To record a phone call on iPhone, open the Phone app, make or answer the call, tap the More button and then Call Recording. Both people hear a short announcement that the call is being recorded. Tap Stop or hang up to finish, and the recording, with a transcript where supported, is saved in the Notes app. It works on iOS 18.1 and later, in one-to-one calls, and only in countries where Apple offers it.
Steps: record a call in the Phone app
- Open the Phone app and make a call, or answer one.
- During the call, tap the More button, then tap Call Recording.
- Both of you hear an audio notice that the call is being recorded.
- To stop, tap the Stop button, or just hang up.
- Tap View Saved Call to open it. Every recording also lands in the Call Recordings folder in Notes.
The steps are from Apple's own guide, which also asks you to make sure the other person is willing to be recorded (Apple Support).
Does the other person know?
Yes. Both people on the call hear an audio notice when recording starts. There is no setting that keeps the call recording but drops the announcement: the only switch, in Settings > Apps > Phone > Audio Call Recording, turns the whole feature off.
Recording laws differ by country and state, and many places require everyone's consent. The announcement helps, but asking first is still the right thing to do. This is not legal advice.
Where call recordings are saved, and transcripts
Recordings go to the Call Recordings folder in the Notes app. Open a note and tap Play to listen. From the More button in the recording you can:
- Read the transcript. In select regions and languages, Notes transcribes the call and labels who said what. It can take a moment to appear.
- Search or copy it: Find in Transcript, Add Transcript to Note, Copy Transcript.
- Save or share the audio: Save Audio Files puts it in Files; Share Audio sends it anywhere.
- Get a summary. With Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 and later), tap Summary.
- Delete it. Deleting the audio also deletes the transcript.
Apple asks you to check a transcript before relying on it, since it won't be perfect.
Can you record FaceTime, WhatsApp or Zoom calls?
| Call type | Built-in recording? | What works |
|---|---|---|
| Phone app call, one other person | Yes, Call Recording | The steps above |
| FaceTime audio call, one other person | Yes, the same Call Recording button | More > Call Recording during the call |
| Group or conference call | No: recording is for one-to-one calls | The meeting service's own recorder, if it has one |
| FaceTime video call | No call recording; screen recording mutes the call audio | See can you screen record FaceTime |
| WhatsApp, Zoom, Teams, Meet | No iPhone recording for these apps | The app's own recording feature, or a second device on speaker with consent |
FaceTime audio calls use the same button as phone calls (Apple Support). For video calls, iPhone has Local Capture in Control Center, which records your own side of the call in high quality to the Files app. It doesn't capture the other person, so it's meant for podcasts and interviews where each person records themselves (Apple Support).
Why there's no Call Recording button
- Your region. Apple says call recording isn't currently available in Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, the European Union, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The current list is on Apple's feature availability page.
- iOS is too old. You need iOS 18.1 or later. Check Settings > General > Software Update.
- It's turned off. Go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Audio Call Recording and turn it on.
- More than two people. Call Recording works when you're talking to one other person, not in a merged or conference call.
- It's not a Phone or FaceTime call. WhatsApp and other apps don't get the button.
Record a conversation that isn't a call
For a meeting, a lecture or an interview in the same room:
- Voice Memos (in the Utilities folder): tap the red Record button, tap Stop when done. With Voice Memos turned on in iCloud settings, recordings sync to your other Apple devices (Apple Support).
- Notes with a live transcript: in a note, tap the attachments button, then Record Audio. Transcription works on iPhone 12 and later in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (Apple Support).
The same consent rule applies: tell people you're recording.
Can you screen record a phone call instead?
You can start a screen recording during a call, but iOS mutes the call audio, so you get a silent video of the call screen. That's by design, and no screen recorder app gets around it. The details are in screen recording has no sound on iPhone.
OnAir, our app, doesn't record calls either. It's for what comes after: if you want to talk over a screen recording, react to it on camera or add a voice-over, record the screen and then add your face cam and voice on top. The steps are in how to screen record on iPhone.
