For most of the iPhone's life there was no record button on a phone call, and recording one meant a third-party app or a second device. That changed with iOS 18.1. The button is built in now, it's free, and it writes you a transcript. Here's exactly how to use it, where the files end up, and what to reach for when the built-in option falls short.
How to Record a Phone Call on iPhone, Step by Step
These steps follow Apple's own call recording guide. Check that your iPhone is on iOS 18.1 or later first (Settings, then General, then About).
- Open the Phone app.
- Start a call with one other person.
- During the call, tap the More button, then tap Call Recording.
- Wait for the notice. Both of you hear a short audio announcement that the call is being recorded.
- Talk as normal. To stop, tap the Stop button, or just hang up.
- Tap View Saved Call to jump straight to the recording in Notes.
That's the whole job. There's no app to set up and no subscription. The recording and its transcript wait for you in Notes a few moments after the call ends.
What You Need Before It Works
The button doesn't show up for everyone, and the transcript has stricter rules than the recording. Here's the short version, pulled from Apple's call recording guide, its Notes transcription page, and the iOS feature availability list.
| Requirement | Recording | Transcript |
|---|---|---|
| Software | iOS 18.1 or later | iOS 18.1 or later |
| iPhone model | Any iPhone that runs iOS 18.1 or later (Apple lists no model cutoff) | Apple lists iPhone 12 or later for audio transcription in Notes |
| Who's on the call | You and one other person | Same |
| Where you are | Not offered in the European Union and 18 other countries Apple lists | Select regions only |
| Language | 32 languages, from Arabic to Vietnamese | English (US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand, Singapore), Spanish (US, Mexico), Portuguese (Brazil), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Cantonese (Hong Kong) |
| Summary | Needs Apple Intelligence, which Apple lists for iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone 16 or later | |
Apple's list of places without call recording is long and specific. It covers 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. If you live in one of them, skip ahead to the alternatives.
Where Call Recordings and Transcripts Go
Everything lands in the Notes app, in a folder called Call Recordings. Each call gets its own note. Inside it you'll find the audio and, in supported languages, a transcript that labels who said what. The transcript can take a minute, and you may see a message that transcription is in progress.
Open the note and tap the recording to see the transcript. From the More button you can do the useful stuff.
- Find in Transcript searches the text for a word or name.
- Copy Transcript or Add Transcript to Note gets the text somewhere you can edit it.
- Save Audio Files exports the recording to the Files app or another location.
- Share Audio sends the recording through any share target.
- Delete removes the recording. Apple warns that deleting the audio deletes the transcript too.
Tap any line of the transcript and playback jumps to that moment, which beats scrubbing a 40-minute call for one number. On an iPhone with Apple Intelligence you also get a Summary option in the same view.
Proofread before you rely on it. Apple's own guide says to verify the transcript's accuracy because it might not be a perfect representation of the conversation. Names, numbers, and addresses are where we'd double-check against the audio.
The Beep, and the Consent Question
Apple handles the notice for you. The moment you start recording, both people hear an announcement that the call is being recorded. That's built in, and Apple's guide doesn't describe a way to switch it off.
Consent is on you. Recording laws differ by country and, in the US, by state. Some places let any one participant record. Others need everyone on the call to agree. Apple's guide itself says to make sure the other person is willing to be recorded. Our habit is simple. Say you're recording at the top of the call and wait for a yes. We cover the one-party versus all-party split in a bit more depth in our AI voice recorder rankings. None of this is legal advice.
How to Record a FaceTime Audio Call
FaceTime audio calls get the same feature, with the same one-other-person rule and the same notice. Per Apple's FaceTime guide, the steps go like this.
- Start a one-to-one audio call in the FaceTime app.
- Tap the More button, then tap Call Recording.
- To stop, tap the Stop button, or end the call.
- Find the recording in the same Call Recordings folder in Notes.
How to Turn Call Recording Off
Call recording is on by default. If you'd rather the option never appear, for yourself or on a family member's phone, turn it off.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps, then tap Phone.
- Tap Audio Call Recording and switch it off.
When the Built-In Button Isn't Enough
Apple's recorder is the right first answer for most people. It runs out of road in a few specific spots. It won't record a three-way or conference call, it isn't available in the countries above, transcripts only cover the languages in the table, and Apple only documents it for the Phone and FaceTime apps. If any of those bite, these are the options we'd look at.
Granola's iPhone dialer, for calls you want notes from
If the goal is meeting-style notes from a phone call rather than an audio file, Granola has a phone call feature in its iPhone app. You register your number once, then place calls from inside Granola, and it transcribes and writes notes. Per Granola's help center, it covers 50+ countries, it only handles outbound calls (iOS limits block inbound ones), and the person you call sees your normal number. The free Basic plan includes the iOS app. We map everything else Granola does and doesn't work with in our Granola compatibility guide.
A hardware recorder, for people who live on the phone
If you take a lot of calls and want them all captured the same way, a clip-on recorder is the other route. Both of the ones we review have a dedicated call mode.
- Pocket attaches to the back of your phone with MagSafe. Flip its slider to call mode and it switches to contact mics that pick up the whole call, with no speakerphone needed. Our Pocket AI review covers the app and pricing.
- Plaud Note rides on a magnetic case on the back of your phone. In phone call mode it uses a vibration conduction sensor that picks up sound straight from the phone. Plaud's free Starter plan includes 300 transcription minutes a month. Our Plaud Note review has the details.
Whichever tool you use, the consent rule from above doesn't change. Tell the other person you're recording. If you're torn between the two devices or wondering where a meeting bot fits, our Plaud vs Pocket vs Otter comparison sorts it by how you actually work.
| Option | Cost to start | How it captures | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone Call Recording | Free | Built into iOS | Occasional calls, one other person |
| Granola iPhone dialer | Free Basic plan | Outbound calls placed in Granola | Notes from calls you place |
| Pocket call mode | Device purchase | MagSafe contact mics | Heavy phone schedules |
| Plaud Note call mode | Device purchase, 300 free min/mo | Vibration sensor on a magnetic case | Calls plus in-person meetings |
On Android Instead
Android has its own built-in route through the Phone by Google app. Google's help page says it works on Pixel 6 or newer running Android 14, and on other phones running Android 9 or newer, as long as you have the latest Phone app. It isn't offered everywhere, both people get a disclosure when recording starts and stops, and recordings stay on your device rather than in the cloud. You can record a single call by hand, or set it to always record unknown numbers or chosen contacts.
If It's Not Working
Most problems trace back to one of these.
- No Call Recording option. Update to iOS 18.1 or later, check that Audio Call Recording is on in Settings, then Apps, then Phone, and make sure only one other person is on the line.
- Still no option after that. You're probably in a country Apple excludes, or your iPhone's language isn't on the recording list. Check the feature availability page.
- Recording saved but no transcript. Apple says this means your iPhone doesn't meet the minimum requirements or didn't detect a supported language. Give it a minute first, since transcription can lag behind the recording.
- Can't find the file. Open Notes and look for the Call Recordings folder. If you need the raw audio elsewhere, use Save Audio Files from the More button.
Once you've got transcripts piling up, the same tricks for turning audio into clean text apply to anything you record. We walk through the free options in how to transcribe audio to text.