Xiaomi Call Recording: How to Enable, Where to Find Files, and Why the Feature May Not Work

Recording phone conversations on Xiaomi smartphones is a useful feature that helps you capture important details of business communication, save evidence for legal purposes or simply remember verbal agreements. However, not everyone knows that this option is built into the MIUI firmware by default, but is often hidden or disabled due to regional restrictions. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to activate recordings, from standard settings to workarounds for models where the function is blocked.

It is important to understand that the legality of recording conversations is governed by the laws of your country. Most jurisdictions require notice of the recording, otherwise the evidence base may be invalidated. We do not call for breaking the law - the article is purely technical. If you plan to use the recordings in court or for dispute resolution, consult a lawyer in advance about the rules for recording audio data.

Why is there no call record button on Xiaomi?

Many users experience a situation where there is no recording button during a conversation on the screen.

• 🌍 Regional restrictions: In firmware MIUI For Europe and the US, the recording function is often disabled for legal reasons (GDPR), In some states, two-way recording without consent is prohibited.
• 📱 Smartphone model: On budget devices (Redmi) 9A, POCO C31) The recording can be cut down to save resources. Flagships (Xiaomi 14, Mix Fold 3) usually support the function fully.
• 🔄 Version. MIUI: In old assemblies (below) MIUI 12) the recording worked differently, so you had to manually turn it on through the engineering menu.
• 🔒 Operator policy: Some mobile operators (e.g. T-Mobile in the U.S.) block network-level recording.

If your smartphone is under one of these restrictions, don’t be too upset. Next, we’ll look at all the ways you can get around it, from official to alternative.

Method 1: Standard recording via the "Phone" application

On most modern Xiaomi devices (with MIUI 12 and later), call recording is built into the standard Phone app.

1. Open the Phone app (the tube icon on the home screen).
2. Go to Settings → Call Record (the item can be called Auto Record or Record automatically).
3. Choose one of the modes: 🔹 Record all calls – records conversations from all numbers. 🔹 Write only the selected ones – you need to manually add numbers to the list. 🔹 Not to write - disable the function.

Recording.

Ready records are saved in the folder MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec (Files are available through Files or Explorer.m4a or.amr and contain labels with date, time and subscriber number.

Note: On some models (Redmi Note 11, POCO X4 Pro), the write button only appears after the first activation of the function in the settings. If it is not, restart the phone.

Method 2: Hidden entry through the engineering menu (for advanced)

If the standard method doesn’t work, you can try activating the recording via the Engineering Mode, which is suitable for devices on MIUI 11-13, but requires caution – incorrect settings can disrupt the phone.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and type the combination: ##4636## This will open the testing menu.
2. Go to the Phone Information section (or Phone Information).
3. Scroll down to Turn on VoLTE (if any) and turn it on.This can unlock additional features, including recording.
4. Go back to the basic phone settings and check if the recording button appears in the Phone app.

To transfer the recordings to the computer:

1. Connect your phone to your PC through USB-cable (select File Transfer Mode in the Notification Curtain).
2. Open the folder with the records (see the paths above).
3. Copy files to any directory on your PC. For convenience, you can create a separate folder, such as Xiaomi Call Records.
4. If the recordings are in.amr format, you will need a player that supports this format to listen to your PC (for example, VLC or Windows Media Player with codecs).

For automatic synchronization with the cloud:

• 🌥️ Set up autoboot in Google Drive: Open the Drive app, click + → Download. → Select files and specify the folder with records.
• 🔗 Use Dropbox or OneDrive with Camera (it automatically downloads new files from selected folders).

💡

If the records take up too much space, convert them to.mp3 through the Audio Converter app (available on Google Play) and this will reduce the file size by 2-3 times without loss of quality.

Why Call Recording Doesn’t Work: 7 Reasons and Solutions

If you have enabled a recording but it doesn’t start or only saves your voice, check out the following points:

If none of the methods helped, try resetting the settings of the Phone application:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the phone and select the Warehouse.
3. Click Clear Data and Clear Cache.
4. Restart the phone and check the recording again.

💡

On Android 12+ and MIUI 13+ devices, call recording can be blocked at the kernel level, with the only solution being to install custom firmware (like LineageOS) or use a second phone to record.

Legal aspects: can you record calls without consent?

Telephone recording laws vary widely across countries, and here are the key points for popular regions:

• 🇷🇺 Russia: It is allowed to record conversations without notice if you are a participant in the conversation (Article 23 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation), however, in court the recording can be considered inadmissible evidence if the other party was not notified.
• 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Consent of both parties is required (Article 31 of the Constitution.
• 🇪🇺 EU (GDPR): Recording without consent violates the General Data Protection Regulation, except if the recording is in the “legitimate interest” (for example, to protect rights in court).
• 🇺🇸 The laws vary by state, 12 states (e.g. California, Florida) require the consent of all parties, and the rest require the consent of one party.
• 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan: Recording is allowed without notice, but it is forbidden to distribute recordings without consent.

To avoid problems:

• 📢 Notify the person at the beginning of the conversation (for example, "I'm recording to record the agreements. You don't mind?").
• 📝 Keep records confidential – do not publish them in social networks or messengers.
• ⚖️ Use records only as intended – for dispute resolution, transaction confirmation, etc.

⚠️ Note: In some countries (e.g. Germany, France), even storing records without consent may be considered a violation of data protection law.If you frequently record business negotiations, consult a lawyer about the rules of your jurisdiction.

FAQ: Frequent questions about recording calls to Xiaomi