Can Voice Memo Record Phone Calls

You’re on an important call—maybe with your doctor, a contractor giving you a quote, or that frustrating customer service rep who just rattled off a case number at lightning speed. You think, “I’ll just hit record on Voice Memos and capture this.” Totally logical, right?

Except… it doesn’t work.

If you’ve ever tried to record a phone call using the Voice Memos app on your iPhone, you’ve discovered the frustrating truth: it doesn’t record the call audio at all. You might get your own voice faintly, but the other person? Complete silence.

Why Can’t You Use Voice Memo to Record a Phone Call?

This isn’t a bug. It’s not a limitation of the hardware. Apple deliberately designed iOS to prevent any app—including their own Voice Memos—from accessing the audio stream during a phone call.

Here’s why Apple blocks it:

Legal Liability Concerns

Recording phone calls is legally murky territory in many places. Some states and countries require “two-party consent” (meaning everyone on the call must agree to be recorded), while others only need “one-party consent” (just you agreeing is enough). Apple didn’t want to build a feature that could get users—or themselves—into legal trouble in jurisdictions with strict recording laws.

Privacy Philosophy

Apple has leaned heavily into privacy as a brand differentiator. Allowing easy call recording would conflict with that messaging. They’d rather err on the side of “you can’t record that person without their knowledge” than deal with the privacy implications.

Carrier Restrictions

Some cellular carriers also have terms of service that prohibit call recording. By blocking this functionality at the iOS level, Apple avoids conflicts with carriers worldwide.

The Technical Block

When you start a phone call on your iPhone, iOS essentially locks the telephony audio stream. Apps cannot access it. Period. Voice Memos gets paused or can only pick up ambient audio through the phone’s microphone (like if you’re on speakerphone and the mic catches some of the conversation). But direct call recording? Not happening.

Does Voice Memo Record Phone Calls at All?

Let’s be crystal clear: Voice Memos does not record phone calls. Here’s what actually happens in different scenarios:

During a Regular Phone Call

If you try to open Voice Memos and hit record during a call, one of two things happens:

• The app pauses the recording until the call ends
• The recording captures only ambient room sound, not the call audio

During a FaceTime Audio/Video Call

Same deal. The audio stream from FaceTime is protected just like regular calls. Voice Memos won’t capture the other person’s voice.

During a WhatsApp/Signal/Other VoIP Call

Here’s where it gets interesting—some third-party VoIP apps might have slightly different behaviors, but iOS still generally blocks the audio stream. You’re not going to get clean call recordings this way either.

Can You Record a Voice Memo While on the Phone?

Technically yes, but it won’t do what you want. You can have Voice Memos running “in the background” during a call, but it won’t capture the call itself. At best, you’ll record yourself talking into the void, or ambient noise if you’re on speakerphone.

The Voice Memos app is designed for recording your own voice, meetings (where you’re present in the room), lectures, quick thoughts, and similar audio. It was never built to intercept phone call audio, and Apple made sure it can’t.

Workarounds That Actually Work

Okay, so Voice Memos is out. What can you actually do if you legitimately need to record a phone call? (And please, make sure you’re complying with local laws—I’ll cover that below.)

1. The Speakerphone + Second Device Method

This is the low-tech but reliable approach:

1. Put your phone call on speakerphone
2. Use a second device (another phone, a tablet, a laptop, a dedicated recorder) to record the audio
3. Position the recording device close to your phone’s speaker

Pros:

• Works with any call type
• No special apps needed
• Legal considerations are on you (as they should be)

Cons:

• Audio quality depends on your environment
• Background noise can interfere
• Feels clunky and old-school

2. Third-Party Call Recording Apps

Several apps on the App Store claim to record phone calls. Here’s the catch: because of Apple’s restrictions, they use clever workarounds that typically involve:

• Merging in a third-party recording line: Apps like Rev Call Recorder or TapeACall work by calling a recording service and merging that line into your call. The service records everything.
• VoIP-based solutions: Some apps have you make calls through their own VoIP system instead of the regular phone network, which lets them record.

Popular options include:

• TapeACall
• Rev Call Recorder
• Call Recorder - IntCall

Pros:

• Designed specifically for call recording
• Better audio quality than speakerphone method
• Built-in storage and sharing features

Cons:

• Most require subscriptions (often $5-10/month or per-minute charges)
• Call quality may vary
• Privacy concerns about third parties handling your call audio
• Setup is more complex than just hitting “record”

3. Google Voice (for Incoming Calls Only)

If you use Google Voice, you can enable call recording for incoming calls:

1. Open Google Voice settings
2. Enable “Incoming call options”
3. When on a call, press 4 to start/stop recording
4. Both parties hear an announcement that recording has started

Pros:

• Free
• Decent quality
• Built-in announcement (helps with consent)

Cons:

• Only works for incoming calls
• Requires using Google Voice as your phone number
• The announcement can be awkward

4. External Voice Recorders

A dedicated voice recorder (like the ones journalists use) placed near your phone on speakerphone will capture both sides of the conversation. Some people even use devices that plug into the headphone jack of landlines, though that’s increasingly obsolete.

Pros:

• No app restrictions to worry about
• Often excellent audio quality
• No subscription fees

Cons:

• Extra hardware to buy and manage
• Still depends on speakerphone for mobile calls
• Less convenient for spontaneous recording

5. Screen Recording Apps on Android

If the other person is on Android, they have more options. Android is generally more permissive about call recording, though this has been tightening in recent years. But that doesn’t help you if you’re the iPhone user.

Legal Considerations: Don’t Get Yourself in Trouble

Before you record any call, you need to know the laws in your jurisdiction. I’m not a lawyer, and this isn’t legal advice—but here’s the general landscape:

One-Party Consent States/Countries

In many places (including most U.S. states), only one party to the conversation needs to consent to recording. If you’re on the call and you consent… you’re the one party. You’re good.

Two-Party (All-Party) Consent Jurisdictions

Some states (California, Florida, Illinois, and others) and countries require everyone on the call to agree to be recorded. Recording without consent can be a criminal offense in these places.

Interstate and International Calls

If you’re in a one-party state but the other person is in a two-party state, things get complicated. The safest approach is to follow the stricter law.

The Simple Solution

Just tell people you’re recording. “Hey, I want to record this so I can reference it later—is that okay?” Most people say yes, and you’re covered legally everywhere.

The Bigger Picture: Voice Notes Beyond Phone Calls

Here’s the thing—while you can’t easily record phone calls, there are so many other situations where voice recording is incredibly useful. Capturing quick thoughts while browsing the web, leaving yourself reminders about specific articles, recording feedback on documents, dictating notes during research…

The problem is that most voice recording solutions are clunky. They save audio files that get lost in your phone, aren’t searchable, and aren’t easy to share.

Why Does Apple Make This So Difficult?

It’s worth stepping back and asking: is Apple’s approach reasonable?

On one hand, privacy matters. People should have some expectation that their phone conversations aren’t being secretly recorded. The legal patchwork around recording consent exists for good reasons.

On the other hand, there are tons of legitimate uses for call recording:

• Journalists conducting interviews
• Business calls where you need accurate records
• Customer service calls (they’re recording you, after all)
• Important calls with doctors, lawyers, or contractors
• Personal safety documentation

Apple’s blanket ban forces everyone into workarounds, regardless of whether they’re using recording ethically and legally. It treats all users as potential bad actors rather than providing tools with appropriate safeguards (like mandatory announcements or consent features).

Compare this to Android, which historically gave users more control. Yes, Google has been restricting call recording APIs in recent versions, but third-party apps still have more options than on iOS.

Is Apple protecting you, or just protecting themselves from liability? Probably both. But it means you’re stuck with workarounds when you have a legitimate need to record.

What About Mac and iPad?

Quick note: if you’re looking to record calls on other Apple devices, the situation isn’t much better.

Mac: You can potentially record FaceTime calls using third-party screen/audio recording software like QuickTime or OBS. macOS is less restrictive than iOS. But regular phone calls go through your iPhone anyway.

iPad: Same restrictions as iPhone. Voice Memos won’t capture call audio, and the same workarounds apply.

Final Thoughts

So, can Voice Memo record phone calls? No. Not even a little bit. Apple has locked this down tight, and no amount of creative app switching is going to change that.

Your options are:

1. Speakerphone + second device — Simple, reliable, low-tech
2. Third-party call recording apps — Work via clever workarounds, usually cost money
3. Google Voice — Free but limited to incoming calls
4. External recorders — Requires extra hardware

Whatever method you choose, make sure you’re following the law. Get consent when required, and be upfront about recording. It’s not just legally safer—it’s the respectful thing to do.

And for all your other voice recording needs—capturing thoughts, leaving feedback, quick memos while browsing—there are much better solutions than trying to fight against Apple’s restrictions.