Recording phone calls on an iPhone used to be very difficult due to legal, ethical and technical considerations. But with IOS 18.1 updateApple introduced a built-in call recording feature on the iPhone that simplifies this process but comes with privacy concerns. After updating to iOS 18.1, here's everything you need to know about the call recording feature on the iPhone.
There are a few things to know about call recording in iOS 18.1. First, Apple’s call recording feature is designed to comply with local and international privacy laws. Second, when you start recording, everyone on the call will automatically receive a notification that the conversation is being recorded. You won’t be able to disable this notification, so transparency is built into the feature by default.
Supported locations and languages for call recording
Call recording laws vary widely depending on your location. In the United States, some states require all parties to consent to recording, while others only require one person to consent. Similarly, countries like the United Kingdom and Australia have their own rules. Europe is subject to the strict General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which typically requires explicit consent from all parties. In Canada, federal law generally requires one-party consent, but there may be additional regulations at the provincial level.
If you live in the European Union or one of these countries, including Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, or Yemen, you will not be able to use call recording at least for now, it may be available later.
Information:
Apple does not check your location, nor does it take into account the location or the country of the SIM card, but only checks the region settings, so if the call recording feature is not activated for you, just change the region to America.
Supported devices for recording calls on iPhone
Call recording, along with automatic transcription, is available on all iPhones compatible with iOS 18. Just make sure your iPhone is running iOS 18.1 or later and that the region in your device settings is a supported country, such as the US. Call transcription is only available for English.
Call to text feature is not linked to Apple's smart features and you do not need to set your device to US English to use it and it works on most devices unlike all Apple smart features.
How to Record Calls on iPhone in iOS 18.1
Here's how to do it in the Phone app for regular calls, three-way calls, and FaceTime audio calls:
◉ Click on the Record Audio button at the top left of the call screen.
◉ If this is your first time, click “Continue” in the explanation.
◉ The countdown starts in 3 seconds. You can click the cancel button (X) if you change your mind.
◉ After the countdown, everyone will hear “This call is being recorded”, ensuring compliance with transparency rules.
◉ The recording bar will appear, showing the volume levels during the conversation, the elapsed time, and the stop button.
◉ You can tap the stop button to end the recording and continue talking. Everyone on the call will hear “This call is no longer being recorded.” The audio will be saved even if you or the other person ends the call before the recording is finished.
◉ You will receive a notification from the Notes app saying “View saved call”.
How to Access Call Recordings on iPhone in iOS 18
After the call recording is complete, you can tap its notification to jump directly to the new note with the embedded audio recording. Alternatively, you can open Notes, tap the Call Recordings folder at the top, and select the most recent note to open the audio recording. If you record multiple times in the same call, they’ll all be in one note.
On the voice recording card, you'll see the date, time, call type, duration, and a Play button. If you press Play, it turns into a pause button with skip back and skip forward options surrounding it so you can easily control playback. There may also be a transcript available.
If you have an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, you’ll see a preview on the card summarizing the text. Without Apple Intelligence, you’ll see the beginning of the text instead. If you have a device that supports Apple Intelligence but you don’t see any summaries or previews, make sure it’s enabled in Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri.
Touch and tap a recording to view quick actions to play from the beginning, rename, view summary, copy, save audio to files, share audio, report a problem, and delete. Or tap the preview or text on the card to open the full transcript.
Click the More button (•••) in the full transcript to see options for renaming, adding text to a note, copying text, searching the transcript, saving audio to files, sharing audio, and deleting. When you play audio in the transcript, the audio will stay in sync with the transcript, so you can easily follow along. You can click the transcript button to display the audio player interface and quickly navigate through the recording.
When you add text to your note, it will appear directly below the recording. As you scroll, a mini-player of the recording will follow you.
If you have an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, you can view a summary of the recorded call, which may be more in-depth than the preview in the note. Tap the More button (•••) to see options for copying the summary, sharing the summary, and reporting a problem.
Automated Texts and AI Summaries
One of the standout features of the call recording system in iOS 18.1 is the integration with the Notes app, where recordings are automatically transcribed. Each transcript includes key details like the date, time, and duration of the call.
As mentioned earlier, any iPhone running iOS 18.1 will get live transcripts in the Notes app when recording phone calls. However, the summaries will only appear on devices that have Apple’s intelligence.
