How to record a conversation on a Xiaomi smartphone with Android 10: all working ways

Recording phone conversations on Xiaomi with Android 10 is a challenge that users face for a variety of reasons, from fixing important business agreements to saving memorable conversations. However, after upgrading to MIUI 11/12 based on Android 10, many owners of Redmi Note 8 Pro, Mi 9T or POCO X2 found that the standard recording feature disappeared from the call interface, due to Google’s tightening privacy policy: since 2019, recording conversations without notifying the interlocutor is officially banned in most regions.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods for recording calls to Xiaomi from Android 10 – from hidden firmware capabilities to third-party applications with circumvention of restrictions. We will focus on legal aspects: in which countries the recording is allowed without the consent of the interlocutor, and where it can lead to legal liability.

Why is there no built-in call record on Xiaomi with Android 10?

Before the release of Android 10 (and the corresponding versions of MIUI 11+), Xiaomi smartphones had a built-in conversation recording feature in the standard Phone app. It was activated by a button during a call and saved files in.amr format to the MIUI/sound_recorder/calls folder. However, with the update, the situation changed:

• 📵 Google policy: With Android 10 (API 29+), recording conversations without notifying the interlocutor is recognized as a privacy violation.
• 🌍 Regional restrictions: In the EU, the US and some Asian countries, recording without consent is prohibited by law. Xiaomi blocks the feature at the firmware level for these markets.
• 🔧 Technical changes: Android 10 has restricted applications from accessing the audio stream of calls. Special permissions are now required to record (RECORD_AUDIO + READ_PHONE_STATE).

Interestingly, on some models (such as the Redmi Note 7 with MIUI 10), the feature remained, but after upgrading to Android 10, it disappears, this is due to the fact that Xiaomi uses different firmware builds for different regions, for example, in India or Russia, recording can be allowed by default, but in Europe it is not.

⚠️ Attention: Even if you manage to enable a recording through hidden settings, in some countries (e.g. Germany or France) it may be considered a violation of data protection law (GDPR) before using it, please specify local laws.

Method 1: Enabling the Hidden Write Function in MIUI (without root)

Despite the official removal, Xiaomi’s Android 10 firmware has a hidden call recording mechanism that can be activated via an engineering menu or special commands, which works on most models (Redmi Note 8/9, Mi A3, POCO F1, etc.), but requires caution.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and type the combination: ##6484## (some models may work ##64663##).
2. The MTK Engineer Mode menu will appear (if the combination doesn't work, try ##4636# → Usage statistics).
3. Go to Telephony → Audio → Volte Call.
4. Find the Enable Call Recording option and set the Enabled value.
5. Save the settings and restart the phone.

After the reboot, a recording button should appear in the call interface (usually next to the hands-free and hold keys). If it is not, check the settings of the Phone application:

• 🔄 Go to Settings → Additional → Record conversations.
• 📁 Make sure that you have selected the storage on the internal memory or SD- card.
• 🔔 Enable AutoWrite for all or selected contacts.

Check out the MIUI version (should be 11+)

Make a backup copy of your contacts

Make sure your phone has enough memory (records take ~1MB/minute)

Turn it off. VPN (It can block the engineering menu)-->

If the engineering menu doesn’t open, try an alternative way through ADB:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times press to unlock the developer mode).
2. Enter in command line: adb shell settings put global force_call_recording true
3. Reset the device.

⚠️ Warning: Changing settings through the engineering menu or ADB may cause the phone to malfunction. If the phone has lost sound during calls after manipulation, reset the network settings to Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Reset.

Method 2: Using third-party apps (bypassing the limitations of Android 10)

If the hidden feature is not activated, there is a third-party option. However, due to the limitations of Android 10, most programs from Google Play (such as Call Recorder or ACR) can not record calls directly, the solution is to use apps with a bypass over speakerphone or a virtual audio driver.

Top-3 working applications for Xiaomi with Android 10:

Boldbeast Call Recorder (Recommended for Xiaomi)

1. Download the app from the official website (the version from Google Play may not work).
2. When you first start, select Record Mode → 1 (Alsa).
3. In settings, specify: 📞 Record Calls → All Calls. 🔊 Audio Source → Voice Call Uplink + Downlink (both ends of the conversation). 📁 Save Path → /storage/emulated/0/CallRecordings.

Fix Recording Issues → Fix for Xiaomi

Reboot the phone.

If the recording does not start automatically, before the call, turn on speaker (this is forced mode to bypass the restrictions of Android 10). After the conversation is completed, the application saves the file to the specified folder. The quality will be lower than with direct recording, but this is the only working way without root rights.

Method 3: Recording via second SIM- card or second phone

If the software methods didn’t work, you can use hardware bypass: record a conversation using a second device, which is guaranteed to work on any Xiaomi, including Android 10/11 models, but requires additional hardware.

