How to record calls on my phone

There might be times you need to record a call, like when you’re on an important work call with someone, and recording it is easier than trying to remember all the details later. Although Android devices don’t have the native ability to do so, you can use Google Voice or even turn to an external recording device to get the job done.

Unfortunately, you can no longer use third-party apps to record calls, as a recent Google Play policy update saw Google ban call recording apps from the Play Store from May 11, 2022.

It’s vital to remember that both the federal and state government have laws in place for recording phone calls, so always ensure you have consent before proceeding. Once you have the other party’s authorization to record your call, our handy guide will show you how to record a phone call in Android. Are you an iPhone user? Check out our guide on how to record phone calls with an iPhone.

Contents

• How to record calls with Google Voice on the web
• How to record calls with the Google voice app
• Recording calls with an external recorder

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

• Android phone

Editor’s note: There are federal and state laws pertaining to the recording of phone calls. As a general rule of thumb, though, you shouldn’t run into any legal trouble if you capture both parties verbally consenting to the recording. Some states require that only one party consent; however, check your state or local laws if you need further clarification.

How to record calls with Google Voice on the web

Many Android users have the Google Voice app installed on their phone, which makes it easy to record phone calls using a Google Voice account. Not only that, but the app allows you to record your calls for free. Well, at least some of the calls. If you opt for Google Voice, you can only record incoming calls.

First, you need a Google Voice account. If you don’t have one, head to the Google Voice website and follow the on-screen instructions. Then, once your account is set up, you need to enable recording on your account, which is relatively easy to do.

Step 1: Navigate to the Google Voice home page.

Step 2: Click the three vertical dots more menu located on the left and select Settings from the menu.

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Step 3: Scroll to the Calls section and turn on Incoming call options by using the slider on the right.

Step 4: Once done, you will be able to record incoming calls by simply hitting the 4 button on your keypad.

Note: When you press 4, you and the person you’re talking with will hear a message saying that the recording is underway. Press “4 again, and the recording will stop and automatically save to your inbox. To access your recordings in the Voice app, head to the Menu and tap the Voicemail tab.

How to record calls with the Google voice app

You can also record calls using the Google Voice app. The process is similar.

Step 1: Open the Google Voice app and tap the hamburger menu on the upper-left side of the app.

Step 2: Tap Settings.

Step 3: Scroll down to Calls and toggle Incoming call options.

Recording calls with an external recorder

There's another method you can use to record a phone conversation, but it can be overcomplicated and expensive. Rather than using Google Voice, you can buy a separate phone recorder — some plug it into your phone’s 3.5mm headphone jack, but most use Bluetooth to connect to your phone.

There are also call-recording headsets that connect via Bluetooth, like the Waytronic Mobile Call Recording Headset, which will set you back $49 on Amazon. We’d also recommend the RecorderGear PR200. This recorder is easy to use, connects to your phone via Bluetooth, and has a built-in speaker, so you can listen to recorded calls directly from the device. It’s available for $119 from Amazon.

At the end of the day, whether you use Google Voice or opt for an external recorder will depend on the quality level you’re seeking from your phone recordings and the amount of money you’re OK with spending to acquire those results.

Whether you need a record of your customer conversations and prospect sales calls for training or quality control reasons, there’s a variety of reasons—and benefits—to recording phone calls.

Often, you don’t even need special call recording software—your computer or cell phone probably has a built-in call recording function.

However! It’s important to remember that if you’re recording phone conversations for business use, you likely can’t just hit record. There are a ton of legalities to be aware of, and to make sure you’re compliant and recording calls legally, you’ll need the right software. (And no, free call recording software and Skype won’t cut it.)

But first, let's look at some important details about recorded calls. Namely: When should you be recording your phone conversations? And are there any legal constraints involved? Let’s dive right in and take a look at both of those questions first.

How to record phone calls—legally

Before we show you how to record phone calls or conference calls, there’s one important thing to bring up. Don’t skip this section!

There are many laws around whether or not you can record a phone call, and these vary depending on which state you’re in. Each state will have both local laws and state laws about call recording that you should be aware of.

Some states only legally require one-party consent, meaning that if either you or the person you’re calling consents to the use of a call recorder, you’re good to go.

Other states aren’t quite as lenient. If you’re in California or Massachusetts, for example, you need to have the consent of both parties before you’re allowed to start to record calls. This is called two-party consent:

You can start recording calls once you’ve downloaded Google Voice’s Android app. All you need to do is tap the icon in the top-left corner, find Settings, and turn on "Incoming Call Options."

The way it works is pretty straightforward:

1. You just need to take a call, and

2. Press the number 4 on your keypad, which will start the recording.

Both you and the person who’s calling you will then hear a message letting you know that the call is being recorded—which is one last handy reminder to ask for the other person’s consent before you record.

When you’re about to end the call, press the “4” key again and the recording will stop. You can also stop recording part-way through the call if you need to.

