Updated 1/9/12
One thing that business users expect on a smartphone is the ability to record a phone call.
There is plenty written about the legality of recording phone calls, and if you’re trying to secretly record calls, you could be asking for trouble. However, not everyone wants to record phone calls for nefarious purposes. Here’s a good resource about recording calls.
For example, I was just on a call this morning with a client and he wanted to know how we could record the conversation because he couldn’t keep up with everything I was saying and wanted to be able to go back and review the apparent wisdom I was pontificating.
We were on Skype at the time, so I just turned on Pamela (that’s what the software suite I used is called) and recorded away.
But how do you record a call if your on an Android powered phone? There is no built in functionality to do it, but fortunately a few apps have come to the market that get the job done nicely.
But first let’s start with the free option.
Free Call Recording With Google Voice
You can record calls with Google Voice. Unfortunately, that means you can only record incoming calls, not outgoing. However it’s simple to do – just press 4 on your number pad and it will start recording the conversation. You’ll find the conversation in your Voice control panel within a few minutes and you can send the recording to the other party easily from the control panel.
Best Call Recording Android Apps
There are a lot of so called call recording apps on the Android Market. The problem is that a lot of them don’t work. I’ve found that none of the free apps on the market are worth downloading and after testing out several different call recording apps have settled on AllCallRecorder Deluxe. It’s a $2.95 app and there’s a free trial version you can test out before you have to buy anything. Keep in mind it doesn’t work with all phones, but it does work with a lot of them and works well with almost all of the popular devices.
One other app you may want to take a look at is Super Call Recorder – I haven’t personally tested it out but it has good reviews and might work for you in case AllCallRecorder Deluxe doesn’t and also has a free trial version so you can verify that it works before you pay for it.
While paying $2.95 for functionality you think should be built into your phone isn’t ideal, I think it’s a lot better than having a Blackberry because then while you can easily record phone calls, you have to suffer with having a Blackberry. :)
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You might want to try a service I work on called SaveYourCall.com. It works from any phone (no special hardware needed) and it allows you to record both incoming and outgoing calls. Costs are as low as $0.10/min. There are no monthly fees, no storage fees and no domestic long distance fees. Your calls can be accessed securely via the website.
Not sure if that is what you are looking for but thought you might be interested.
fascinating . i used WM Sound Recorder to record my HTC Touch Pro phone conversation. It could record outgoing and incoming calls automatically. perfect for windows mobile.
The problem is now i use a blackberry. does it work on it ?
If you look at the contemporary major smartphone OS originated from North America, none of them do this.
iOS, webOS, Android, BlackBerry…
Not sure about Windows Phone 7. Some Windows Mobile phones do this but I don’t consider WM to be contemporary anymore, neither is Palm OS.
With Android the case is a bit more complicated. Apparently the infrastructure is in place. But nobody bothers to implement it. Except Samsung for their South Korean version of Galaxy S.
You may check out the issue 2117. There’re a lot of rants but occasionally you can find some usefull discussions.
Nokia phones very often has this feature built-in but Symbian is probably the most outdated of the contemporary OS.
I’ve a feeling that makers are omitting this feature to avoid potential lawsuits. There’s no technical reason that this cannot be done whatsoever.
Piece of cake, I use tasker to record calls.
hey guys – the simple solution to this is a universal cell phone recording device that you put it your ear and it will record both incoming and outgoing of absolutely any make or model of cell phone because it’s completely external. Here are examples:
http://www.telephonecallrecorder.com/cell-phone-recorder-c-26.html
all the ones listed there come with the ear microphone I’m talking about. It’s basically a digital recorder with an external microphone you put in your ear. took me a minute to get it but since you put the microphone in your ear and also hold the phone over that same ear it does pick up both sides of the conversation
Good summary. Indeed, you can ignore the clowns and shills who say Android call recording apps work fine. I tried AllCallRecorder and vRecorder on my stock HTC Evo. AllCallRecorder’s setup discovered it couldn’t capture the person you’re speaking to. All vRecorder seems to do is record from the phone’s microphone, relying on the mic picking up the other side of the conversation from the phone’s speaker. I proved this by pressing the button to the mic: even though I could still hear the other person, vRecorder captured nothing. That’s why many call recorder programs recommend turning on the speakerphone, so the mic can do a better job recording the other side of the conversation. But then you could just start the phone call, turn on the speakerphone, and use any voice recording app.
From customer service,
(NO APPS TO BUY OR INSTALL)
steps to record any phone call conversation:
1. make/receive a phone call
2. while on the call, press the (Home) key
3. Open all programs by pressing the ^ button
4. Click on already installed “Voice Recorder”
5. Press the red record button and Voula, the conversation is being recorded.
regards,
@Macedonia Unite – thank you for an easy, built in solution to call recording! After installing & uninstalling all of the available call recorders on Market which did not work I found your comment and am thrilled to say “it works”! No speakerphone needed, and both sides of the conversation were recorded. btw, I am using an HTC Thunderbolt…it is rooted & BAMF’d if that matters.
Thanks again! love, kitty
Try RecordiaPro. It works with any phone you want – not just cell/smartphones, and records both incoming and outgoing calls. You can then save or email the recordings as mp3s. We’ve had a lot of good feedback from it.
@Ed Reins RecordiaPro costs $29.99 for 120 mins. That’s greedy pricing! Surely there must be an app out there that provides unlimited recording and that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg!