How to Record Phone Calls in Android Phone?

Call recording is a convenient feature to record a conversation for later use. Whether it is a video or audio call, you can easily record them in Android 12 smartphones. However, this feature is not straight forward due to legal issues. There are a few ways to record phone calls on Android 12, but they are highly dependent on the phones and Android version. In this article, we will explain how to record phone calls using default Android screen recording feature and with Truecaller app.

Call Recording and Privacy

How many times has it happened to you that you forgot the information received in the call after hanging up? It could be a classroom session or office seminar that you want to record and refer later. You can also record the calls to save information like phone number, address, and other details without writing down while you are busy on the call.

While call recording can be useful it may affect the caller(s) privacy especially when you record video calls. Therefore, make sure to inform the caller and all other participants that you are recording the call. You should do this at the beginning of a call and get the consent. Also, check the relevant rules in your geographical location regarding call recording to avoid any legal implications.

Recording Phone Calls and Audio/Video Calls

Android 12 offers a screen recording feature that you can use to record the calls and any other activity on your mobile phone screen. You can use this method to record phone calls and audio/video calls in any messaging and video conferencing app.

Screen Recorder in Android 12 Quick Settings Menu

Before using the Android 12 screen recorder, bring it in the quick settings menu if it is not already present there. Check our article on how to record phone screen in Android 12 to access built-in Android screen recorder in quick settings. Once the Android 12 screen recorder is present in the quick menu settings, follow the steps below to record phone calls or audio/video calls.

Recording Calls in Android

It is better to start the screen recording before making a call to avoid losing any part of the conversation. Open the quick settings menu by swiping down your finger from the top of the phone screen. Do this again to get an expanded view and find screen recorder in the palette. If it is not present, swipe left to see the remaining icons to find screen recording option and tap on it.

The next screen will show you the options like “Record audio” and “Show touches on the screen.” There is a small downward arrow next to the “Record audio.” Tapping it will open a menu to activate the type of audio recording.

• The first option is “Device audio,” which will record sound from your device like music and ringtones. It will not record the sound coming from the participant on a call. So, don’t choose it.
• You can select the second option, “Microphone” recording. Turn it on as it will record all the sounds going into your phone’s microphone.
• There is also a third option, “Device audio and microphone.” It is not helpful for call recording because Android restricts recording of the calls through “Device audio.” Hence, the microphone will not record the call due to the conflict.

With microphone recording, touch the “Start” button to start the screen recording. Now make a call and put it on the phone speaker. This is crucial because participants’ voices may not be loud enough if the call is not on the phone speaker. To capture the voice of the participants, it is necessary to turn on the phone speaker so that their sounds can get into your phone speaker and get recorded.

When you end the call swipe down to access the quick settings palette and notification area. Hit the “Stop” button of the screen recorder in the notification area. Your recording will be saved, which you can watch later. If the recording is long, it may take time to process and save it to your phone. If it is processing and saving the recording on your phone, do not start another screen recording session; otherwise, the previous recording will be lost. In the same way, you can record audio-video calls on WhatsApp and other messaging apps. Start the screen recording with a microphone recording and then place the call. The participants will not know that call is being monitored. So, let them know as soon as the call starts.

Pros:

• It works on a variety of phones having Android 12.  
• It is free and can record video calls as well.

Cons:

• You have to start the recording manually and stop it.
• Call must be on the speaker, and the speaker of your phone should be loud enough.

Record Phone Calls with Truecaller

As mentioned above, it is difficult to record sound with screen recorder while a call is in progress. It is due to the restrictions of the Android considering the privacy of users. If you want to record the phone calls automatically or at the convenience of a button on the screen, then variety of 3^rd party call recorders are available in Android and Truecaller is one of them.

• Install “Truecaller” from Google Play store.
• After installing the app, grant it all the permissions and make it your default dialer. Once everything is done, the app will be ready to use.

• Dial the desired number from the Truecaller dialer. You will see a record button on the screen and press it to record the phone call.
• It will ask you to go to accessibility and turn on “Truecaller Call Recording.”

• Once you enable it, the recording button on the dialer will show the recording progress.

• You can tap the recording button to stop the phone recording or end the call.
• The app will automatically save the call recording to the default download location. Remember that the participants will not know that you are recording the call. Therefore, make sure to inform them to avoid privacy issues.

Though it is super easy to record calls with third-party apps like Truecaller, they don’t work on all phones. There are potential conflicts with the Android operating system. For example, the following message appears on a Google Pixel 3a, stopping “Truecaller” from being the phone’s default dialer. In such a case, you need to find the app that works on your phone.

Pros:

• Automatic call recording or at a push of a button.

Cons:

• Recording of WhatsApp and other messaging apps calls are not supported.
• Works on limited devices.