Where to look for a recording of a conversation on Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Have you been searching for a recording of an important conversation on your Xiaomi but can't find a file? Or have you found that the call recording feature is disabled when it used to work? This problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones — especially after a MIUI update or a setting reset. In this article, we'll take a look at all possible storage locations, including hidden folders, cloud services and third-party apps, and explain why records can suddenly disappear.

It is important to understand that the location of files depends on the version of MIUI, phone model and recording method (built-in voice recorder, phone app or third-party programs). For example, on the Xiaomi 13 Pro with MIUI 15, records are stored in one place, and on the Redmi Note 10 with MIUI 12.5 in another. We will look at options for all current versions of the firmware, including global and Chinese builds.

If you don't find a record in standard folders, don't panic. It might just have moved or been hidden by the system. At the end of the article, there's an FAQ that solves typical problems, like how to recover deleted records or why automatic call recording doesn't work.

1. Standard place of storage of records in MIUI

By default, Xiaomi smartphones save conversation records in a folder MIUI/sound_recorder But the path may vary depending on the firmware version and regional build:

• 📁 For MIUI 12–14 (global): /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/
• 📁 For MIUI 15+ or Chinese firmware: /storage/emulated/0/Recordings/Call/
• 📁 For older versions (MIUI 10–11): /storage/emulated/0/Recorder/ or /sdcard/Rec/

To open this folder:

1. Start the File Manager application.
2. Go to the section "Internal Storage".
3. Turn on the display of hidden files (click on the three dots in the upper right corner → Show hidden files).
4. Find the MIUI or Recordings folder and open the recordings subfolder.

Record files are usually formatted.m4a or.amr and named by template: Call_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_number. format: Call_20260515_143022_+79123456789.m4a.

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If the folder sound_recorder Empty, check the settings of the Phone application: it is possible that records are saved to the cloud or on the Internet. SD-map.

2. How to find records through the application "Phone"

In newer versions of MIUI (starting with MIUI 13), call recordings are integrated into the Dialer app to find them:

1. Open the phone application (pipe icon).
2. Go to the Journal (Recents) tab.
3. Find the right call in the list and tap it.
4. If the record exists, an icon will appear. 🎤 Or the words "Record" - click on it to listen.

If there is no record icon but you are sure the conversation was recorded, check:

• 🔍 Settings of the application "Phone": ⋮ → Settings → Recording calls → whether the item "Save records" is included".
• 📱 folder Download/CallRecordings/ — Sometimes files are saved there when they fail.
• ☁️ Mi Cloud: Records can be automatically synced (more on this below).

3.Search for records in the Mi Cloud cloud

If your Xiaomi has Mi Cloud sync enabled, call records can be automatically uploaded to the cloud to find them:

1. Open the Mi Cloud app (or go to i.mi.com).
2. Sign in with the same account as on your phone.
3. Select the "Call Recordings" or "Files" section" → "Audio".
4. Sort files by date to find the desired record.

Please note:

• 🔄 Synchronization works only if you use Mi Cloud settings. → Synchronization included item "Recording of calls".
• 📶 Records in the cloud are stored for a limited time (usually 30-90 days), after which they are deleted.
• 📥 To save the record forever, download it to the device (download button next to the file).

4.Where to look for recordings made through a recorder

If you recorded the conversation not through the Phone app, but using a standard voice recorder, the files will be stored elsewhere:

To open the recorder and find the records:

1. Launch the "Dictophone" application (mic icon).
2. Click on three dots in the upper right corner → "My notes".
3. All audio files sorted by date will be displayed here.

If the recording is made during a call via a voice recorder (rather than a built-in feature), it may have a type name. REC_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS It's not tied to a phone number, so you can focus on the time you create the file.

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The recorder in MIUI does not always recognize the recordings of calls as “calls” – they can be stored in a shared folder with other audio files.

5. Search for records SD-card

If the call record settings indicate saving to SD-The files will be in one of the following folders:

• 📁 /storage/XXXX-XXXX/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/ (where XXXX-XXXX — ID your memory card).
• 📁 /storage/XXXX-XXXX/Recordings/Call/ (for MIUI 15+).
• 📁 /storage/XXXX-XXXX/Download/CallRecordings/ (if the path is changed manually).

To check the saving settings:

1. Open "Settings" → "Applications" → "Phone" → "Recording calls".
2. Check the "Place of Preservation" item if indicated "SD-map, look for files there.

Make sure the card is connected and recognized by the phone|Check the folders. /MIUI/ and /Recordings/ map|Enable the display of hidden files in the file manager|Try connecting the card to the PC to search for files-->

If SD-The card is damaged or the phone can't see it, try it:

• 🔌 Connect the card to your computer via a card reader and check it with Recuva or TestDisk.
• 📱 Insert the card into another Xiaomi phone and check for folders.

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If the records are kept on SD-card, but it is no longer on the phone, check the basket in the file manager - sometimes files move there when you extract the card.

6.Recovering deleted call records

If the record was deleted by mistake, you can try to restore it, success depends on how long it has been since the deletion and whether the phone was used after that (new data can overwrite old ones).

Recovery methods:

1. Through the MIUI Recycle Bin: Open the Files app. Go to the Trash section. Find the deleted audio file and restore it (Restore button).
2. With third-party (no root): Install DiskDigger or Undeleter from Google Play. Select internal memory scan (does not require root permissions for surface search) and filter the results to expand.m4a,.amr or.mp3.
3. Deep scan (requires root): Use Dr.Fone or EaseUS MobiSaver on your PC. Connect your phone in USB debugging mode. Select the deep scan option (even find file fragments).

Important: If the record was deleted more than 30 days ago and the phone was actively used, the chances of recovery are minimal - the new data could overwrite the old memory sectors.

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Before recovery, turn off mobile internet and Wi-Fi to avoid overwriting data by system processes.

7.Why call records disappear or don't persist

If you are experiencing records suddenly disappear or no longer persist, the reasons may be as follows:

• 🔄 Update MIUI: After updating the firmware, the call recording settings may reset. → Annexes → Phone. → Recording calls.
• 📱 Factory reset: all local records are deleted. If there was no backup in the Mi Cloud, you can't restore them.
• 🚫 Restriction of recording in your region: in some countries (e.g. the EU), call recording is disabled by default due to privacy laws.
• 🛠️ Memory optimization: the function "Rescue cleaning" in MIUI It can delete old records. Turn it off for the folder. sound_recorder.
• 📵 Phone app failure: if the application crashes during recording, the file may not be saved or damaged.

To prevent future loss of records:

• ✅ Enable automatic sync with Mi Cloud (cloud settings).
• ✅ Regularly copy records to a computer or external disk.
• ✅ Use third-party recording apps (such as Cube Call Recorder) that save files to a secure folder.

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In some countries (e.g. India), call recording is enabled by default, and in the EU it is disabled, depending on the regional firmware.

FAQ: Frequent questions about recording conversations on Xiaomi