How to record calls on a Xiaomi mobile

If you are interested in recording calls with your Xiaomi mobile , you may be in luck, because it is one of the few manufacturers that makes it easy for us to do so. Xiaomi includes a simple to use call recorder, although not available on all models, unfortunately.

We already know that recording calls from Android 9 is complicated, since Google disabled the option, and we have to resort to various tricks depending on the phone we have. However, Xiaomi’s MIUI layer applies some interesting changes in this regard.

The key difference is whether our mobile brings the Google Phone application (used in Android by default) or the so-called MIUI dialer (Xiaomi’s own). In the first case recording calls will be very simple, in the second it is complicated.

Unfortunately, more and more Xiaomi mobiles use Google’s own phone, messages and contacts apps in their western version. This is also the case with the Xiaomi Mi A1/A2/A3, which use Android One, without the MIUI customization layer.

Do I have MIUI dialer or Google Phone?

The first step is to be clear about which phone app (“dialer” in English) includes our Xiaomi , as that determines the possibilities when recording voice calls.

Unfortunately, you can’t unlock call recording by installing MIUI dialer, it’s quite more difficult. It requires rooting Android, a complex process that invalidates the warranty and can damage the mobile, so it does not represent a viable option for the vast majority of users.

This is what the two apps look like:

Identifying the app at a visual level is complicated, perhaps the fastest and safest procedure is to enter the Play Store and check if Google Phone is installed . It can be done from this route:

Play Store -> Side Menu -> My Apps & Games -> Installed -> Google Phone

If Google Phone appears to us, there is no doubt. If it does not appear, the mobile uses MIUI dialer , since Xiaomi’s own app is not shown in the Play Store list.

Record a one-time call (MIUI dialer)

If we only want to record a specific call , not store all our phone conversations, the process is very simple. We don’t even have to activate it before starting to speak, it is possible to record the call at any time.

These are the steps from Xiaomi phones:

1. When we are in a call, the screen will show a “Record” icon in the shape of a cassette tape, which we must press to start the recording. The icon is enabled the moment the other person answers the call:
2. The symbol will turn blue and a timer will indicate the recording time it takes:
3. It is possible to click on the icon again and the recording will stop , this allows us to record as many fragments as we want, although it may be more comfortable to save everything and then cut the parts of the audio that interest us with an external app.
4. The call will be stored in the Recorder app that all Xiaomi mobiles bring, when entering we will click on the icon with three horizontal lines that appears on the right:
5. In addition to the voice notes that we have been able to make, we will have a “Recorded calls” section , where we have to access:
6. Clicking on the “Play” icon (arrow pointing to the right) will start playing the audio:

In this way, if we believe that it is worth saving a conversation, it will be possible to start recording on the fly.

Record all calls automatically (MIUI dialer)

Xiaomi phones with MIUI dialer give us the option to record all conversations automatically, generating files of a fairly small size , so we will not fill the mobile’s memory in a short time.

This is how you can activate this option:

1. We open the Phone app and click on “Call settings” (the gear-shaped icon) in the upper right corner:
2. We access the “Call Recording” section :
3. “Automatically record calls” must be activated , the “Call recording notification” setting is optional:
4. By default the conversations of all the numbers will be stored , if we want it is possible to choose “Selected numbers” and indicate specific contacts, including or not the cases in which they call us from a hidden or private number .
5. As in the previous example, all sound files are stored in the Recorder app included in Xiaomi smartphones.

What if I have Google Phone?

Unfortunately, if our mobile does not have MIUI dialer, we suffer the same restrictions as any Android , and installing it will not allow us to record calls, unless we carry out the complex and risky process of rooting the terminal.

Therefore, we recommend downloading apps like ACR or CallApp , which use various tricks to store the other person’s voice, although the quality is not always good.

We know that in the future Google Phone will allow recording calls in countries where it is legal, but the functionality is being activated slowly, and for now its arrival in Spain and Latin America does not have a specific date.

The underlying problem is that call recording has a very different legal situation in each country , and in some cases they are even affected by local regulations. Xiaomi, a Chinese company, does not seem to be too concerned about this.

Instead, Google is based in the US state of California, where recording calls is illegal. Currently in Spain it is legal to record conversations, even without notifying the other party, so this Android limitation is a nuisance for us.

That yes, the recording in Spain is allowed, but the later diffusion can suppose a crime. The calls are sometimes accepted in legal proceedings (especially labor) as valid evidence, but in the rest of the uses it is best to inform us well.

In conclusion, recording calls on a Xiaomi can be easy or difficult depending on the mobile software , although it is even more complicated to record voice calls on WhatsApp, since the messaging application places many limitations.