Google Voice will send the call recording to your inbox once you do press that “4” key a second time. You can download it to your computer from here, or listen to it in the inbox. If you have a Google Drive account, you can save the recordings both on Desktop or your Android phone as well.

Important note: One thing to keep in mind with Google Voice is that it’s only able to record incoming calls, not outgoing ones. If you need to record the calls you make to other people on an Android, then creating a Google Voice isn’t going to work for you.

3. Other third-party apps like TapeACall

Unlike Google Voice, TapeACall and some other third-party Android call recording apps are able to record both incoming and outgoing calls.

To record phone calls with these apps, you’ll typically need to download the app and sign up for an account (some have free versions, but the functionality and security features in these are suspect at best).

From there, you’ll likely have to have that app open while you’re on a call to record it.

Important note: If you only need a call recording app for a very specific or singular purpose (maybe you’re a journalist who needs to record interviews), then something like TapeACall might work fine. But if you work in a contact center, or if you need to record your phone calls in a business or more formal setting, then you should look into a robust phone system or contact center software that has call recording built-in—like Dialpad. This is not only more cost-effective (since you don’t have to pay for a separate app), but also will likely be safer since these solutions tend to have strict data security requirements.

How to record a phone call on an iPhone

1. Dialpad

Dialpad’s desktop and mobile app works across Apple and iOS devices like iPhones, Macs, and iPads too. And yes, you can record both incoming and outgoing calls.

If you’re an iPhone user and already a Dialpad customer, just download Dialpad’s iOS app onto your iPhone:

That’s it! No separate app needed to record your conversations.

Again, in terms of pricing, Dialpad’s unified communications platform starts at only $15 per user per month, and gives you unlimited calling in the US, Canada, and your office’s local country; unlimited SMS/MMS messaging in the US and Canada, this call recording functionality, and a whole host of other essential business phone features like IVR and auto attendant. You can get a closer look at the plans here.

2. TapeACall

Fun fact: TapeACall works on Apple devices as well thanks to its iOS app, which works very similarly to its Android voice recorder app. In terms of pricing, it costs $10.99 on the App Store. It does have a transcription feature that’s powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

One important thing to note about TapeACall is that to record a phone call, you have to make your call a three-way call. That means if you’re talking to someone and want to record that call, you have to invite TapeACall as a third participant on that phone line so that the app can record the call.

It’s a bit of a clunky experience compared to an option that just lets you hit record from your call screen (and might be awkward to explain to a client or prospect why there’s a third party on your call), but if that doesn’t matter to you, then it does do the job of recording phone calls on an iPhone just fine.

3. Rev

Rev is known for its transcription services, but it does also have a free call recorder app. It works on iOS only (no Android or web), and made a pretty smart move to make its call recording feature free, while charging for the transcripts.

If you want a transcript of your call, it’s $1.50 per minute (so a one-hour meeting transcript would cost roughly $90).

Shameless plug: If you’re comparing prices, again, a business phone system or communications platform with built-in real-time transcription, like Dialpad, costs $15 per user per month. You’re getting unlimited call recordings and transcriptions included in that price, which is already way more cost-effective than getting a transcript for a single one-hour meeting with Rev, even if the recordings are free.

Bonus: How to record a phone call on your computer

If you're regularly taking calls on your computer, then you can again use Dialpad to record these calls. (Again, Dialpad works on not only mobile devices but also Macs and PCs—you just need a Wi-Fi connection to have phone calls.)

It’s a unified communications platform (essentially a business phone system that also gives you video meetings and instant + SMS/MMS messaging in a single app), and one of its many business phone features is call recording.

You can record a phone call or a video call, just by hitting the “Record” button from your call screen:

At the end of your call, you’ll get a meeting summary email with a link to the audio file and the full transcript!

From a business perspective, if you or your team needs a business phone system or communications platform anyway, then Dialpad might be a good option to check out since it gives all of this at just $15 per user per month.

What about recording a phone call without an app?

By the way, you don’t necessarily need to download an app to record phone calls! How so?

Well, almost all unified communications (UCaaS) platforms and VoIP phone systems have a call recording function. Most of these will require you to download a desktop and/or mobile app to use that software, but a few (actually, very few) of these solutions are browser-based, meaning you can use that software just by logging into your account on a web browser—no downloads needed.

For example, Dialpad’s unified communications platform lets you do exactly this. You can make phone calls, have video meetings, send instant + SMS/MMS messages—and yes, record your calls too—right from a web browser without downloading any apps.

The best way to record a phone call...

There are many different ways to record phone calls across different devices. Whether you’re using iOS, Android, PC, or Mac devices, there will be a call recording app you can use.

Before you choose one, think about what would be the easiest way to record a phone call for you. Is it through a separate call recorder app, or can you simply choose a more robust or versatile business phone system?

In almost all companies, you should already have a phone system or UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) solution that has a good built-in call recording feature. It’s very rare that this isn’t the case—and if your phone system or communications platform doesn’t have call recording built-in, that’s probably a sign that you should upgrade.

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