While quite a lot of new Android phones come with a call recorder feature built-in, iPhone doesn’t have such a feature. In fact, you won’t find a traditional call recorder app on the App Store either. But that doesn’t mean you can’t record phone calls on your iPhone. There are a couple of ways to get the job done. Read on to find out how to record calls on the iPhone.
4 Ways to Record Calls on iPhone
Before we begin, you should consider the legal aspect. In many western countries (and specific US states), recording a phone call without the consent of the other party can be a criminal offense. Once you’ve checked the status of the law where you live, try the following options to record calls on your iPhone.
1. Use a Call Merge Service
Because there is no one-click option for recording a phone call, using a call merge service is the best way to record both sides of the conversation on a regular phone call. There are a number of apps on the App Store that provide this service and they work the same way.
When you’re on the call, you add a number and then merge the call. Now, the third party is able to hear both sides and is recording for you.
When making the call, you should first call the service, then add the number of the person you want to record the call with. This way, the receiver won’t know that you’re recording the call. This gets harder to do when you want to record an incoming call. But you can just ask the person to give you a minute and while you’re adding the second number, they’ll only get a message that you’ve kept them on hold.
Rev Call Recording: This is one of the best and most popular options for US citizens. It provides unlimited incoming and outgoing call recording functionality for free. It only charges for transcription, which at $1/minute is a reasonable rate.
Download: Rev Call Recording (Free)
TapeACall: This is another good option, but it doesn’t have an unlimited free tier. It has a seven-day free trial, after which you need to pay for a premium plan on a quarterly or yearly basis.
Download: TapeACall (Free)
Once the call is done, you’ll find the audio recording in the app. From here, you can listen to it again, delete it or export it to any other app or cloud storage service.
2. Use Google Voice
One of the easiest ways to record calls is by using Google Voice. If you already have a Google Voice number, all you need to do is turn on a settings toggle to enable this feature. On your iPhone app, open the Hamburger menu and go to Settings > Calls > Incoming call options.
Now, when you’re on a call, just press the number 4 button from Google Voice’s keypad to start the recording. While this feature is convenient, it is also limited. Call recording only works when you’re using Google Voice number over VoIP. And you can only record incoming calls. Plus, when you press the number 4 button, Google will say out loud that recording has begun. This is Google’s way of making sure it doesn’t get involved in lawsuits.
If you’re OK with these limitations, you can use Google Voice to record as many calls as you like, for free. You can press number 4 to start the recording and press it again to end it. You can record multiple fragments of the same call.
Google will email you the file of the call recording.
Download: Google Voice (Free)
3. Record Using Mac (Phone Calls and FaceTime Calls)
If you have a Mac, you can simply use QuickTime to record both phone calls and FaceTime calls. This only works if you’re talking to your iPhone in speaker mode as it can’t record the audio coming from the headphones or the earpiece.
Go to QuickTime menu bar, select File and then New Audio Recording.
Click on the drop-down next to the recording button and make sure the microphone input is set to Internal Microphone.
In this way, you’re using your Mac as an external recording device. If you have a secondary phone, you can use it in the same way. Just make sure you’re in a quiet environment during the call.
If possible, try to use Skype to have the call that you want to record. You can use Mac apps like Call Recorder for Skype and Audio Hijack to record the call. This way you’ll be able to secretly record the call, in high quality, without the person knowing.
Download: Call Recorder for Mac ($39.95)
Download: Audio Hijack ($59)
4. Buy an External Voice Recorder
If you don’t want to use a third-party service and you’re ok with making phone calls on speakerphones, you can buy an external voice recorder to make things simpler.
EVIDA Digital Voice Recorder – $29.88 [Amazon]: This small voice recorder is available for just $20 and records up to 36 hours. It comes with a rechargeable battery as well. It’s a USB recorder so you can just plug it into the Mac to offload the files.
Sony Voice Recorder ICD-PX – $59.99 [Amazon]: Sony makes some of the best voice recorders in the market and this one has all the features you’d need. If you don’t mind spending $60 on a recorder, buy this one. It has 4GB built-in storage that can be expanded up to 32GB. There’s a built-in microphone but you can also attach a lapel mic for clearer audio from your side.
How Do You Record iPhone Calls?
The simplest way to do this is by using a 3-way call merge service and Rev Call Recorder is the best option for that. So if you’re looking for a quick fix, that’s what you should go for. But if you want total control on the experience of recording calls and don’t mind using the iPhone speaker, buy a high-quality recorder like the Sony one we’ve mentioned above.
Which method is best suitable for you? Share with us in the comments below.
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This post was last updated on July 17, 2020.
