How To Record a Phone Call On Your iPhone

There are a million reasons why you might want to record a call. You might want to record your upcoming job interview so you can replay it a hundred times and critique your every syllable. Or maybe you want to record a call with a grandparent so you can preserve the memory.

The bad news is that, if you’re an Apple user, there’s no built-in iPhone call recording feature you can use.

The good news?

There are ways around this—and they don’t involve downloading an app.

Keep reading to learn how to record calls on your iPhone.

Tell People You Are Recording a Call

Before you hit the record button, remember that it might be illegal to do so without permission. This depends on where you live, local and federal privacy laws, and where your conversation partner is located. But as a general rule, you should always get the other party’s consent before you start recording.

So first, check the legal requirements for recording calls in every state in the US. If you or your conversation partner live outside of the US, make sure to check with the legislation in that country.

Keep in mind that even if recording someone without their permission might be legal, it’s still not recommended. You wouldn’t want to be recorded over the phone without knowing, right? Most other people aren’t going to appreciate it either.

How to Record a Call On Your iPhone and Another Device

iPhones don’t allow you to record calls while you’re making them. They do come with a recording app, but it can’t be accessed during actual calls. So your two other options for iPhone call recording are:

• Downloading a specialized app to do this
• Recording the conversation on another device

We’ll discuss the first option a bit further down in this guide.

The second option needs a bit of setting up, but it can be as easy as pushing a button. So if you don’t want to install another app, this might be the best option for you.

Here’s what you need to do:

Get your iPhone and the device you want to use for recording. This might be a tablet, another phone, or a portable recording device.

Place the extra recording device next to you, with the voice recording app open. On iPhone, the default voice recording app is Voice Memos. It comes pre-installed on most iPhones, but you can also download it from the App Store.

Run a quick test to make sure your app is working. Hit the record button, which is often a red circular button at the bottom of the screen. Speak for a few seconds to get an adequate sample.

Listen to your recording to make sure the sound quality is up to par. You might need to make adjustments to how loud you speak or your proximity to the recording device. There may also be some sound settings you can fine tune in the device itself.

Start your call.

Put your conversation partner on speaker.

Ask for their consent to record the conversation.

Hit the record button on your recording device.

If you use Voice Memos to record, you can transfer the recording file by following these steps:

Tap on the recording file.

Tap on the three dots.

Tap Share.

Choose where you want to share it (Gmail, WhatsApp, Slack, Facebook Messenger, or another app).

How to Record a Call on Your iPhone Using an App

The easiest way to record a call on your iPhone is by using an app. Once you’ve downloaded the app, all you’ll have to do is press a couple buttons. All your recordings will be kept in one place, and they’ll be easy to access from the device you’re actually using to make the phone call.

Here are the top three best call recording software options for iPhone:

Rev Call Recorder

Rev Call Recorder is an iPhone app that allows you to record voice calls. And the best part? It’s entirely free to use. There are no hidden charges, no ads, and no limit on how long your recorded calls can be.

So what’s the catch then?

Instead of charging for the app, Rev Call allows you to get your calls transcribed in exchange for a fee.

The recordings are high-quality, and you can even get two-way recording with this app, which means that your own voice will also be recorded. Furthermore, the app allows you to share and export each recording for free. You can also share your recording files using Dropbox or other cloud storage services, as well as via email and SMS.

The one major disadvantage of this app is that it only works with US phone numbers—so if you want to call someone outside of the US or if you’re based outside of the US, you won’t be able to download and use this app.

The app receives a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars rating in the App Store from more than 12.5K users.

TapeACall Pro

TapeACall Pro is one of the best-rated call recording iPhone apps. All you have to do is make your call and tap the recording button. Once you do this, the app will create a three-way conference between you, your conversation partner, and the recorder itself.

The recordings sound clear, and you can easily share each recording via email or social media. You can also upload the recordings to Google Drive or Dropbox, which will allow you to save storage on your phone.

TapeACall Pro also allows you to transcribe recordings into text instantly. This is useful when you want to look at the conversation and see exactly how it went. The app is also great for users who like to keep all their digital files neat and organized, allowing you to use labels for each recording.

TapeACall Pro has a free 7-day trial version, so you can download and test it to see if it fits your needs. After that, you’ll have to pay between $4.99 and $59.99, depending on which features you want and whether you want to pay monthly or yearly.

TapeACall reviewers give it a 4.3 out of 5 stars from more than 31K users, and many recommend it as the best call recording app on the market.

Automatic Call Recorder

Automatic Call Recorder is another popular call recording app for iPhone. Unlike the previously mentioned apps, Automatic Call Recorder boasts a very user-friendly interface—which is precisely why so many people are satisfied with it.

The app also supports recording for outgoing and incoming calls in a three-way call system. It’s also great for those of you who need to organize recordings accurately. Plus, it lets you edit audio and integrations with cloud storage services (Dropbox, One Drive, Google Drive, and more).

Automatic Call Recorder supports more than 50 languages for transcriptions, so if you need to transcribe a call in another language, this is likely the app for you.

You can download this app for free and use it as a trial for a week. After that, you can choose from one of three pricing tiers: $3.99 per week, $9.99 per month, or $19.99 for lifetime access.

Overall, this call recorder has very good reviews in the App Store, with an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars from more than 3,000 people. The consensus is that it’s a very smooth, hassle-free app and that the customer support is prompt and reliable.

BONUS: Google Voice

Google Voice is not a call recording app, but it does allow you to record calls you make through VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). In fact, that is precisely what Google Voice is: a free VoIP service available in the US and Canada.

To be able to use this service for call recording, you’ll have to make your calls through the app. Here’s the step-by-step process on how to do this:

Download the app and sign in with your Google account.

Tap Search. Doing this will let you select a virtual phone number to associate with your Google Voice account.

Confirm your number by tapping Next until the app asks you to enter your phone number.

Google will send a confirmation code to your phone. Use it to verify your Voice account.

Go to your Google account, open Google Voice, and click on the Settings icon.

Go to the Call tab. You will find it on the left hand side.

Scroll down and tap on the widget next to Incoming calls to enable call options.

When you receive a call through Google Voice, you’ll have the option to record it. All you have to do is press the 4 key on your phone.