Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the need to keep an important conversation going, whether it’s a business arrangement or an order confirmation. The Redmi 8, despite its age, remains popular due to its stable operation and affordable price, but finding recorded files in the file system can be difficult for inexperienced users. MIUI It has its own specific directory structure that is different from pure Android.
Understanding where a device is recording audio data is critical to quickly searching, copying to a computer, or backing up, and in this article, we will look at the paths to files, the way a call recorder works, and how to transfer information to external drives without losing sound quality.
It’s worth noting that with the release of new Android versions and security updates, access to system folders may be limited, but for Redmi 8 with current versions of MIUI, there are proven methods of access. We will look at both standard ways through Explorer and hidden directories where the system folds audio by default.
Standard path through file manager
The fastest way to detect saved dialogs is to use the Explorer app built-in. Unlike many other smartphones, Xiaomi doesn't hide these files deep in the system partitions, making them available to the user immediately after the call is complete. When you open the app, you'll see several categories, but we're interested in the partition responsible for the audio or specific folder of the recorder.
On MIUI devices, the path to the file usually looks logical and sequential. You need to go to the root directory of internal memory, where the folder called MIUI is located. This is where the configurations and data of most system applications, including the phone book and records, are stored.
The algorithm becomes more specific to the Redmi model. 8. Inside the folder. MIUI I need to find a catalog. sound_recorder. Despite the name, which translates to "dictophone", this is where phone records often fall, unless the default setting has been changed. call_rec, where all your audio files lie.
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If you don’t see the MIUI folder in the Explorer’s main menu, switch to display all files by clicking the menu button in the top corner and selecting Settings –> Display Hidden Files.
For ease of navigation, remember the full path, which in most cases looks like this: Internal memory/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec. Files here are usually sorted by date of creation, making it easier to find the right conversation.m4a or.mp3 depending on the firmware version.
Alternative Locations and Hidden Folders
In some cases, especially after a system update or when using third-party applications for calls, the path to records may change. Android in recent versions tightens the policies for accessing files, which forces manufacturers to change the structure of directories. call_rec It is worth checking other possible locations.
Often, records can be duplicated or stored exclusively in the MIUI Recorder folder at the root of internal memory, a separate voice recorder application that sometimes intercepts the call recording function, and you should also look at the Sounds or Audio folder, which may contain subdirectories with names like CallRecord.
⚠️ Note: Do not delete files with the.cfg or.ini extension that may occur in records folders. These are voice recorder configuration files, and deleting them may result in resetting the recording quality settings or the function shutting down.
Another possible directory is a hidden folder.MIUI (To see it, you need to activate the hidden file display in Explorer settings. The path will look like this: Internal memory/.MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec. Having a point at the beginning of a folder name makes it invisible to most applications and when connected to a computer in normal mode.
If you use cloud services like Mi Cloud or Google Drive, check their contents. When synced, the original files can automatically move to the cloud, freeing up space on the device, leaving only thumbnails or file links in the phone’s memory.
Configuring the conservation to SD-map
Redmi 8 owners often use microSD cards to expand storage, as the 32 or 64 GB internal memory may not be enough for media content. Recording conversations, especially in high quality, also takes up space, and transferring them to an external card is a smart solution. Fortunately, the MIUI shell allows you to change the default saving path.
To change the settings, you need to open the Dictophone app (not the phone book, but the voice recorder icon). In the upper right corner, you have a three-dot menu or gear that leads to the settings, and you need to find "Record calls" or "Record settings."
The menu that opens will have the option "Save to" or similar «SD-map, you redirect all future records to an external drive, and then new files will appear along the way: SD-map/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec. Old records will remain in internal memory, they will need to be transferred manually.
☑️ Set up the record SD-map
If a cheap, low-speed card is used, artifacts or interruptions may occur in the audio, and Class 10 or higher cards are recommended for stable performance.
File formats and their compatibility
The quality and reproducibility of the recordings depends on the format of the encoding you choose. The Xiaomi Redmi 8 can use the M4A (AAC) format by default, which provides good quality with a small file size. However, not all old players or voice recorders on computers can play it correctly without additional codecs.
MP3 format is a universal format that opens on almost any device, from old button phones to modern Smart TVs. If you plan to transfer recordings of conversations to third parties or archive them for a long time, MP3 will be more rational.
| Parameter | M4A (AAC) | MP3 | WAV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sound quality | High. | Medium/High | Maximum. |
| File size | Small. | Medium. | Very big. |
| Compatibility | Modern devices | All devices. | PC and special. |
| Recommendation | For myself. | For transmission | For examination |
There's also a WAV format that's used for non-compression recording, which takes up the most space, but retains all the details of the conversation, which can be important in controversial situations, but for everyday use on Redmi 8, it's not practical because of the fast filling of memory.
Why can the recording be interrupted?
Search and sort records by date
Once you have a lot of recorded dialogs, it becomes difficult to manually find the right file. MIUI It has powerful sorting tools. It's in a folder. call_rec, Click on the sort button (usually an icon with arrows) and select “By date of change” or “By name».
File names are often generated automatically based on the date and time of the conversation, such as the date and time of the conversation: 20231025_143005.m4a. That means the recording is made. 25 October 2023 yearly 14:30:05. Knowing the approximate call time, you can quickly identify the desired file without listening.
For a deeper search, use the Search function in Explorer. Enter a portion of your phone number or contact name if they are saved in the file name. Some versions of the recorder can add a contact name to the file name, which makes it much easier to navigate through the archive.
If you have a lot of files, you can create a folder structure manually, like once a month, create a new folder with the name of the month (January, February) and move the old records there, which will help keep order and speed up the search in the future.
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Using the name of files by date and time is a standard practice of Android, allowing you to sort records chronologically without user involvement.
Transfer and backup to PC
For long-term storage of conversation records, it is recommended to periodically transfer them to the computer.This will not only free up space on the Redmi 8, but also protect data from loss in the event of a smartphone breakdown. USB-cable by selecting file transfer mode (MTP).
Copy the folder. call_rec When copying, make sure that the process is completed successfully by checking the number and weight of files on the computer, then you can delete the files from the phone or move them to the archive. SD-map.
You can also use wireless methods like Mi Drop (now Xiaomi Share) or cloud storage, and by uploading a file to the cloud, you can access it from any device that has the Internet, which is especially convenient if you need to listen to a video urgently, and the phone is far away.
⚠️ Note: When you transfer files via messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) in Document mode, the sound quality does not suffer, but when you send them as Audio Message, the file will be compressed, which will worsen the intelligibility of speech.