Do you have a critical phone interview coming up and want to listen back to it later? Or perhaps you just need an easy way to remember everything you said on a phone call with your partner. Unfortunately, there’s no inbuilt record phone call iPhone feature yet.
In either case, if you’re rocking the latest Apple phone, you’ll need to learn how to record a phone call on an iPhone.
This Article Covers:
How to Record Phone Calls on iPhone: The Easiest Way
The most straightforward way to record a phone call iPhone is to put it on speaker and use a second device’s sound recorder. Take a look at our guides below to find out which is the best way to record a phone conversation on an iPhone for your needs.
A Word of Caution
Have you ever had a call from a telemarketer or to a customer service center, and an automated voice tells you, “This call may be recorded for quality control and training purposes?” That’s because it is illegal in many countries and states to record calls without the permission of both parties.
That is the reason there is no record function built into iPhones in the first place. Apple has industry-leading privacy policies worldwide, so there’s no way they would risk having a native call recorder app.
If you secretly record a phone conversation, you could find yourself neck-deep in fines or even jail time. You shouldn’t gamble on it as the risk is far greater than the reward in most circumstances.
So make sure you notify the other party that you plan to record the conversation before doing it.
Why Would Someone Record a Phone Call?
There are different reasons why a person would like to record a call:
- Some people like to keep records of their phone conversations to keep track of information or remember important things
- People also record phone calls to keep evidence of disputes
- Recording a phone interview for future reference
- Companies also record phone calls to collect customer information that they can use for marketing or training purposes
How to Record a Phone Call on an iPhone
There are four main methods to record voice calls on your iPhone, and none of them are particularly simple. Read on as we break down how to record a phone conversation on iPhone in every way.
How to Record Phone Calls on iPhone With Google Voice
Google Voice app is one of the safest options for recording phone calls as it automatically lets the caller know that the call is about to be recorded.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to use Google Voice to record outgoing calls.
Google Voice is a free voiceover IP (VoIP) service that Canadian and United States residents can access. It provides a free phone number, voicemail service, and national calls.
International calls are also available, but they cost money.
You’ll need to take the following steps to get the Google Voice app service working on your iPhone:
- Sign up for a Google account if you don’t already have one
- Download the Google Voice app from the app store and sign in using your Google account
- Tap search to pick a new phone number or click on learn how to use your current phone number
- Confirm the number you chose, then click next until you have to enter your regular phone number
- Enter the number associated with the sim into your iPhone
- Verify with the code that gets sent to your phone
- Allow access to contacts and send notifications
Once your app is ready to go, you still need to complete a few more steps before you can record incoming phone calls.
- Head to the Google Voice website and sign in
- Open the settings by clicking the Gear icon at the top right of the page
- Select the Calls tab
- Scroll down until you see Incoming call options
- Slide the widget to the right
- When you receive calls, press the 4 key instead of the regular answer button. When you do this, Google will inform the caller that the call is going to be recorded.
Every time you have an incoming call to your Google Voice number, you should now have the option to record the call by pressing 4.
How to Record Calls on an iPhone Using Call Recording App Like TapeACall
There are quite a few different apps out there designed to record calls on an iPhone.
You could use another VoIP-supported app like Rev call recorder or TapeACall. The main differences between most of these apps and Google Voice are that these apps will cost you money but can also record outgoing calls.
Apps are a decent iOS record phone call option since they come with extra perks. For example, the Rev caller app also has a transcription service.
There’s no right one to use here; apps like this are often taken off the app store by Apple as they end up breaching privacy laws in some way, so you may have to try out a few apps over the course of a year. You could also switch between a few different free trials to save your wallet.
Since we chose TapeACall as our example, let’s walk through how to record a conversation on iPhone using this app:
- Download the app from the app store and open it
- Enter your phone number
- Enter the verification code from the text you receive
- Choose a plan or use the free trial option
- Select a phone number
- Follow the interactive guide to learn how to use the app for incoming and outgoing calls
The beauty of this app is the interactive lesson upon installation. Most others won’t have this, but once you have used one of these apps, others will seem easy to navigate.
Again, we should stress that it’s likely illegal in your area to secretly record a phone conversation with an app such as this.
Make sure the app you choose has an option to automatically inform the other party that you’re recording the call. Or, be highly vigilant about telling them yourself.
Third-Party Call Recording Apps for iPhone
Here are a few examples of apps you could use when recording a phone call on an iPhone:
Related: How to Get iMessage on Windows
How to Record iPhone Calls Using Speakerphone and a Second Device
The only method for recording calls on iPhone without an app is by using a speakerphone and a Second Device. It may seem silly to consider this a viable option, but it truly is the most straightforward way to record a phone conversation with your iPhone.
