the call screen.
2. Wait for the notification of the beginning of recording (on some firmware sounds voice signal).
3. After the conversation, the record will automatically be saved to the CallRecordings or MiSoundRecorder folder.

On Xiaomi 12T and newer, the interface may be different, for example, instead of using the microphone icon, a swipe is used up the call screen.

• 🔧 Check if the feature is included in the phone settings → Recording of conversations.
• 📲 Update the Phone app via Google Play.
• 🔄 Restart the device – sometimes the interface resets after updates.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with Android 13+ Manual recording may not work for VoLTE or VoWiFi calls due to changes in the audio architecture.

5 Where records are stored and how to export them

By default, records are stored in the device’s internal memory along the way:

/storage/emulated/0/CallRecordings/


or




/storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/

To transfer files to your computer or to the cloud:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC through USB-cable (select File Transfer Mode).
2. Open the folder with records and copy the necessary files.
3. For cloud redundancy: 📁 Use Google Drive (automatic download via Files app»). ☁️ Set up sync with Mi Cloud in Settings → Xiaomi accounts → Mi Cloud → Backup.

Record files are usually.amr or.mp3. To listen to a PC, you may need to install codecs (for example, the K-Lite Codec Pack).

• 🔊 Check the file through the player VLC — It supports most formats.
• 📥 Convert the file to.mp3 Online Convert or Audacity.

6. Legal aspects of recording conversations

Before using the recorder, be sure to read the legislation of your country. In most jurisdictions, recording a conversation without the consent of the interlocutor is considered a violation of the right to privacy of correspondence (Article 23 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation).

• ⚖️ Consent of the interlocutor – if the person knows about the record and does not object.
• 🏢 Service necessity – for example, recording of customer negotiations (subject to notice).
• 📢 Public speaking – if the conversation is conducted in the presence of third parties (for example, at a conference).

In some countries (e.g. the United States), laws vary by state, with one-party consent being sufficient, and all-party consent being sufficient, and in Europe, the GDPR is strictly regulated for the processing of personal data.

To avoid problems:

• 📢 Notify the person in advance of the recording (e.g., "The conversation is recorded to record the arrangements. You don't mind?»).
• 📝 Keep the records no longer than necessary.
• 🚫 Do not distribute records without the consent of participants.

⚠️ Note: In litigation, records obtained illegally may be considered inadmissible evidence (resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation) №1 from 2017).

💡

Even if the recording is permitted by law, its use for public purposes (for example, posting on social networks) may lead to a lawsuit for the protection of honor and dignity (Article 152 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation).

7. Frequent errors and their solutions

Xiaomi users often face typical problems when recording conversations, and we have collected the most common cases and ways to fix them:

If none of the solutions worked, try:

• 🔄 Reset the application settings in Settings → Annexes → [Name of the recorder] → Warehouse → Drop it.
• 📱 Install an alternative firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.EU) where write restrictions are lifted.
• 📧 Contact the developer of the application with error logs.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions