For a long time, many of us have been asking for a way to record phone calls directly on our iPhones. With iOS 18, Apple finally added the feature, but a lot of people either don't know it's there or have tried it and felt it was a bit disappointing.
Plus, it brings up a big question: Is it legal to record a call on iPhone?
Today, we're going to walk you through exactly what you need to know.
We’ll cover the legal aspects of recording, how to record a call on your iPhone, why the new feature might not be what you expected, and the best way to get it done right.
How can you record a phone call on your iPhone?
You have two main options: you can use the iPhone's new built-in recording feature, or you can go with the old-school approach using a traditional digital voice recorder.
Record calls with the iPhone's built-in recording feature
If you want to use the new feature, it's pretty simple.
While you’re on a call, just tap the "Record" icon that shows up in the top-left corner of your screen. A three-second countdown will start, and then a voice will announce, "This call is being recorded."
This makes sure everyone on the call knows the conversation is being saved.
Once you’re finished, the recording is automatically saved right in your Notes app.
You can tap on the note to listen to the entire conversation again whenever you need to.
Record calls with the traditional voice recorder
Now, if you’re looking for another option, using a separate voice recorder to capture the audio from your iPhone's earpiece is still a great method.
The biggest advantage here is that you won't get that "This call is being recorded" announcement.
For some people, that can make things a lot less awkward.
Is it legal to record a phone call on an iPhone?
Many people wonder about this: Is it okay to secretly record a call with a voice recorder? What if you don't tell the other person? Does that make it an illegal recording?
Based on the law in many places, as long as you're a part of the conversation and you don't have an illegal reason for recording it, you're generally in the clear.
But the legality of your recording can depend on the specific situation.
For example, was it a private conversation? Was another person involved? Was it about highly personal information? Also, even if a recording is legal, it isn't a guarantee that a court will accept it as evidence. A judge will still look at things like whether the recording is real, if the way you recorded it was fair, and if it's truly relevant to the case.
To be safe, it's always a good idea to get the other person's consent before you start recording.
The built-in feature vs. the traditional voice recorder: Which is better?
Since recording a call isn't completely off-limits, which method should you choose? One is the built-in feature that's always there when you need it; the other is an extra tool that doesn't come with the awkward announcement.
Right now, I actually lean towards a voice recorder for a few reasons:
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It won't announce that you're recording, which can lead to a more honest conversation.
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It works with any iPhone model, not just the newest ones.
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It's not limited to a specific iOS version.
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Voice recorders usually have a much longer battery life than an iPhone, so you don't have to worry about running out of power.
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A voice recorder has many more uses than just recording phone calls.
However, there's one big problem with using an external recorder for phone calls: you have to put the call on speakerphone. Otherwise, it's really hard to get a clear recording of the whole conversation. This major drawback really limits how useful an external recorder is for this specific task.
PLAUD NOTE: Smart AI Voice Recorder
This is the PLAUD NOTE - AI voice recorder, and it’s not just super thin and easy to carry like a regular voice recorder. It also completely solves the biggest problem with them: having to use speakerphone to get a clear recording.
It's super thin and easy to carry
This recorder is even thinner than a business card holder—about the thickness of six business cards, just 0.3 centimeters. That means you can slip it into a shirt pocket and it won’t feel bulky at all.
You can also put it in a MagSafe card case, which lets you magnetically attach it to your iPhone and take it anywhere. If your phone doesn't have MagSafe, you can just stick a magnetic ring to the back of your phone or case, and it works just the same.
Record without speakerphone and stay discreet
To start a recording, you just flip the switch on the side up and then long-press the record button on the right. That’s it. No one else on the call will hear any announcement or notification.
I even tested this myself, you really don't need to use speakerphone. The PLAUD NOTE uses a special microphone designed specifically for recording, so you can talk normally and it will clearly pick up the other person's voice from the earpiece.
In a single device, it fixes the two biggest issues we all worry about: having to use a speakerphone with a voice recorder, and getting an announcement with the iPhone's built-in feature.
Access the recordings on app, web and desktop
Once you've connected the PLAUD NOTE with your phone, when you finish a recording, the audio file is automatically saved in your device. You don't have to lift a finger. It's not so fast that it happens in a second, but after a meeting, you might grab a glass of water or use the restroom, and by the time you get back, the file is ready to go. That kind of speed is basically all you need.
PLAUD NOTE - Not just for phone calls
We all know the recording is just the first step. Going home to transcribe it, organize the text, and find the key points is the really annoying part.
Even if you aren't recording a phone call, I think this device is still incredibly useful. PLAUD NOTE doesn't just record; it takes all that captured information and does the hard work for you.
For instance,
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In meetings: Stop taking notes and start leading the discussion. The PLAUD NOTE captures, summarizes, and visualizes key decisions and next steps for you, so you can fully engage in the conversation.
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During Interviews: Make eye contact, not notes. Stay completely present in every conversation while the PLAUD NOTE delivers professionally formatted interview notes and key takeaways.
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While learning: Your attention belongs to absorbing knowledge, not note-taking. The PLAUD NOTE takes structured notes and creates visual summaries for a better understanding.
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For voice memos: Speak your ideas now and find them forever. The PLAUD NOTE will transcribe, summarize, and organize your thoughts, making them searchable in your personal knowledge base.
You just flip the button on the PLAUD NOTE to the bottom position, and it switches to onsite recording mode, capturing sounds from all around you.
Below are some features you can explore.
It summarizes and extracts key action items
Another feature in the PLAUD that I think is fantastic is the ability to summarize key points. With a choice of powerful models like GPT-4.1, Claude 4, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and o3-mini, the app can organize the most important information from a long meeting or lecture.
It puts everything into clear categories and even creates a table of follow-up tasks for you after a meeting. This is an absolute game-changer for anyone who has to take notes!
The transcripts are accurate
The PLAUD can transcribe recordings with accuracy. It supports up to 112 other languages. You might think the iPhone's built-in transcription can do this too, but let's compare the accuracy.
If you look at just a short section of text, you'll see a number of mistakes in the iPhone's transcript. The PLAUD, on the other hand, doesn't just create a transcript; it adds correct punctuation, separates paragraphs, and even automatically identifies different speakers.
This makes it so much easier to read and understand. Don't tell me that a few mistakes are fine because a transcript is just an aid. After an hour-long meeting, an inaccurate transcript means you'll not only waste time correcting it, but your analysis could be completely off from the original meaning.
The mind map feature: A great way to take notes
There's another feature I'm a really big fan of: the mind map. It's a lot like the way I used to take notes in class, with all the key points laid out in a hierarchy. This means you can quickly see all the main ideas, and then understand all the specific details that fall under each one.
You can think of it as a visual summary. A regular summary has to be read line by line from top to bottom, but a mind map lets you see the entire structure all at once. It's incredibly clear and easy to understand at a single glance.
No need to worry about confidentiality
Sometimes we worry that if a meeting is really confidential, the content might be intercepted or leaked when we upload the recording to be transcribed.
The good news is, the PLAUD App handles all the files, transcripts, and summaries. The app also has both SOC 2 and HIPAA certifications, which show how seriously they take security.
SOC 2 is a certification that checks a company's controls for security, availability, data integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. HIPAA is a U.S. law that sets strict rules for protecting sensitive health information—even a huge company like Cloudflare has to meet its standards.
Is the PLAUD AI worth it?
I think the answer depends on what you need it for, so I'll break it down from a few different angles.
To avoid disruptions
The iPhone's own call recorder tells the other person you're recording and requires speakerphone, which can feel a little awkward. The PLAUD NOTE, on the other hand, can record a conversation without interrupting the flow.
This gives you a better chance of protecting yourself in important situations - to avoid disruptions in your conversation. For that reason alone, I think it's worth getting.
For efficiency
The PLAUD NOTE is great for more than just phone calls. You can use it to record meetings, lectures, and other events, but it does all the organizing for you without you having to give any extra commands, which is a huge time-saver.
It can transform your voice notes into a visual mind map, allowing you to see the big picture at a glance and find inspiration.
It also creates an action list to turn conversations into actions by automatically extracting key commitments from your conversations. This saves you a ton of time on follow-ups and ensures everything gets tracked.
For the cost
PLAUD offers a free plan that gives you 300 minutes a month, which is enough to record about five 60-minute meetings.
The Pro plan gives you 1200 minutes and unlocks all the features for a low monthly price. And if you're a heavy user, there's even an unlimited plan. While there is a cost, the value you get in saved time and efficiency is really high.
My advice? Try out the free plan first to see if it's right for you before you decide to upgrade.
Conclusion
PLAUD NOTE is a complete and practical solution for anyone needing to record calls or conversations. It directly addresses the main flaws of other methods by providing a discreet, speakerphone-free recording experience. But its true value extends far beyond calls; it's a powerful tool for boosting productivity in meetings, interviews, and during class.
