How to record calls on your iPhone

Can you record calls on your iPhone? Simply put, yes, but it’s not quite as straightforward as it is to record Skype calls on Windows or record calls on Android. It’s not surprising, considering there are circumstances where there are legal issues surrounding call recording – especially if the recipient isn’t aware – but there are plenty of scenarios where it’d come in handy – when holding telephone interviews and when speaking to customer services are two prime examples.

So, if it’s not built-in, how can you do it? We explain how to record calls on your iPhone right here.  

Record calls with an app

While you might’ve assumed you could use the iPhone’s built-in screen recording functionality to record your phone calls, you’d be wrong. While you can record the screen during a call, Apple’s tech won’t record you or the person on the other end of the call. So, what are you to do? Like the old tagline: there’s an app for that.

There are free-to-download apps that’ll provide you with basic call recording functionality, but if you want the best and most reliable experience, you’ll probably have to part with some of your hard-earned cash. 

Spoiler alert: there’s no app that’ll automatically record every call. All the options listed below require you to open an app and even merge calls to initiate the recording. It’s a pain, but if you really want to record your phone calls, it’s what you’ve got to do. 

TapeACall

Unlike some options available in the App Store that are US-focused – or at least require a US number for use – TapeACall has the benefit of being able to work in over 50 countries around the world. The idea behind the app is simple: when you receive a call, put them on hold, open the app and hit the record button. The app will then merge your call with a remote recording service and store your conversation, ready for access via the app post-call.

When it comes to outgoing calls, you open the app and hit the record button before calling your friend/boss/whoever and merging the call. It’s not the smoothest process, but it’ll do.

The catch is that while the app is free to download, it’s only free to use for seven days. After seven days, you’ll have to pay either £26.49/$30 a year or £4.49/$5 a month for the pleasure. If that’s enticing, you can download TapeACall on the App Store. 

Call Recorder Pro

Call Recorder Pro is somewhat similar to TapeACall in that you can record both incoming and outgoing calls by merging your call with a recorder and making the recording available via the app alongside cloud storage services like Dropbox, but there’s a catch: it’s oddly expensive. 

The Call Recorder Pro app costs £9.99/$9.99 to download on the App Store right now, and that comes with 300 minutes of call recording time. Once you’ve run out of those minutes, you’ll have to buy more, with 150 extra minutes costing you an additional £4.99/$4.99. If you’ll only be recording the occasional call, this makes sense, but if you’ll want to record all of your conversations, it makes sense to go with a service with a flat monthly rate – like TapeACall.

Automatic Call Recorder

While call recording apps are traditionally quite complicated to use, Automatic Call Recorder prides itself on its user-friendly experience.

Like the other apps mentioned here, you’ll open Automatic Call Recorder and hit the record button to merge and begin recording your call, but there’s more to it than that: you’re also able to organise your recordings in various categories, edit the audio clips and even get basic text-to-speech in over 50 languages. There’s also support for international access codes, making it easy to record an international conversation.  

With all that functionality comes a price: $14.99 a month (around £12 in the UK) following a three-day trial. If you want a user-friendly option, you can find it on the App Store. 

Record calls with an accessory

If you don’t like the idea of using an app and merging calls, there is another way to record calls on an iPhone: using a physical accessory. There are plenty to choose from, and most connect via Bluetooth or the good ol-fashioned 3.5mm jack, although you’ll need a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter if you opt for the latter and have a newer iPhone.

When it comes to specifics, you’ve got the option of choosing the Waytronic Wireless Bluetooth call recorder, currently at £48.99 on Amazon, or the Waytronic Phone Recording Earphones at £69.99. Although the latter is more expensive, it does come with high-quality earbuds and even the Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter we mentioned earlier. 

Whatever option you go for, all incoming and outgoing calls will be recorded whenever you use the accessory. 

For more handy iPhone tips, take a look at how to clear the cache on iPhone, and why not brush up on the latest iOS 14 news too?