The built-in record function in iPhones automatically disables during phone calls. But, if the device itself is not making the call, it can still use this simple feature to record calls.
You can use your PC, Mac, Android, iPad, iPod touch, or second iPhone to record phone calls. They all have apps embedded in their operating systems for recording. These apps may be called sound recorders, voice memos, voice clips, voice recorders, etc. You can then transfer the audio file from the recording device to your iPhone.
How to Test Your Voice / Microphone
Before you record incoming calls on iPhone using voice memos, you should first test the microphone so that you don’t end up with blank audio files or poor-quality recordings.
Open the Voice memos app and click the red recording button to start recording. Talk for a while, long enough to get a good audio file. Once you’re done, stop recording and listen to the audio file.
You can make adjustments like increasing the phone sensitivity or moving the phone closer or further away from the source of the sound. If you are satisfied with the audio quality, you can start recording phone calls on your iPhone.
How to Record Calls on iPhone with Voice Memos
In case you don’t have the Voice memos app pre-installed on your iPhone, you can get it free on the app store. The steps to recording a phone conversation with this Voice memo go as follows:
- Start a call on your iPhone and press the speaker button when the call connects
- Inform the person or business that you’re on the phone with that you are going to record the conversation
- Open up the voice memo app on the second device and press the red record button to record.
- Once the call is done, press the Stop button. The recording will automatically be saved as an audio file.
- You can transfer the file to your iPhone afterward
How to Record a Call On an iPhone by Starting a 3-Way Call With Your Voicemail
This is another way how to record call on iPhone without an app. You’ll need a compatible service provider because to use this method; you’ll need to be able to download your voicemail messages. To check if you can do this, go to your phone app, click voicemail, and if a list of messages appears — you’re in luck.
If it only says “call voicemail”, unfortunately, you’re unable to download your voicemails, so you won’t be able to use this method easily.
You could always call your voicemail provider back and record using speakerphone and a second device — but it makes more sense just to do that for the original call instead.
If you can download your voicemails, you can use the following method to record a phone call with your iPhone.
- Start a call with your contact
- Get consent from them to record the call
- Tap Add call on your iPhone screen
- Type in your own phone number and press call. The call should route to your voicemail
- After your voicemail greeting ends, tap merge calls to start the conference call
- After you end the call, you should have the option to download the voicemail by pressing Phone, then Voicemail, and selecting the file — it may take a while to come through before you can do this final step.
How to Record Phone Conversations on iPhone FAQs
Does Screen Recording on iPhone Record a Call?
No screen recording on iPhone can’t record a call. It will only record what is happening on the screen without any audio. If you’re looking for how to screen record a phone call on an iPhone, you’ll need third party software.
Can You Record Phone Conversations on iPhone Natively?
No, unfortunately, recording conversations on iPhone natively is not an option. Apple doesn’t have a built-in app that will allow you to record calls. You could use a second iPhone or another device to record the call with the voice memo app or similar.
How Much Are the Fines for Secretly Recording a Phone Call?
These vary depending on where you live. In some states, you can receive a prison sentence of up to five years.
Can an iPhone Record Calls? / Can You Record a Phone Call On iPhone? / How Do I Record a Phone Call On My iPhone?
Yes, it can. You can use the following:
- A third-party app
- A second device
- Google Voice
To record phone calls on an iPhone.
How Do I Record a Facetime Call On My iPhone? / How Do I Screen Record a Phone Call With Audio on an iPhone?
- Open up the quick menu by swiping up while you’re in a video call.
- Press Screen recording.
- To record the audio, make sure the microphone icon is on in the screen recording menu by long pressing to open up the options.
- Turn your volume up to full to get the best recording possible.
It may be easier to record a Google Meet call instead if you can get the other party to meet you there. You could also take important screenshots during a business call on your Macbook.
Which Is the Best Way to Record iPhone Calls?
When checking how to record a call on iPhone, the method depends on your needs. So let’s summarize the options so you can make an informed decision:
- Google Voice is great for inbound calls but doesn’t work for outbound calls.
- Third-party apps can be great but can also be costly and have a risk of being removed from the app store.
- Using a second device is the easiest way to create a recording but requires you to be on speakerphone and need a second device to record the call.
- Using your own voicemail is an easy-to-use option for those that have a compatible service provider.
Whichever option you choose, you have to make sure you stick to the laws in your state or country.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we have shown you how to record a phone call on an iPhone in four different ways. It’s up to you to decide which method you find most convenient. If you found this guide useful, you can also check out our article on how to send long videos on your iPhone.
Related:
