How to Record Calls on Android With the Google Phone App

The Google Phone app first debuted on Google's Pixel devices, but it now ships as the default dialer app on phones from Xiaomi, Realme, Motorola, and others. With its wider adoption, Google has also added new features to its dialer app that were missing earlier, including call recording.

However, recording calls using the Google Phone app is not as straightforward as it should be. There are a lot of limitations and caveats that one must be aware of.

Call Recording in the Phone App: What You Need to Know

• The call recording feature in the Google Phone app is not available in all regions. In some regions, it is illegal to record calls. If your local regulations do not allow call recording, the feature will simply not show up in the app.
• Call Recording in the Google Phone app is available in India, selected Asian countries, parts of the EU, and other countries. The feature is not available in the UK and US.
• You cannot record calls when you are on hold or mute. Call recording will only begin when a call is answered, not before that. It is also not possible to record conference calls.
• Whenever you record a call, the Google Phone app will play a message: "This call is now being recorded." This message will be audible to all parties on a call. In certain areas, it is prohibited to record calls without informing the other party, which is why Google has implemented this feature.
• You cannot turn off or mute this message. When you stop recording a call, a similar message is again played: "Call recording has now stopped."
• Third-party call recording apps do not work in Android, so if the Google Phone app is missing the call recording feature, there's not much that you can do.

How to Manually Record Calls Using the Google Phone App

Recording calls manually using the Phone app is relatively straightforward. You just need to press the record button on the call screen.

1. Open the Google Phone app on your Android device and call the number whose call you'd like to record. Alternatively, pick up the incoming call that you want to record.
2. On the call screen, you should see the Record option. When you first tap on the button, a dialog box will pop up warning you about adhering to the local laws related to call recording.
3. As soon as you start recording the call, a system notification will be played saying, "This call is now being recorded." This notification will be audible to all parties on the call, and there's no way to mute it.
4. You can stop the recording by ending the call or pressing the Stop button. When you stop the call recording manually, a system notification is again played saying, "Call recording has now ended."

How to Auto-Record Calls Using the Phone App

You also have the option of automatically recording calls using the Google Phone app. You can set the app to record calls of unknown callers, or calls from specified numbers.

1. Open the Google Phone app. Tap the 3-dot overflow menu button on the top-left corner followed by Settings.
2. Tap on Call recording from the Settings menu. Under the Always Record section, you can either enable call recording for numbers not in your contacts list or only for selected numbers.
3. If you select Selected numbers, you will have to tap on Choose a contact and then specify the contact whose calls you always want to be recorded.
4. Whether you enable automatic call recording a specific contact or unknown numbers, you will get a pop-up warning you to follow the local laws related to call recording. It will also inform you that the other party in the call will be notified of the call being recorded. Tap on Always record to confirm your selection.

It is comparatively easier to record calls on Samsung Galaxy phones as they do not ship with the Google Phone app as their default dialer.

How to View and Share Recorded Calls In the Phone App

1. Open the Phone app on your Android device and go to the Recents tab.
2. Any call that you have recorded will show a microphone icon in its call log entry.
3. Tap on the call log entry of a recorded call. A mini player will automatically show up from where you can play the last recorded call or share it.
4. If you have multiple call recordings from the same contact, tap on the History option. You will get a detailed list of all the calls that you have made or received to that particular contact. All the calls you have recorded will show a Listen to recording option at the bottom, which you can tap to listen to the recording.

There's no way to access the call recording files directly using a file manager. You must use the Google Phone app itself to access all the recorded calls.

How to Delete Call Recordings

Deleting recorded calls from the Google Phone app is not as straightforward as it should be. You cannot delete call recordings directly from the Recents tab in the Phone app. Instead, you have to jump into the app settings.

1. Open the Google Phone app. Tap the 3-dot overflow menu button on the top-left corner followed by Settings.
2. Tap on Call recording from the Settings menu.
3. Under the Recordings section, tap the Delete recordings button. You can then select to delete all recorded calls after 7 days, 14 days, or 30 days. Confirm your selection by tapping Confirm from the dialog box that pops up.

Alternatively, you can delete all the recorded call files by tapping the Delete all recordings now option.

Record Calls but Adhere to Local Laws

With great power comes great responsibility. You might need to record a specific call for some work, but it is always recommended that you follow the local laws regarding call recording.

You should always inform the other party about the call being recorded for privacy—and legal—reasons. Also, remember that just because your phone comes with the Google Phone app pre-installed, it does not mean that the call recording option will be available on it.

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