How To Record A Telephone Conversation On Iphone 5

You can record a phone call on your iPhone using third-party apps, but there's currently no built-in method.
One of the ways you can record calls for free on your iPhone is with Google Voice — however, you can only record calls you receive, and the other party needs to call your Google Voice number.
Third-party iPhone apps like Rev Call Recorder, TapeACall, and Call Recorder can record both incoming and outgoing calls.
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Surprisingly, one of the things you can't do with your iPhone "out of the box" is record a phone call.

This may be in part because Apple doesn't want to have to deal with the legal issues surrounding recording phone calls – there are laws that vary state-by-state which place limits on your right to record calls, especially without the express consent of everyone on the call.

But it's indeed possible to record calls on an iPhone — you simply need to install an app to do so. And to stay clear of any legal hurdles, always be sure that everyone on the line is aware of and consents to being recorded.

There are numerous apps available for recording calls, but one offers the ability for free: Google Voice. Be aware, though, that Google Voice only records incoming calls – so you can't record a call that you initiate on your own phone. And if you don't like Google Voice, there are various other ones with other capabilities.

How to record calls on your iPhone with Google Voice

1. If you don't already have a Google Voice number, start by claiming one. Go to the Google Voice webpage and, logged in with your Google account, follow the instructions to choose a phone number in the city or area code you desire.

2. Install the Google Voice app on your iPhone and complete the setup with your new Google Voice number.

3. Once Google Voice is set up on your phone, go to the Google Voice webpage and click the Settings icon at the top of the screen.

The Google Voice webpage is where you configure settings like enabling the ability to record incoming calls.

4. In the calls section, make sure that "Incoming call options" is turned on.

Be sure to enable "Incoming call options" to start recording a call.

Now, to record a call:

5. Receive a call using the Google Voice app on your iPhone. Remember that you can't record outgoing calls, so if you want to record a call you'll need to ask the other party to call you using your Google Voice number.

6. After answering the call, press "4" on your keypad. You'll hear a message that the call is being recorded.

7. If you want to only record part of the call, press "4" a second time to stop recording. Otherwise, the call will be recorded all the way until you hang up.

8. End the call in the usual way.

9. The recorded call will appear in your Google Voice voicemail. To save the recording to your computer as an MP3 file, go to the Google Voice webpage and click the voicemail icon in the navigation bar on the left side of the screen. Click the voicemail and then click the three dots on the right side of the screen. Choose "Download" and save the file to your computer.

Recorded calls (along with other voicemail messages) can be saved to your computer as MP3 files.

How to record a call on your iPhone with other apps

Google Voice is admittedly a little convoluted, and it only works with incoming calls. If you prefer, there are other apps which you can use to record calls — and outgoing ones at that.

In general, most apps work more or less the same way: To record a call, you need to set up a 3-way conference call between your iPhone, the recording app's recording center, and the party you are dialing.

The best option out there right now for free call recording, for both incoming and outgoing calls, is an app called Rev Call Recorder. This service is completely free and has no restrictions on how many minutes you can record. It's currently only available for iPhone, not Android.

Other apps that let you record both incoming and outgoing calls include TapeACall Pro ($30) and Call Recorder Pro ($10 for 300 minutes, then additional in-app purchases).

CallRecorder – IntCall (recording time available through in-app purchases) works differently. It records outgoing calls only and you need to place the call directly from the app itself. But the app records the call on the iPhone itself, rather than storing it on a remote server.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

How to record a call on your Android device using a third-party app
How to record audio on Windows 10 using the Microsoft Voice Recorder app
Can you screen record on FaceTime? Yes, but you can only record video without audio — here's how
How to record audio on an Android using a built-in app on your device
How to record a phone call on your Samsung Galaxy S10 in 3 different ways

Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.