How to Record an Incoming Call With Google Voice

The default Phone app doesn’t support recording phone calls. One of the easiest ways to record a live conversation on your iPhone, then, is to use a phone app that supports recording. One widely used and free app that fits this bill is Google Voice; other apps may require a fee.

Follow these steps to use Google Voice to record live conversations:

Get the Google Voice app and set it up so you use it to make and receive calls. Tap the three-line icon in the top left. Tap Settings. Move the Incoming call options slider to on/blue. When you receive a call that you want to record, answer the call. Then tap 4 on the keypad to start recording. Tap 4 again to stop recording. When you tap 4, a voice will announce that a recording has started, so there’s no way to record a live call without the other person knowing. Your call recordings are stored in the voicemail tab in the Google Voice app.

How to Record a Call on iPhone with Voice Memos

Don’t want to go to the trouble of setting up Google Voice to record calls? There’s another way to do it, but it requires two devices. Even though the iPhone’s Phone app doesn’t support recording calls, you can use it and Apple’s Voice Memos app to get the job done. Here’s what to do:

Using the Phone app, start the call that you want to record. Tap Audio and then tap Speaker to put the call on speakerphone. Apple blocks you from recording a speakerphone call with Voice Memos on the same device. Get a second device with Apple’s free Voice Memos app installed. It could be another iPhone, an iPad or iPad touch, or even a Mac. Open the Voice Memos app. Tap the red record button to start a new voice memo and hold the second device close to the iPhone. When the call is done, you can share the recording by tapping it > tapping . . .

tapping Share > tapping the app you want to use to share it.

Other Call Recording Apps for iPhone

For the most options for recording calls on your iPhone, you need to find an app at the App Store. There are a lot of call-recording apps, and we haven’t tested them all, so we can’t say which is best, but some of the highest-rated call-recording apps include:

Call Recording by NoNotes - Free with in-app purchases. Rev Call Recorder - Free with in-app purchases. TapeACall Pro - $10. 99 with in-app purchases.

If you’re a journalist, podcaster, or customer service rep, you may need to record your phone calls. No program comes pre-installed on the iPhone for recording calls, and the built-in Phone app doesn’t have a call recording feature. So, yes, it’s possible to record. Whether or not it’s legal in your state or municipality will depend on the laws applicable to your location.