Dear Lifehacker,
I'd like to make recordings of my phone calls with coworkers so we can refer to them for notes later. Is there an easy way to do this on my smartphone?
Thanks,
Spoken, Not Typed
Dear Vague James Bond Reference,
As long as you're just looking to record your consensual conversations with coworkers, you should be fine, but for everyone else, it's a good idea to brush up on when it's legal to record calls first. That being said, you have a few options.
Our Pick: Google Voice
Google Voice gets its own section because it requires a bit more than just a download to set up. If you already have a GV number, then you're good to go, but not everyone does. If you only need to record a call every now and then, it might be worth your time to set up a new, dedicated number and instruct your coworkers to call that line when you need to record. Since Google Voice is tied to calling in Gmail, you're not just limited to calls placed via phones. Desktop users can also record incoming calls.
There's one caveat, though: Google Voice can only record incoming calls. This is likely to help prevent abuse and avoid legal gray areas since users can't place an outgoing call and begin recording before the other party has a chance to give permission or hear the alert that the conversation is being monitored.
To start recording while on a call, simply press 4. This works across platforms and doesn't require a dedicated app. Once you're finished, you can either press 4 again to stop recording or just hang up. The audio file will appear in your Google Voice account, which you can access via apps on iOS, Android, or on the web.
Other Free Methods
We like Google Voice because it solves a lot of the problems associate with call recording up front: calls get routed through Google's servers so they're easy to record and it's not necessary to write an app that supports a hundred phones. However, when you're dealing with phone calls that aren't via VoIP, you run dangerously close to wiretapping laws, which can get complicated. Most developers solve this problem in one of two ways.
The first way is crude, but (sometimes) effective: recording all audio through your microphone. In order to do this, you have to turn your volume up or use speakerphone. Unfortunately, this will usually result in extremely poor audio quality, but it gets the job done. Record My Call for Android uses this method, though the iPhone seems to block the ability to record via the microphone while in a call entirely.
InCall Recorder for Android deviates from this method by being able to record any phone call without resorting to the microphone. However, some users on the Play Store have found it incompatible with their device, but your mileage may vary. Also, this obviously doesn't help iOS users.
More Reliable Paid Methods
The other method to skirt wiretapping laws is to reroute phone calls through a VoIP service. Many services offer the option to record a call while it's being run through their own servers. This allows the user to record both incoming and outgoing calls on any device (which is technically how Google Voice works as well). Here are a few services you can try that will cost you money:
- IntCall (pay per minute, iOS & Android)
- Handsfree.ly (pay per call, iOS)
- Record Phone Calls ($10 for app + "yearly maintenance", iOS & Android)
The pricing models are different for each service and can get expensive if you need them for more than just a few minutes every now and then. However, you'll avoid a lot of the technical problems that some of the free apps run into.
You have a lot of options for recording calls, but if you're not a Google Voice user, you may need to do some trial and error to figure out what works and what doesn't on your handset. Also, be sure to check your local laws to ensure that call recording is legal and get the consent of everyone on the call when possible, just to be safe.
Sincerely,
Lifehacker
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