How to Record a Phone Call on iPhone? Knowing how to record phone calls on iPhone is something that can come in handy in numerous situations. This is whether it’s for reserving a conversation with a loved one, or a telephone interview that you want to take notes from. However, while iOS 15 is packed with great features, a native call-recording app isn’t one of them.
Still, there are plenty of options available for recording a phone call from an iPhone. However, you will need to pick carefully based on what you have access to and what you want to record. Here, we’ve gathered a list of the best options.
The first thing you need to do is make sure you’re legally permitted to record your conversation. Depending on where you live, the laws about recording conversations differ. In most U.S. states, “one-party” rules apply, where as long as one person involved is conscious of the recording (in this case you), then you’re fine to hit the record button. However, it’s good manners to still provide your contact the heads-up first.
In 11 states (California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Washington), however, two-party rules apply, meaning you must have all participants’ agreement to record. In Connecticut, all parties must be created aware of electronic recordings, with certain exceptions.
If you’re in the U.K., you are entitled to make recordings for personal use only without disclosing the fact you’re doing so to the other callers. Informing the other caller(s) of what you’re doing is always going to be the best approach when sharing or publishing the data. If you’re not in the U.S. or the U.K., you should check the law of where you are before you begin.
How to Record Phone Calls on iPhone
Recording apps
You may consider that “there’s an app for that” when you notice there’s no native method to record iPhone calls. However, it’s not quite as easy as you’d hope.
One of the best choices around is Rev Call Recorder. It’s perfect for most users since it’s free to use and doesn’t limit recording lengths. It also lets you pay to have the call transcribed within 12 hours if you desire a text copy. However, this app only functions when registered with a U.S. phone number, so it’s no right for you if you’re one of our readers living beyond the United States.
That said, there are a bunch of other well-reviewed apps to choose from if you simply search the App Store. Just be aware that most will need some kind of in-app purchase if you want to use their full feature sets.
Google Voice
The easy-to-use Google Voice service offers you a number you can access on your iPhone as well as other devices, as well as recording any calls you receive.
After setting up your account, navigate to Settings, then Calls and Incoming call options. Here, you can allow a toggle switch that lets you turn recording on and off by pressing the ‘4’ key on your number pad in calls. The recording gets forwarded to your email after you’re done or can be seen amongst your voicemails in the app.
The major limitation here is that it only records inbound calls, so you’ll have to request the other caller to make the initial connection. Also, an automated voice will clearly announce when recording is initiated and stopped, which you might find disruptive.
One convenient bonus feature is Voice’s voicemail transcription service. If you happen to miss a call but must keep a record of it, you can get a text version or the audio version without a fuss.
Other Call Recording Services
If you don’t like to use an app, for example, because you also record regularly from landline numbers, then you can set up a separate service such as RecordiaPro or Recordator.
Both offer pay-as-you-go packages depending on how long you plan to record and both let you dial a number, either before a call or during, to add a recording participant to your calls. When you’re done, you log into the respective online services to access your recordings, with the option to request transcription if you expect.
How to Record Calls on an iPhone through Your Voicemail
This method depends largely on your cellphone service carrier for functionality. First, you must check whether your carrier allows you to download your voicemail messages.
Launch the Phone application on your iPhone and tap on the Voicemail tab in the bottom-right corner. If you see a list of voicemail messages, that’s great! You can download them and keep them on your device for future playback goals.
If you only catch a Call Voicemail option, you’re not so lucky. You won’t be able to download voicemails. However, you may be capable to save them in your carrier’s audible voicemail. This implies you’ll have to continue calling your voicemail every time you want to playback the message.
To download these messages externally, we recommend using the speakerphone method we discussed above. Depending again on your phone provider, you can try a similar recording approach using call merging and your voicemail:
- Contact your connection and gain consent to record the call. Ask them to hold.
- On your iPhone, click Add Call to start a three-way conversation.
- Call your own phone number. You should bring your own voicemail inbox.
- Wait for the voicemail greeting to finish. Click Merge Calls to begin the conference.
- End the call. Your conversation should record as a message you can retrieve from your voicemail box.
External Methods
If you’re unimpressed with the software, now is the time to resort to something clunkier, but possibly more reliable: separate hardware.
If you aren’t fussed about quality, you can only put your phone on loudspeaker then switch on another device to record it. You can assumably do this already, assuming you own more gadgets than just your iPhone. A quiet space to set this up is a must, though, unless you desire external noise covering up your conversation in the playback.
If you don’t mind spending a little more, you could take in an in-ear microphone, such as the Olympus TP8 telephone pick-up microphone that I personally use. It plugs into the microphone port of your system or a dictaphone. It lets you hold the mobile to your ear normally while recording everything you and the other callers say.
