How to Record Calls on Your Android Phone
Have an important phone call coming up and want to save it to reference later? You can record both incoming and outgoing calls on your Android phone with the right app.
Want to record phone calls on your Android phone? Google’s mobile OS doesn’t come with a built-in voice recorder, but there are other options. You can use an external recorder or Google Voice, but several third-party apps will allow you to record all phone calls—incoming and outgoing—under the right conditions.
Android Limitations
Those conditions vary. In Android 9.0 Pie, Google added limitations that prevent many apps from recording your phone conversations. The apps may seem to work, but when you play the recording, there’s only silence. In my testing, however, the apps I tested recorded the conversations on my Android 9 phones but not on my Google Pixel phone with Android 10.
Some people have found 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. Also, certain apps may work on specific phones and not on others. So your mileage may vary compared with mine.
Rumors have been floating that Google will add a call-recording feature in a future flavor of Android. But until then, you’ll have to rely on third-party apps compatible with your version of Android.
Meanwhile, because of privacy issues, Google no longer allows calling apps to access the call log to identify the caller. That means each call you record through an app shows up as coming from an unknown caller, even if the caller is in your contact list. In this case, your best option is to rename the recording if the app will let you or store the recording elsewhere as an MP3 file, where you can then rename the file to identify the caller or conversation.
Finally, let’s discuss the elephant in the room, namely is it legal to record a phone call, especially if you don’t ask the other person for permission? The answer to that question depends on where you live. US federal and most state laws allow phone recording if just one party (and 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.
Okay, now let’s check out some apps for recording your Android phone conversations.
Google Voice
With Google Voice, you choose a dedicated phone number through which incoming calls are routed to your mobile phone. After you set up your phone number and your Google Voice account, tap the app’s hamburger icon in the upper-left corner. Tap the Settings command. Swipe down the screen and turn on the «Incoming call options» to enable call recording. The limitation here is that you can only record incoming calls.
After you answer a call, press the number 4 on the keypad to record the conversation. A message announces that the call is being recorded, so be sure to get the other person’s permission beforehand. To stop the recording, press 4 on the keypad again. The recording is saved to your inbox, where you can listen to it or download it to your computer.
Call Recorder
Call Recorder from BACA Soft is simple to use as it can automatically record your phone calls. Open the app to check it out. The home screen offers four different categories for storing your call recordings—All, Outgoing, Incoming, and Important.
The app’s settings menu allows you to enable or disable Call Recorder to automatically record all calls, outgoing calls, or incoming calls. You can exclude specific phone numbers from recording, tell the app to prompt for a PIN when you open it, and change the file type for the audio recording.
To record an outgoing call, simply call the other party as you normally would. If you set up the app to automatically record incoming calls, you won’t have to do anything for them either. After the call is completed, open Call Recorder to view and play phone call recordings. You can then tag calls as important, delete them, or share them via email or social media.
At the home screen, you can tap the three-dot icon to delete a call, share it, view details on it, add it to the excluded section, or call the number. The free version of Call Recorder saddles you with ads. To escape them, you’ll have to shell out $3.99 for the pro edition.
In my testing, Call Recorder worked fine on Android 9. But on Android 10, the recordings were silent due to the limitations imposed by Google.
Automatic Call Recorder
Automatic Call Recorder from Appliqato is a simple but effective recording app. Before recording anything, it’s best to configure the app’s settings first in the Settings menu. Here, you can enable or disable the option to automatically record each incoming and outgoing call. You can also opt to record only certain contacts and ignore others.
Remember to choose an audio format for your recordings. After recording, the files can be sent to a service like Dropbox or Google Drive, if you set it up. There is also an option to turn on recording if you shake your phone.
If you leave automatic recording on by default, just make or receive a phone call, and the recording begins. After the call ends, open Automatic Call Recorder to view the recording. From the options screen, you can save the call as an audio file to your phone, add call notes, delete the recording, or share it via email, social media, and other services.
The free version of Automatic Call Recorder splashes ads across the screen. For $6.99, the Pro version puts the kibosh on the ads and kicks in other features. While Automatic Call Recorder worked well on Android 9, the recording on Android 10 was silent.
Call Recorder
Call Recorder from Lovekara is a simple but useful call recorder with a clean and stylish interface. Fire up the app, tap the three-dot icon and select Settings.
Here, you can set Call Recorder to automatically or manually record calls. Other options allow you to set the file location, change the recording source, and record automatically from your phone’s speaker.
Now, if you set the app to automatic, it will record incoming and outgoing calls from start to finish. Tap the recording when it appears onscreen to view it in the app. From the recording screen, you can play the file, save it to your phone, share it via email or other services, and delete the recording.
The app is free but does throw ads your way. This app also worked smoothly on Android 9 but delivered silent recordings on Android 10.
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How to Record the Screen on Your Android Phone
Android 11 finally adds a built-in screen recorder for Google’s mobile OS, but for older phones, there are plenty of third-party apps that get the job done, too.
If you need to record the screen on your computer, Windows has the Game Bar and macOS has a screenshot tool. Apple devices have the Screen Recording tool, but what about Android?
A screen recorder for Google’s mobile OS was introduced in Android 11, but some devices from Samsung, LG, and OnePlus running Android 10 have their own versions of the feature. Those with older devices can turn to a third-party app. Here are your options.
