How to listen to a call on a Xiaomi phone: from standard features to hidden features

Recording phone conversations on Xiaomi smartphones is a useful feature that helps you capture important details of negotiations, save evidence or simply not miss valuable information. However, many users face the problem: where to look for these records, how to listen to them, and can you recover accidentally deleted files? In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to work with call records on Redmi, POCO and other Xiaomi devices, including hidden MIUI capabilities and third-party applications.

It’s important to understand that call recording functionality depends on the MIUI firmware version, regional restrictions (autowriting is illegal in some countries), and phone model. For example, on the Xiaomi 13 Pro with global firmware, recording may work differently than on the Redmi Note 10 with the Chinese version of the software. We will take into account all the nuances and provide universal solutions.

If you've never turned on a conversation record, first check if your model supports it. In some regions (e.g. the EU), it may be disabled by default due to legal restrictions, but even then there are workarounds, which we'll talk about.

1. Where call records are stored on Xiaomi: standard paths

By default, phone records on Xiaomi are saved in the Dictophone system application (or Records in newer versions of MIUI).

• 📁 MIUI 12–14: /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/call_rec/ or /storage/emulated/0/Recordings/CallRecord/
• 📁 Old versions (MIUI 11 below): /storage/emulated/0/Recorder/ or /sdcard/CallRecord/
• 🔍 How to find: Open the Files app" → Go to Categories → Audio. → Call recordings (if the folder is not displayed, turn on the display of hidden files in the Explorer settings).

If the folder is not available, the call recording is disabled in the settings or your model does not support this out of the box function, in which case you will have to use third-party applications (for this, see Section 3).

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi Mi) A1/A2 With pure Android, records are stored in a folder /Android/data/com.android.dialer/files/. Access to it is possible only through root or file manager with superuser rights.

Record format is usually.amr or.mp3, a File names contain the date, time and subscriber number (e.g, 20260515_143022_+79123456789.amr). If the files are not played by a standard player, install VLC or MX Player – They support all audio codecs.

2. How to enable automatic call recording in MIUI

If your Xiaomi conversation record doesn't work, check the settings first. In newer versions of MIUI, the feature can be hidden or disabled by default. Here's how to activate it:

1. Open the phone application (call).
2. Press three points (⋮) top-right → Choose "Settings".
3. Go to the "Call Recording" section (or "Call Recording" in English).
4. Activate the Auto Record switch and select the terms: 🔄 All calls - recording incoming and outgoing; 📞 Only incoming/outgoing; 📵 Selective – entry only for contacts from the black/white list.

Save settings and restart your phone (sometimes required to apply changes).

If you don't have "Record Calls" on the menu, your firmware doesn't support this feature.

• 🔄 Update. MIUI Up to the latest version (check in Settings) → The phone. → Updating the system).
• 🌍 Install global firmware (if you have a Chinese version where the record can be blocked).
• 📱 Use third-party applications (Section 3).

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro)+) The recording may not work due to the chipset's hardware limitations, in which case only root or an external recorder will help.

Check the MIUI version in the settings

Update the Phone app in Google Play

Clear the cache of calls (Settings → Applications → Phone → Storage)

Reboot your phone after the changes-->

3.The Best Third-Party Call Recording Apps

If Xiaomi's standard tools don't work, use third-party software. 10 Apps and selected top-3 supportive MIUI 14 Android 13/14:

Before installing, check the app's permissions: it must request access to the microphone, storage and call log. Android 10+ will also require permission to Record audio in special features settings.

Important: On Xiaomi with Android 12+, some apps may not record the voice of the interlocutor due to Google restrictions, in which case only root or an external voice recorder (connected to a 3.5 mm connector) will help.

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If the app doesn’t record the voice of the interlocutor, try to turn on the “Speak” mode during the conversation – this often solves the problem on Snapdragon chipsets.

4.How to recover deleted call records

If you accidentally delete a recording of a conversation, you can try to restore it, and success depends on how long it has been since you deleted it and whether the phone has used cache cleaning functions. Here are 3 working methods:

Method 1: Through the MIUI basket

In newer versions of MIUI, deleted files are first put into the Recycle Bin and stored there for 15 days to recover the record:

1. Open the Files app.
2. Go to the "Basket" section (the bin icon in the bottom menu).
3. Find the deleted entry (sort by date) and click "Restore".

Method 2: Using DiskDigger

If the Recycle Bin is cleaned, use DiskDigger, a file recovery utility without root:

1. Install DiskDigger from Google Play.
2. Select "Full Scan" (it takes longer, but searches deeper).
3. Check the file types ".amr" and ".mp3".
4. After scanning, find the desired record and save it to a safe place.

Method 3: Through a backup of Google Drive

If you have automatic backup enabled in Google Drive, check:

1. Open Google Drive in your browser.
2. In the search box, type ext:amr or ext:mp3.
3. If the files are found, download them to your phone.

⚠️ Note: Do not install the recovered records back into the folder call_rec/ — This can lead to conflict with new files, save them to a separate directory, for example, /Download/Restored_Calls/.

5. How to listen to PC call records

If you need to listen to a computer recording (for example, for editing or passing it on to third parties), there are several ways to do this:

Method 1: Through USB-cable

1. Connect Xiaomi to your PC via cable (select File Transfer mode in the notification curtain).
2. Open the entries folder (paths are specified in section 1).
3. Copy.amr or.mp3 files to your computer.
4. Open them with VLC, Audacity or the standard Windows player.

Method 2: Through the cloud

If the recordings are synced to Mi Cloud or Google Drive:

1. Open the web version of the cloud (Mi Cloud or Google Drive).
2. Find a folder with records (usually) MIUI/sound_recorder/ or CallRecord).
3. Download the files to the PC.

Method 3: Bluetooth:

For fast transmission without cables:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone and PC.
2. Put the devices together.
3. Open the file manager on your phone, highlight the records and select Send → Bluetooth.

If files are not played on a PC, install the K-Lite Codec Pack or convert them to.mp3 via Online-Convert.

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To transfer records to your Mac, use the Android File Transfer app – it supports all Xiaomi models and correctly displays folders with records.

6. Solving Call Recording Problems

If the call recording on Xiaomi doesn’t work, check out these points:

If the problem is not solved, try resetting the call settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Phone.
2. Press "Storage" → "Clear the data".
3. Reboot the phone and set up the recording again.

For advanced users: If none of these methods work, all that remains is unlocking the bootloader and installing custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience), where call recording works without restrictions, but this voids the warranty and requires technical skills.

7. Legal aspects of call recording

Before recording conversations, make sure that it does not violate local law. Most countries have the following rules:

• 🇷🇺 Russia: Recording of a conversation is allowed if you are a party to it (Article 23 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation), however, using the recording in court requires the consent of the second interlocutor.
• 🇺🇦 Ukraine: It is forbidden to record conversations without notifying the interlocutor (Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
• 🇪🇺 EU: Most countries (Germany, France) require consent from both parties.
• 🇺🇸 In 12 states (for example, California) you need to notify the interlocutor, in the rest – the consent of one party is enough.

To avoid problems:

• 📢 Notify the person about the recording (for example: “Conversation is recorded to record information").
• 🔒 Keep your records in a secure place (do not publish them in the public domain).
• ⚖️ Use the records only for legitimate purposes (for example, to confirm agreements).

⚠️ Note: In some countries (e.g. Germany), illegal recording of conversations can result in a fine of up to €10,000.Clarify local laws before using the function.

FAQ: Frequent questions about recording calls to Xiaomi