Recording phone calls on iPhone with VoiceOver

Recording phone calls

The Phone app allows you to record phone calls between two people, both incoming and outgoing. This feature is available in a long list of languages and regions including UK English. It is also possible to receive a transcript of the call, but this feature is available in a much shorter list of languages, also including UK English.

You should always request agreement for a call to be recorded before starting a recording. When recording begins and ends, both participants in the conversation will hear an automated announcement. As you'd expect from Apple, it isn't possible to make a clandestine recording.

The process is quite straightforward but I recommend practicing on calls with a friend before you need to use it for real.

There is a setting to enable phone call recording. I think this is turned on by default but you may need to turn it on at Settings / Apps / Phone./ Audio Call Recording.

The buttons to start and stop call recording don't appear on the first screen shown during a phone call, the screen with a numeric keypad. You need to hide the keypad to reveal the buttons you will need. If you are using AirPods, bluetooth hearing aids or other headphones you should be able to hear VoiceOver clearly while using this feature. I think you'll also be OK if you take the call hands free over the loudspeaker. If you prefer to take the call with the phone held to your ear, you will probably need to perform the VoiceOver gestures with the phone held close to your ear since VoiceOver will speak over the earpiece loudspeaker at the top of the phone and won't be easy to hear from a distance.

Here's the recording process in full.

Start a call or answer a call as usual.

Agree it's OK to record.

Explore near bottom right of the screen for the "hide keypad" button and double tap. (You may also be able to locate this button by swiping right a few times.)

Next explore near bottom left of the screen for the "more" button and double tap. (You may be able to locate this button by swiping left a few times.)

Swipe right to locate Call Recording from the menu that appears and then double tap.

Wait for the announcement and ping and then begin your conversation to be recorded.

There are a few issues with VoiceOver's focus that will hopefully be resolved in later versions of iOS 26. VoiceOver may be focused on the item near the top of the screen which indicates the length of the phone call. If it is you wil repeatedly hear VoiceOver speak the call duration as it updates. You can swipe right to move VoiceOver off this item.

If you want to record the entire conversation, just end the call as usual and the recording will be ended and saved automatically.

If you want to stop recording before you end the call you need to locate the "stop recording" button. Swiping right may locate the button or it can be found by exploring near the right of the screen above the mute button. When this button is used, participants will hear a message and the conversation can be continued unrecorded.

Finally, end the call as usual.

Four screenshots in which the Hide Keypad, more, call recording and stop recording buttons are highlighted with a yellow oval for readers who can see well enough to locate the buttons visually. Non VoiceOver users should simply tap the buttons.

Listening to the recording and transcript

The recording and transcript are placed in a note to be found in the Notes app. You will probably also receive a notification enabling you to open that note.

Transcripts are available only on iPhones which support Apple Intelligence.

Sighted uses can tap on the play button to hear and pause the recording. Alternatively, the note can be tapped to reveal a player screen which provides a more detailed transcript.

1. The behaviour for VoiceOver users is a little odd as I write this and maybe it will change in later iOS 26 versions. Here's the sequence.

Open the note and swipe right to hear the "call with" title. Swipe up until play is heard and then double tap to play the recording.

For more control, the player screen is needed and that's the slightly odd behaviour.

Open the note and swipe right to hear the "call with" title and then double tap. You'll probably hear "text field, is editing" to indicate that you are now adding text to the note. Ignore this and double tap again. You'll probably hear "sheet grabber". A playbutton will be near bottom centre of the screen and it has jump back and forward buttons to its left and right. As usual, the play button becomes a pause button when playback commences.

When you've finished with the player screen, locate the Done button at top right and double tap.

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