How to record phone conversations on Android Xiaomi

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face the need to keep important conversations in audio format, such as confirmation of an order, an agreement with a customer or just a nice conversation with a loved one. However, after the update of Google’s security policy in Android 9 and subsequent releases, the standard recording feature began to work incorrectly or disappear altogether.

To make matters worse, the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS have its own call implementation features, some regions have it out of the box, others have it hidden, and some have it completely blocked by the manufacturer to comply with local laws, and understanding these nuances will help you choose the right method for fixing the dialogue.

In this article, we'll look at all the current ways, from checking hidden settings to installing specialized applications, you'll learn how to get around system limitations without losing sound quality and having to get root rights, let's figure out why your phone is silent during a conversation and how to fix it.

Why the recording of conversations on Xiaomi was missing

The main reason for the loss of the feature is a change in Google’s security policy: Starting with Android 9 Pie, the company banned third-party and system applications from directly accessing the audio stream during a call, which was done to protect user privacy, but created a lot of inconvenience for those who need the record for work.

In newer versions of the operating system, such as Android 11, 12, 13 and 14, the restrictions have become even more stringent. The system API recording now requires explicit confirmation from the interlocutor or displays a voice warning about the beginning of fixation, which is not always convenient. Xiaomi, as a manufacturer, is forced to follow these rules to certify its devices for the global market.

⚠️ Note: If after updating the system you have lost the record button, it is not a breakage of the phone, and the software restriction introduced by the developers of Android.

In addition, the region specified when you first set up a smartphone directly affects the functionality available. In some countries, such as India or China, recording conversations is built into a standard call without restrictions. In the European region (EU), this feature is often cut out at the firmware level, checking the current version of the call and regional settings is the first step to solving the problem.

Check the built-in recording function in MIUI

Before installing third-party software, you need to make sure that the function is really hidden, not just disabled in the settings. In the shells of MIUI 12, MIUI 13, MIUI 14 and HyperOS, the mechanism of the standard call remains the same, but the path to settings may not be obvious. Often users simply do not find the switch, since it is located inside the menu of the Phone application itself.

To start, open the standard call app that you normally dial through. In the upper right corner, find a three-dot icon or a gear that is the input to the settings menu. That's where the answer to why the record doesn't work is, if there's a Call Record option on the list of items, you're lucky: the system allows you to lock, but it may require manual activation.

Inside the settings menu, find Call Record. Click on it to expand additional options. Here you will see the Auto Record switch. If you activate it, the phone will save every incoming and outgoing conversation without you. There is also a "Write down selected numbers" setting available, which is useful for controlling specific contacts.

It is important to note that the sound quality of the built-in method is usually high, as it uses a digital stream, not a microphone. However, if your region has strict privacy laws, the system can automatically turn on a loud speaker or voice alert to the interlocutor at the time of recording start. This behavior is a system requirement and cannot be changed by simple settings.

Changing Regions as a Way to Activate Recording

One of the most effective and safest ways to get back the ability to record conversations without installing unnecessary software is to change the region of the device. As mentioned earlier, in some countries (China, India, Indonesia, Singapore), the legislation allows manufacturers to embed the recording function by default. By changing the region in the phone settings, you force the system to reconfigure standard applications to the selected rules.

The region change process takes literally one minute and doesn't require a reboot or data reset. You need to go to the main smartphone settings menu, find the Additional section and select Region. In the country list that opens, choose Singapore or Indonesia. After choosing, the system can "think" for a few seconds, redesigning services.

When you change region, go back to your call settings and check if the recording option is available. In most cases, the switch becomes active. If the function is activated, you can safely use the phone further, and the language of the system will not change if you have pre-installed Russian as the main language, although in some rare cases, the names of the system folders can be duplicated in English.

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Once you activate the recording function through region change, you can try to return the region back to Russia. Often the setting is saved, but this does not work on all versions of MIUI.

Use of third-party applications for recording

If the built-in methods failed to activate the function, third-party solutions come to the rescue. The market offers many applications that try to circumvent the limitations of Android. The most popular and stable ones today are Cube ACR, Call Recorder - SKVALEX and TapeACall. However, their work on modern versions of Android 11+ has its own peculiarities.

The main problem with third-party recorders is that they no longer have direct access to the audio stream of the interlocutor, and as a result, you can hear yourself perfectly, and the voice of the interlocutor will be barely distinguishable or absent at all, and to solve this, developers use various hacks, such as turning on the speakerphone automatically or using special drivers.

Consider the action algorithm for the Cube ACR application, which is considered one of the leaders in this niche:

• 📱 Download the app from Google Play or the official developer website (APK-file).
• 🛡️ When you first start, provide all the permissions you request: access to microphone, phone, contacts and storage.
• 🔌 Pay special attention to the "App Connector" item, you need to go to the special features settings and activate the Cube service. ACR. This is a critical step to working on new Android.
• 🎙️ In the app settings, select the sound source. Different Xiaomi models are different, like Voice Call, Voice Communication, or Audio Source. By trial and error, you have to find the one that gives both channels sound.

⚠️ Warning: When using third-party applications, the battery can run out faster, as the program requires constant access to the microphone and processor to process sound in real time.

Some users prefer TapeACall, which works on the principle of conferencing. the application adds a third participant to the conversation (its server), which produces the recording. This method guarantees high quality, but often is paid and requires a stable Internet connection during the conversation. For Xiaomi, there are also modified versions of the system call, but their installation requires unlocking the bootloader, which is not recommended for ordinary users.

Customization of quality and storage of files

The quality of the recording depends on the chosen codec and sound source. In the settings of a standard Xiaomi call, you can often choose the save format. By default, MP3 or AAC is used, which is the optimal balance between the quality and the size of the file. WAV format provides better quality, but takes up much more space in memory.

Recorded conversation files are usually stored in the device's internal memory, and the path to them may vary depending on the version. MIUI. Most often it's a hidden folder. MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec or Recordings/call_rec. For easy access to files via a computer or file manager, it is recommended to know the exact path or use the feature "Show hidden files".

If your phone's memory is limited, set up automatic cleaning of old records, and you can set a limit in the recording settings menu to store files for the last 30 days or delete the oldest files when the space is running out, which will prevent the phone from recording new conversations because of overflowing storage.

• 📂 Check your records folder regularly so you don’t lose important dialogs when resetting your settings.
• ☁️ Configure the synchronization of the record folder with cloud storage (Google Drive, Yandex Disk, Mi Cloud).
• 🔊 Use headphones during important conversations if recording is through a microphone to reduce the amount of extraneous noise.

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The optimal format for storing conversation archives is MP3 with a bitrate of 128 kbit / s. This ensures intelligibility of speech with a minimum file size.

Frequent problems and their solution

Even with the right setup, users can run into problems. The most common is that the recording is going on, but the interlocutor is not heard. In this case, try changing the source of the sound in the settings of the recorder application. Also make sure that during the conversation, no Noise Cancel mode is turned on in the phone's audio settings, since it can perceive the voice of the interlocutor as background noise and silence it.

Another problem is that there is no record notification, and on some Android versions, the system compulsorily displays a "Recording" plaque at the top of the screen, which cannot be removed by standard methods, which is a security requirement of Google, but there are modified calls (such as from Google Phone Mod) that bypass this restriction, but require ADB or TWRP skills to install.

If the recordings are interrupted in the middle, check the power saving settings. Xiaomi aggressively kills background processes to save charge. Go to the battery settings, find a call recording app, and set the "No Limits" mode, which will prevent the system from stopping the recording process.