Implementation options:

• 📱 Second smartphone: Put a second phone next to it (like an old Redmi) and turn on the voice recording using the standard Dictaphone app. Minus, you'll hear echoes and extraneous noises.
• 🎧 Headphones with microphone: connect wired headphones (like Xiaomi Mi Basic) and use their microphone to record through an app like Voice Recorder. Quality is better, but the person can hear the noise from the wire.
• 📶 Second SIM- card: If your Xiaomi supports Dual SIM, insert a second card and set up a call forwarding to it via a service like Google Voice, and the call will be duplicated, and you can record it on the second device.

For better quality, use an external voice recorder (such as the Sony ICD-UX560 or Zoom H1n) and connect it to your phone via a USB-C → 3.5mm adapter and record the sound directly, which is relevant for important conversations where high-precision speech recording is required.

Method 4: Google Voice Recording (for the US and supported regions)

If you're in the U.S., Canada or some European countries, you can use Google Voice, which allows you to record incoming calls legally, with notification of the interlocutor, and it doesn't require root rights, and it works on any Xiaomi with Android 10.

Instructions:

1. Install Google Voice from the Play Market.
2. Register and get a virtual number (available only in supported countries).
3. In the application settings go to Calls → Incoming call options.
4. Enable Enable Call Recording.
5. During the incoming call, press 4 on the keyboard - the system will notify the interlocutor of the recording and begin recording the conversation.

The recordings are saved in the Google Drive account and are available for listening in the web version of Google Voice. The main advantage of the method is legality: the interlocutor knows about the recording, which corresponds to the laws of most countries, and minus the service is not available in Russia, China and some other regions.

An alternative for unsupported countries is Skype, which has a conference call record function. Create a group call with the person you're talking to and enable a recording via the menu... → Start recording. The file will be saved to OneDrive.

Method 5: Root access + Xposed modules (for advanced users)

If you’re willing to take drastic measures, root access will give you full control over call recording, a method that works for Xiaomi’s Android 10 models where other methods have failed (e.g., Mi 9 or Redmi K20 Pro). However, it requires unlocking the bootloader and installing a custom Recovery (TWRP).

Step-by-step:

1. Unlock the bootloader through Mi Unlock Tool (requires a Xiaomi account binding and wait 72-168 hours).
2. Install TWRP for your model (download the image from the official website).
3. Please use Magisk to obtain root rights.
4. Install Call Recorder for Android or Xposed Framework + CallRec module via Magisk Manager.
5. In the module settings, select 📞 Record all calls automatically. 🔊 Audio source → Voice call (both sides). 📁 Save format → MP3 (high quality).

After rebooting, a write button will appear in the call interface, and files will be saved to the /sdcard/CallRecordings folder.

• 🎙️ Record both sides of the conversation in high quality.
• 🔄 Automatic saving with number and time.
• 🔒 Encryption of records.

⚠️ Warning: Unlocking the bootloader and getting root rights resets all data on the phone and can lead to a loss of warranty. On some Xiaomi models (such as the Mi 10 with Android 10), this also blocks data encryption and disables Google Pay services.

💡

Before getting root, make a full backup through Mi Cloud or TWRP. After firmware, check the NFC module and camera – on some firmware they may not work correctly.

How to save and organize recordings of conversations?

Call records take up a lot of space (from 0.5 MB/min in.amr format to 2 MB/min in.mp3), so it is important to store and organize them correctly.

• ☁️ Cloud storage: set up automatic uploads to Google Drive, Dropbox or Mi Cloud. In Boldbeast, this is done in the Cloud → Auto upload settings.
• 🗃️ Folders by category: create separate directories for work, personal and important records, such as /CallRecordings/Work/ /CallRecordings/Personal/ /CallRecordings/Legal/
• 🔍 Tagging: Use apps like Call Recorder with tagging. Add #contract, #meeting, or #family tags for quick search.
• 🗑️ Autoclean: Set up the deletion of old records (e.g., older than 30 days) via Files by Google or Tasker.

For long-term storage, convert your records to.mp3 (via Audacity or Online-Convert) and archive them to.zip with a password.

💡

For judicial purposes, records must be stored in the original format without compression (.wav) and have time stamps tied to the communications operator.

Legal aspects: where is recording of conversations legal?

Before you record calls, make sure that it does not violate local laws.

• 🇷🇺 Russia: recording is permitted without notice if you are a participant in the conversation (Article 23 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation), but using the recording in court requires proof of its immutability.
• 🇺🇸 USA: Most states have a one-party rule (your consent is sufficient), and California and Washington require the consent of all parties.
• 🇪🇺 European Union: according to GDPR, recording without the consent of the interlocutor is prohibited and punishable by a fine of up to 4% of the annual turnover of the company (for legal entities).
• 🇨🇳 China: Recording is only permitted with the consent of the interlocutor, and storing records without cause can be considered a violation of cybersecurity law.

If you are recording a conversation for litigation, make sure that:

1. The file was not edited (use timestamps and hash amounts).
2. There is evidence that the interviewee knew about the recording (e.g., a voice notification at the beginning of the conversation).
3. The record is stored in encrypted form with access only for the lawyer.

In business correspondence, you should notify the record in advance, for example, at the beginning of the call, say, "The conversation is recorded to record the agreements. Do you mind?" This will protect you from legal risks.

FAQ: Frequent questions about recording conversations on Xiaomi