Currently, call transcripts are available in several languages, including Cantonese (Hong Kong), English (United States, Australia), Korean (South Korea), Mandarin Chinese (Mainland), and Spanish (United States, Mexico).
Disable call recording feature on iPhone
If you don't need to record calls or are afraid of recording by accident, there is an option to disable call recording on iPhone through Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Recording.
Turning this setting off simply removes the call recording button from the phone's interface. However, it will not prevent anyone else from starting recording during your phone calls. If you feel uncomfortable with the recording, you can inform the person recording or end the call.
This new feature in iOS 18.1 is a simple and seamless way to record and process your calls, but it is important to respect the privacy and legal obligations associated with it. Whether for personal use or professional needs, the call recording tool in iOS 18.1 is important and required for many users.
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Thank God, there is no call recording in the Emirates.
I used the call recording and it was really great and the sound is excellent. I am in Iraq. The phone language is English and the region is the United States of America. My phone is an iPhone 13pro max.
He only has a problem, as iCloud takes 9 GB or more, so I bought space and it became 50 GB. What are the things that reduce this load?
Hi Fares Al Janabi 🙋♂️, I'm glad call recording is working great for you. As for your issue with iCloud, there are some steps that can help reduce the load on its space:
1. Go through your photos and videos and delete anything unnecessary.
2. Delete old messages and emails.
3. Delete apps you don't use.
4. Use the “Optimize iCloud Storage” feature, this feature will keep small copies of your photos and videos on your device and keep the original versions in iCloud.
5. Turn on “Remove Unused Apps” in iPhone Settings.
Hope this helps! Always at your service 🍏😊
😂 Honestly, this time I feel like the iPhone 16 was released and Apple wasn't ready yet. They're giving you the cake piece by piece, keeping you busy until the iPhone 17 is released 😵
I called Apple
To try recording the call
I didn't speak to the employee, but I recorded the automated response when it said press 1, press 2, or press 6.
I didn't press the numbers until the call ended and that's what I wanted.
I received a notification saying view save call. I listened to the recording and the quality was very excellent. I also called my friend to try recording calls with him.
My friend has Android not iOS no problem I can record the call even if the person has Android also he will hear Siri saying this call will be recorded I liked the call recording feature I decided to use it always because the feature is very excellent I know that Apple added the feature late but it is good they thought about it
Before I start recording, as you know, I have to ask my friend's permission and not record the call directly. What do you think of the experience?
Yes I tried the app and it was great
Peace be upon you, the update has been completed to 18.1
The call recording feature did not appear for me, knowing that I changed the location and changed the language and this feature did not appear, perhaps knowing that I live in Greece and I do not know the reason. Thank you very much.
The icon will appear as soon as the call starts.
Currently I don't need this feature but anyway thanks
Welcome Habet Al Baraka 🌹, no problem! We are here to provide information even if you don't need it now, you might need it in the future. We always strive to enrich your knowledge with new news and features. Thanks for contacting us 😊🍏.
After the update, the battery consumption increased significantly on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Is there a date for the Arabic language to be added to Siri and the rest of the features of artificial intelligence???
Hi Jamil Abdullah 🙋♂️, There is no specific date yet for adding Arabic to Siri or other AI features in Apple devices. But as you know, Apple always surprises us with something new! Just stay tuned and I will be here to let you know of any new updates. 📱🚀
May Allah reward you. I have a question, please. If the phone returns to the Arabic language, will these updates disappear?
Thanks for the adequate explanation
Thank you Phone Islam for this article.
There is another important point as well, which is that while recording a voice call, after each period of time, both parties will hear a sound similar to the sound of a video recording button or a voice memo... in the form of an echo to alert both parties that the recording is still ongoing.
Welcome Islam 🙋♂️, what you mentioned is true, this sound that resembles the sound of a video recording or voice memo is part of the alerts that Apple has put in place to maintain transparency and privacy. As you know, when recording starts, all participants in the call receive an automatic notification that the conversation is being recorded, and if the recording continues for a long time, the same notification will be repeated from time to time to ensure that both parties know that the call is still being recorded. 📞🎙️👌
But changing the region makes a difference with the banking applications and may disable them.
As far as we know, this does not affect anything.
No, it will not disrupt or affect it.