If I Plug My Telephone Recorder Into a Different Outlet Will I Have to Reprogram It Again
Recording phone calls on an Android device can be a challenge. While Google's own Phone app offers a recording feature, whether or not it works depends on your carrier, region, and other conditions. You can always use an external recording device, but there are also several on-device options, from Google Voice to third-party apps.
Recording Limitations on Android
Google has never been particularly fond of call-recording apps for Android, at least not those from third parties. With Android 9, the company added limitations that prevented many apps from recording your phone conversations. The apps seemed to work, but when you would play the recording, you'd hear only silence or just your end of the conversation.
With Android 10, Google cracked down even further on these types of apps by blocking call recording via the microphone. In response, many app developers started tapping into Android's Accessibility Service to record phone calls. But Google then updated its developer policy in April 2022 to state that it would not allow apps in the Play Store to use the accessibility service for call recording. That policy went into effect on May 11, 2022.
The company has even gone so far as to label call recording a type of spyware.
"Behaviors that can be considered as spying on the user can also be flagged as spyware," Google said in its developer policy. "For example, recording audio or recording calls made to the phone, or stealing app data."
In the past, people were able to find workarounds to Google's block, such as changing the audio source or format, turning the speaker volume as loud as possible, recording manually instead of automatically, and even rooting their phones. Others have since taken to sideloading call-recording apps through an APK file rather than downloading them directly from Google Play.
The version of Android installed on your phone also plays a role in all this. Apps on devices with Android 9 and earlier should still be able to record phone calls without bumping into Google's latest restrictions. But apps on phones with Android 10 or higher that try to use the accessibility service may run afoul of Google's new policy.
A Question of Legality
Assuming you're able to find a working call-recording app, can you legally record a phone call, especially if you don't ask the other person for permission? The answer depends on where you live. US federal and most state laws allow phone recording if just one party (yes, that can be you) gives it the okay. Some states, however, require both parties to give permission to be recorded.
Other countries have their own laws, of course. To fully cover yourself legally, ask the other person for permission before recording the call. With all of those limitations, restrictions, and obstacles out in the open, here are some apps that may be able to record your Android phone conversations one way or another.
Phone by Google
Google's Phone app(Opens in a new window) offers built-in call recording, but it's contingent on a number of conditions. The app must be preinstalled on your phone with the latest update. You must be running Android 9 or higher. And most stringently, your region, carrier, and device must all support it, which leaves a lot of phones and locations out of the running.
Make sure your phone uses the Phone by Google app, and not Samsung's Phone app, for instance. If you have the right app, open it, tap the three-dot icon in the upper right and select Settings. Tap Call Recording to set up what types of calls you want to record. If the Call Recording option is not visible, then your phone can't record calls through the app.
If you do have the Call Recording option, tap the Record button the next time you are on a call that you wish to record. When done, tap the Stop Recording button. You can access the recording under the Recents section of the the Phone app. Tap the name of the caller you recorded, select the recording from the list of calls, and then tap Play.
Google Voice
With Google Voice(Opens in a new window), you choose a dedicated phone number through which incoming calls are routed to your mobile phone. After you set up your phone number and your Google Voice account, tap the app's hamburger icon in the upper-left corner. Tap Settings and turn on the switch for Incoming call options to enable call recording.
The limitation here is that you can record only incoming calls. When you answer your phone, press the number 4 on the keypad to record the conversation. A message announces that the call is being recorded, so be sure to get the other person's permission beforehand. To stop the recording, press 4 on the keypad again. The recording is saved to your email inbox, where you can listen to it or download it to your computer.
Automatic Call Recorder
Automatic Call Recorder(Opens in a new window) is a simple but effective recording app. Open the app and grant the necessary permissions to record audio, access your contacts, make and manage phone calls, and access your photos and other media. The app then warns you that due to new Google Play restrictions, future versions downloaded from the store may no longer record calls on this device.
On devices with Android 10 or higher, you'll need to turn on the accessibility service. Tap the Turn On button. At the Accessibility settings screen, tap the entry for Call Recorder under Downloaded apps and turn on the switch for Use Call Recorder. Allow the app to have full control of your device, meaning it can view and control the screen and view and perform certain actions. Then return to the program.
Before recording anything, you'll want to configure the app in the Settings menu. Here, you can enable or disable automatic recording for incoming and outgoing calls. You can also choose to record only certain contacts. In the Recording section, be sure to increase the loudness and turn on the recording volume. There's also an option to turn on recording if you shake your phone.
If you leave automatic recording on by default, recording will begin any time you make or receive a phone call. You can then open the app to view the recording. From the options screen, you can save the call as an audio file to your phone, add call notes, delete the recording, or share it via email or social media. The free version is ad-supported, but the $8.49 Pro version(Opens in a new window) removes ads and kicks in other features.
Recommended by Our Editors
In testing, Automatic Call Recorder worked out of the box on an Android 9 device. When testing with Android 12, the accessibility service needed to be enabled for the app to record calls.
Call Recorder - Automatic Call Recorder Pro
Call Recorder - Automatic Call Recorder Pro(Opens in a new window) is a solid app with a variety of options. It first takes you through the necessary setup steps, such as enabling accessibility settings. You can then access the Settings screen and choose to automatically or manually record calls, change the audio source and format, alter the audio quality, increase the volume, or enable an option to start recording when you shake your phone.
If you set the app to automatic, it will record incoming and outgoing calls from start to finish. Tap the recording when it appears onscreen to listen to it in the app. From the recording screen, you can play the file, save it to your phone, share it via email or other services, and delete the recording. The app is free and ad-supported, but you can pay $3.49 to remove the ads.
In testing, Call Recorder - Automatic Call Recorder Pro successfully recorded phone calls on an Android 9 device and an Android 12 device with use of the accessibility service. The app made no mention of the latest Google Play accessibility service restrictions, but a future version may be unable to record calls due to Google's new policy.
Call Recorder - Cube ACR
Call Recorder - Cube ACR(Opens in a new window) is a more advanced and premium app. The basic version is free but displays ads and offers no cloud-based backup for your recordings. If you need the extra features, a subscription will run you $6.99 for six months or $9.99 for a full year after a free one-week trial. However, the free version should get the job done.
As with the other call-recording apps, you must give Cube ACR permission to use the accessibility service in Android 10 or higher. In the app's settings, you can turn automatic recording on or off, exclude calls from unknown numbers, modify the clarity and volume of calls, and enable recording from VoIP apps if supported on your phone. You can even geotag your recordings to identify the caller's location.
To record an outgoing call, simply call the other party as you normally would. If you choose autostart recording, incoming calls are automatically recorded in the background. After the call is finished, open the app to view and play the recordings. You can tag recordings as important, delete them, view the caller's location on a map, and share them via email or social media.
In testing, Cube ACR recorded phone calls on an Android 9 device and an Android 12 device by using the accessibility service. The app didn't mention the Google Play accessibility service restrictions. But as with the other call recording apps, a future version might bump into trouble trying to record calls due to Google's policy changes.
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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/record-calls-on-your-android-phone
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