Have an important phone call coming up and want to record and save it? With the right app, you can record both incoming and outgoing calls on your Android phone.
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 offers built-in call recording, but it’s contingent on a number of conditions.