Android Screen Recorder
The process for screen recording is largely the same across devices, with a few tweaks here and there. Pull down the notification shade from the top of the screen to view your quick settings options. Tap the Screen Recorder icon and give permission to the device to record the screen (you might have to edit the default icons that appear). Determine what sound, if any, you want recorded. Tap Start recording and a countdown will begin before a toolbar appears on the screen and the recording starts.
The toolbar include the ability to minimize the bar, draw on the screen, turn on your front-facing camera, pause the recording, or stop it completely. The toolbar and selfie window can be moved around the screen as desired.
When a recording is stopped, the video is saved to your phone’s media storage. For additional settings, long-press on the Screen Recorder quick settings icon.
Google Play Games
If you’re looking to record some gameplay, Google Play Games is a solid free option. While it can only record in 480p SD or 720p HD, the app allows you to record any game and add camera footage from your phone’s front-facing lens.
Open the app and select a game—these can be any of the included games on the Home tab or a title you previously downloaded. Tap the game’s thumbnail to view the its details, then tap the Record button at the top. From here, select the video quality.
Tap Launch to start your game, and a floating video bubble will appear on the screen with recording settings to select. The buttons that surround your head will control your microphone, the front-facing camera, and recording. You can also drag your video bubble around the screen to find the perfect location.
Tap the red button to start recording your video. After a three-second timer, Google Play Games will start recording. Tap the record button again to stop, or drag the floating video bubble to the center of the screen over the X. Once the video ends, you can edit it or upload it through the YouTube app, if you wish.
ADV Screen Recorder
ADV Screen Recorder is a free, third-party option that allows you to record any activity on your screen. Tap the plus icon in the app to open the button overlay, which allows you to control your recordings from any screen. Keep in mind that when this overlay is open, you cannot interact with the rest of the screen.
When you open the button overlay, you see controls that allow you to start recording, add a front-facing camera view, access your collection of videos, and draw on the screen. You must grant the app the proper permissions before all these features become available.
Tap the record button to start your video, then stop or pause from the button overlay. You can edit and share your recording from inside the app. In settings, you can change resolution (up to 1080p), bit rate (up to 15Mbps), and frame rates (up to 60fps). You can also change video orientation and microphone settings.
The app lets you control the overlay by changing opacity, replacing the default icon with a custom image and adding text, or eliminating it completely. You can also allow the app to show screen touches while recording, though you’ll have to enable the feature within the phone’s settings first.
You may notice that the app’s button overlay remains on the screen even after you close out the app. The only way to remove the overlay is to long-press on the icon and drag it over to the X toward the bottom of the screen.
AZ Screen Recorder
The third-party AZ Screen Recorder is a free, ad-supported app (with a $2.99 ad-free upgrade) that allows you to take video, capture screenshots, and start a live video. The app can be controlled from the phone’s notification shade and, once given the proper permissions, adds a pop-up control button to the screen.
Open the app and tap the orange camera button to begin recording your screen, then navigate on the phone like normal. A smaller camcorder bubble will also display on the screen and will remain even after you move away from the app. Tap this icon to stop or pause the recording. The bubble has additional options allowing you to open saved recordings in the app, activate different toolbox items, and start a live video on Facebook or YouTube.
Inside the app, you can view saved videos and screenshots, which can be shared and edited. A settings menu allows you to configure video options, like resolution (up to 2,220 by 1,080), frame rate (up to 60fps), bit rate (up to 12Mbps), device orientation, and time lapse, as well as control audio recording.
Don’t want the record button to show up in the recording? There are options that disable the button during recording, add an invisible button, and change the way you stop a recording.
Mobizen Screen Recorder
Unlike other screen recorders, Mobizen Screen Recorder primarily exists as a floating control bubble called the AirCircle. Tap the overlay to start a video, take a screenshot, or view captured media and change settings. You can start a screen recording from the AirCircle menu, then pause or stop the video. Commands in the notification shade allow you some degree of control as well.
Mobizen will then allow you to view, edit, and share your recordings. From the app’s storage overlay, you can view videos and screenshots, though it may also import some images from your device. A settings menu allows you to adjust resolution (up to 1080p), frame rate (up to 60fps), and audio settings.
A built-in recording wizard will help optimize your video, while clean recording mode removes the overlay and improves overall quality.
By default, Mobizen will have the front-facing camera deactivated, but you can turn that on in settings to add an additional video overlay on all recordings. You also have the ability to fully customize the AirCircle by replacing the logo with your own picture, hiding it during recordings, or changing its transparency.
The base app is ad-supported, and pop-ups are strewn throughout, but you can upgrade to a premium subscription ($3.99 a month or $31.99 for 12 months) to eliminate ads, create your own watermarks and GIFs, and more.
Super Screen Recorder
With the ad-supported Super Screen Recorder, you can record your screen, take screenshots, and more. Use the pop-up overlay to record video, take pictures, and draw on your screen. You can also add features like live video, a front-facing camera window, and a floating brush icon.
Inside the app, you can view, share, and edit the media you have captured. A full edit menu allows you to add music, merge videos and images, compress files, turn videos into GIFs, and more. The settings menu gives you control over resolution (up to 1080p), bit rate (up to 12Mbps), frame rate (up to 60fps), and video orientation. You can also change video and audio recording settings, set control options, and show screen touches, once developer options are enabled on the device.
With a pro subscription, Super Screen Recorder removes ads, gives you voice dubbing and voice changing functionality, and allows you to add custom images for the floating button and watermark.
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