If you want to record a phone call on your iPhone or Android device, we have good news for you - it couldn't be easier. Sometimes you need to record a phone call to listen back to it, whether it's for work, business or sentimental reasons and while neither Android nor iPhone handsets have a built-in way to do this, there are some work arounds.
While the best smartphones have pretty much everything you could possibly need these days, there are still a few features missing that we sometimes wish we had access to and the ability to easily record a phone call is right up there. There are, however, good reasons why this feature doesn't exist and yes, you guessed it, it has everything to do with privacy.
Makers of the best iPhone, Apple have so far refused to create a built-in recording option, but that's hardly surprising as they've always had an impeccable record when it comes to their privacy settings, which have certainly set the bar high for other companies.
While we don't recommend you record a phone call on your iPhone or Android device with someone without getting their permission first (it could land you in legal hot water down the line if you record without consent), if you're determined to save your phone conversation as an audio file, there are a few different options available to you to do so, including the best call recorder software.
Just like the best free screen recorders can help you record a meeting when you're using the best MacBooks and Macs or best Windows laptop, there are several ways you can record a phone call on your iPhone or Android device. But remember, the laws on recording calls varies country-to-country, so make sure you're not breaking the law before trying any of these call recorder methods by doing a little bit of research.
How to record a phone call on Android or iPhone using another device
The easiest way to record a phone call on your iPhone or Android device would be to use another phone or tablet – if you have one, that is.
iOS products have an app called voice memo, and Android has voice recorder, so if you take the phone call in loudspeaker mode, and set up the second device to record, you can pick up both sides of the conversation.
The main problem with this is that you can accidentally record other sounds, like people walking past or ambient noises, and depending on the microphone on your second device, the audio quality might make it a little hard to pick up the sound of the call.
How to record a phone call on Android or iPhone using Google Voice
Most people's go-to app for call recording is Google Voice, which is a Google app (as the name suggests) that facilitates Wi-Fi calling. You can set the app up so that it records incoming calls, although this won't work for outgoing ones.
When in the app, find the settings menu, then select 'calls' then toggle 'incoming call settings'. When this is activated, when you press the number 4 on the number pad while on a call, the app will begin recording the call. Both parties will hear a voice notifying you this is happening, so both parties know the conversation is being recorded.
Google Voice isn't currently available in all countries, so this technique of recording a call won't work depending on where you live – it's best you check the app works well ahead of the call you intend to record.
How to record a phone call on Android or iPhone using a call recorder app
If you can't use Google Voice to record a phone call on your iPhone or Android device, or don't want to, there are a few other call recorder apps that you can use – but they have drawbacks. Some of the apps cost, others require you to pay depending on how much of a call you record and the free ones have dubious security.
Here are some that you should check out if you're looking for an app to record your calls:
- Call Recorder – an Android app that can record calls and help you manage the recordings, either by backing them up to the cloud or by categorizing them. It also has caller ID features to help you identified unknown numbers.
- Call Recorder Lite – an iOS app that lets you record both incoming and outgoing calls. You'll need to pay to listen back to longer calls, but you can record for as long as you like.
There are many similar apps on the Play Store and App Store, but if you want a free one it's best to check the store ratings and reviews just to make sure it works well.
