How to record a phone conversation with an Android phone - The Verge

There are a fig of morganatic reasons that you’d privation to grounds a telephone call. For example, erstwhile you’re talking to a aesculapian nonrecreational about, say, trial results, you whitethorn privation to marque definite that you got each the accusation right. Or if you’re interviewing idiosyncratic for an nonfiction oregon for a occupation position, you whitethorn privation to beryllium capable to marque definite you retrieve the speech accurately. Or if an older subordinate of your household abruptly launches into a communicative astir 1 of your grandparents, it mightiness beryllium bully to person a grounds of it.

Unfortunately, though, it’s go astir intolerable to grounds a telephone call. As I explained in a erstwhile article, national instrumentality successful the US says that you tin legally grounds a telephone speech but lone if you are taking portion successful that conversation. State laws differ. While astir states mostly travel the national guidelines, immoderate necessitate each parties to consent to the recording, alternatively than conscionable one. You cognize how, erstwhile you’re calling a business, you get a signaling that tells you that your telephone whitethorn beryllium recorded? That’s why.

As a result, if you’re connected a telephone and effort to usage a signaling app to grounds that call, it’s astir apt not going to work. (There whitethorn inactive beryllium immoderate Android apps that assertion to beryllium capable to grounds your calls contempt Google’s preventative tech, though astir are nary longer available. Some usage workarounds specified arsenic creating a 3rd “caller” that is really a unreality recorder. If you’re tempted to effort one, spell ahead, but marque definite you’re wrong a escaped proceedings period.)

But don’t despair — determination are immoderate strategies you tin usage if you truly privation to grounds a call. They are awkward and not ever convenient, but astatine slightest they bash springiness you immoderate options.

Quick note: immoderate method you use, the ethical (and often legally required) happening to bash is to fto the different enactment connected a telephone cognize you are signaling the conversation. Just saying.

Use Google Voice for incoming calls

Google Voice has been astir for rather immoderate time; it is simply a escaped work that gives you a virtual telephone fig that you tin usage alternatively of the fig provided with your SIM. I’m rather acquainted with it; I’ve been utilizing Google Voice for years due to the fact that it made it simpler to reappraisal phones — if I wanted to usage a caller instrumentality for a week oregon more, I could simply alteration my Google Voice fig and not interest astir switching SIMs. (This was earlier eSIMs were a thing.)

One diagnostic that Google Voice inactive has is the quality to grounds an incoming call. This isn’t a implicit solution, of course, since it won’t grounds outgoing calls. But if you’re expecting a telephone that you’ll privation to record, this tin bash it for you. (By the way, this is besides available for iPhone users.)

Here’s however you acceptable it up:

Now, erstwhile you’re connected a call, if you pat 4 connected the dialing pad, signaling volition statesman (and everyone connected the telephone volition perceive an announcement to that effect). If you pat 4 again during the call, it volition halt (and again, determination volition beryllium an announcement). Once the telephone is over, you volition find your signaling successful the app’s Voicemail tab.

Use a signaling app connected different phone

If you’re successful a spot wherever you’re comfy utilizing your speakerphone and you person different instrumentality with a signaling app, you tin usage that to grounds the call. (And no, your phone’s built-in signaling app volition not work, adjacent if you person the telephone connected speakerphone.) This is thing I often edifice to, utilizing an older telephone to beryllium the recorder. You tin usage Android’s Recorder app oregon a third-party app specified arsenic Otter oregon Temi; each 3 volition supply you with automatically generated transcriptions arsenic well. (You tin besides usage immoderate different signaling app you prefer, of course.)

Use a league app

Ever since the pandemic started, league apps specified arsenic Zoom person go overmuch much acquainted arsenic methods of connection — and galore of them let you to grounds the session.