Never forget a conversation on a phone call again
Have you ever recorded a phone conversation? Doing this might have never crossed your mind, but it should. Documenting certain phone calls can be a valuable resource.
Phone recordings can serve as audio evidence for customer service disputes and verbal contracts. They can also be useful for fact-checking reviews for phone interviews and the like.
Whatever the case may be, it’s good to know that you have a phone recording option handy. Recording a conversation on your iPhone or Android phone is not as straightforward as it sounds and it requires third-party apps.
Note: Please keep in mind that recording phone conversations without consent may be illegal in your state, so check your local laws first. Although some states do allow phone conversation recordings without the other parties’ consent, some states require two-party consent, meaning you must inform the other party that they’re being recorded or you can face lawsuits if you release the recording or its transcript.
Also, since wiretapping laws vary from state to state, it’s always better to play it safe and ask for permission from all parties before recording. Click here to learn each state’s wiretapping laws.
Now that we’ve covered the legal aspects, let’s look at some of the best recording apps available.
Smartphone apps
NoNotes
NoNotes is a free app for iOS that can record phone calls with an option to transcribe. NoNotes.com boasts over 100,000 active users a month and claims that it is rated as the best call recorder and transcription service based on app reviews.
After you sign up for a NoNotes account with your phone number, email and numeric pin, you’ll get 20 minutes worth of free call recordings. If you exceed this limit, you can either pay 25 cents for each extra minute or buy 100 minutes for $10. You will also have an option to send the recorded calls to NoNotes for transcription.
Click here to check out NoNotes at the Apple App Store.
TapeACallPro
TapeACall is another app that lets you record your incoming and outgoing calls on your smartphone.
Its free version, TapeACall Lite, lets you record an entire call but only lets you listen to the first minute of the recording. To listen to phone calls in their entirety, upgrade to TapeACall Pro for a yearly subscription price of $9.99. This Pro subscription gives you unlimited call recording times.
Keep in mind that TapeACall records calls via a three-way call where the third party is a local TapeACall number. The service also doesn’t notify the other party about being recorded so you have to be careful when using the app for legal reasons.
Try out TapeACall Lite on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
Call Recorder – IntCall
IntCall is a VOIP service that likewise can record incoming or outgoing calls. Since it is a VOIP service that uses an internet connection to make calls, IntCall can work with just Wi-Fi, even without a phone service.
To record outgoing calls, simply open the IntCall app then dial the number to make a recorded call. To record an incoming call, pick up the call then open the IntCall app and tap the Record button to start the recording.
It is not a free service but it has some of the cheapest per minute rates around. The costs depend on the country you’re calling but most calls range from 10 to 20 cents per minute.
The IntCall app is available for both iOS and Android.
Google Voice
In case you didn’t know, Google Voice can record incoming calls for free. The downside is that it can’t record outgoing calls. It is also required that you transfer your cellphone number over to Google Voice.
To activate recordings in Google Voice, do this:
- Go to the Google Voice website.
- Log in then on the home page, click the gear in the upper right and select Settings from the drop-down menu.
- Go to the Calls tab, scroll down and check “Enable Recording” under “Call Options.”
Once this is enabled, just press the number “4” on your phone’s keypad during a Google Voice call to start recording. Press “4” again to stop recording. All Google Voice recordings are saved automatically to your inbox.
To listen to your recordings, install the Google Voice app on your smartphone.
- Open the app
- Tap Menu on the top-left of the app
- Choose “Recorded”
- Look for the recorded call you want to listen to and tap it
- Tap the play icon on the bottom-left corner to listen
The Google Voice app is available for free for both Apple and Android. Click here to download for iOS. Click here to download for Android.
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