How to Record a Phone Call on your iPhone

You might want to record a call on your iPhone for a lot of different reasons. You might be interviewing someone and want to remember what they say. Or, your grandma might be telling you how to make her famous apple pie, and you don't want to miss her secret ingredient. It's also important to know how to record a phone call on an iPhone so you can keep track of client negotiations and things your boss says that might be inappropriate.

You should know right away that it's easier to record a phone call on an Android device. This is because Apple makes it impossible to record calls on an iPhone. Apple takes your privacy very seriously, so it won't let third-party apps use your microphone. Here are several ways to record a phone call on an iPhone.

How to Record a Phone Call on your iPhone Without an App

This is probably the quickest and easiest way to record a phone call on your iPhone without paying for an app. To make it work, you'll need another iPhone, iPad, computer, or portable recording device with a microphone that can record sound.

As long as you're in a quiet place and can use the speakerphone on your iPhone, it's easy to do:

1. Call the person you want to talk to and tap the Speaker icon. Let the other person know that you are going to record the call on your iPhone.

2. Once you have permission, start recording on your outside recorder.

3. Put your iPhone close to the recording device's microphone. Stay close to the device that is recording if you want your own voice to be captured as well.

4. End the call.

5. Save your recording.

Record a phone call on an iPhone using the Voice Memos app

1. Open the Voice Memos app on your iPhone (or whatever Apple device you're using to record).

2. Tap the red record button to start to record.

3. The next step is to call someone. You can do that with an iPhone or any other phone that has a speaker function (as long as you're not using it to record). Just call the number and turn on the speakerphone so that not only your voice but also the other person's can be heard and recorded.

Record a phone call on iPhone using the third-party apps

Even though the speakerphone method is easy, not everyone can use it. If you don't have two devices, it might not be the best choice. To record a phone call on an iPhone without a speaker, all you have to do is download the right app. Here are some of our favorite iPhone apps for recording phone calls and getting the best sound quality possible.

Google Voice

Google Voice is a free service for making VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls in the US and Canada. It gives you a free phone number, a voicemail box, and the ability to make free calls within the U.S. and to other countries.

But you'll need to spend some time setting up the service before you can do this. Make sure you don't set up a Voice for Google Workspace account or use one at your company or school. If you don't, you won't be able to use the recording feature.

Here's how to get Google Voice working:

1. Download and install the Google Voice app from the App Store.

2. Launch the app and use your Google account to sign in.

3. Choose Search. Choose the new phone number you want to use with your Google Voice account.

4. Double-check your number. Tap on Next until you are asked to enter your phone number.

5. Enter the phone number for your iPhone. Confirm, and wait for a code to be sent to you.

6. Use the code you just got to confirm your new Google Voice setup.

7. Before you can record calls on your iPhone, you need to do one more thing. Sign in to your Google account on the Google Voice website. To open the Settings menu, click the gear icon in the upper right corner of the page.

8. On the left side of this page, click the Calls tab. Then scroll down and tap the widget on the right to turn on the options for incoming calls.

9. When you get a call through your Google Voice account, you can start recording the call by pressing the 4 key on the number pad on your iPhone. Google will tell the other person that they are being recorded when you do this. The recording will be in your Google Voice inbox. You can download it to keep it safe.

Due to legal and safety reasons, you can't use Google Voice on your iPhone to record a call you make and send out.

Rev Voice Recorder

What's so great about this app? Well, it's free, for one thing. Rev Voice Recorder can record even when you are using other apps or your phone. It's also very easy to record, share, and cut your files. Want to write down what you said when you were talking? Rev has a service that will take your voice recording and turn it into text. One downside is that transcription with Rev is a little more expensive than with other services. This is because the company uses real people to do the work, not machines. 

Now you know how to record a phone call on your iPhone in general. But remember that each cell phone provider and iOS device works a little differently, so you may need to try out a few different ways to record until you find the one that works best for you.

Using the speakerphone or paying a third-party service to record the call are the two most reliable ways to record a phone call on your iPhone. In any case, to stay on the right side of the law, you should always let the other person know that you are recording them.