How to Record Phone Calls: Android, iPhone and Business

TL;DR: on Android you can record a call in the Phone app if your phone model, country and carrier support the feature; on an iPhone in the European Union built-in recording does not work, because Apple does not currently offer it anywhere in the EU. Apps from Google Play cannot use the accessibility API to capture call audio, so some of them record only your voice. A business that wants to record customer calls regularly does it on a business number or by adding a service to the call, not on employees' phones.

Start with the real goal

People search for "how to record calls", but usually mean one of three things:

Proof of one conversation — you want to preserve what was agreed.
A call note — you do not want to type everything manually.
A business process — you want every customer call to become searchable work for the team.

The first case can often be solved by your phone. The second needs transcription. The third needs more than a recording app. The sections below explain why.

How to record calls on Android

The simplest way is the feature built into the Phone app. In Google's Phone app it works on non-Pixel phones with Android 9 or later and on Pixel 6 or later with Android 14 or later, but only on some devices, with some carriers and in countries where it is supported. During a call you tap “Record”; on a Pixel, tap “Call Assist”, then “Call Recording”. Everyone on the call is told it is being recorded, and the recording stays on the phone (Google's Phone app help, checked 19 October 2026).

Phones from other manufacturers have their own limits. Samsung says call recording is available in its Phone app on Galaxy phones updated to One UI 7.0 or higher (Samsung support), and its One UI page notes that available features may vary by device model, country or region and carrier. Xiaomi says that on HyperOS phones you record in the Google Phone app if the phone model, country or region and SIM carrier all support it, and for the Xiaomi 17 it states that call recording is not supported in the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria or Romania (all sources checked 19 October 2026). Do not read that list as covering every Xiaomi model. Details and troubleshooting are in our guide to call recording on Android.

How to record calls on iPhone

Built-in call recording on the iPhone is not available in the European Union. Apple offers it in the Phone app starting in iOS 18 (Apple Support), but the iPhone User Guide says call recording isn't currently available in the European Union and 18 other countries (checked 19 October 2026). Where it is available, both participants hear an audio notice and the recording is saved in Notes. On an iPhone in the EU you are left with services that record through a conference call: during the call you add the service's number and merge the calls, so your carrier must support conference calls. Adding Heilo to a chosen call works this way with Heilo Select; Heilo records the call from the moment it joins. Other options are covered in our guide to call recording on iPhone.

Why the other person's voice can be missing

One cause is the limits on how apps can access call audio. In 2022 Google changed its Google Play policy: the accessibility API, AccessibilityService, cannot be used to record call audio. That is how the AccessibilityService API policy reads, and Google announced the change in its policy announcement of 6 April 2022.

Two points are worth separating:

The restriction covers using the accessibility API to record calls. An app can still be on Google Play and can still record, for example, a voice note. What it cannot do is use accessibility services to capture the other person's voice during a call. Most call recorders used to work exactly that way.
The system Phone app and manufacturer apps have wider permissions. They hold permissions that an ordinary Google Play app does not get, so comparing them with a recorder from the store is misleading.

One possible result is a recording with only one side of the call. It usually shows up after a system or app update, when nobody expects it. If that is your problem, we cover it separately in what to do when an app does not record the other person.

What works today

Method	Conditions	Main limitation
Google Phone app	non-Pixel devices: Android 9 or later; Pixel: model 6 or later with Android 14 or later	only in countries and with carriers where the feature is available; participants hear a recording notice
Manufacturer's Phone app, e.g. Samsung or Xiaomi	depends on model, country or region and carrier; Xiaomi with HyperOS records in the Google Phone app	Samsung says available features vary by country or region; Xiaomi lists Poland, Germany, France, Italy and Spain among the countries where the Xiaomi 17 does not support it
iPhone, iOS 18 or later	the recording and transcript go to Notes, both parties hear a notice	not available in the European Union
App from Google Play	installed on an employee's phone	cannot use the accessibility API to record a call; may capture only the voice of the person holding the phone
Adding Heilo to a call (Heilo Select)	you keep your own number; your phone and carrier support conference calls	Heilo records from the moment it joins, and you have to add it to each call
Heilo business number (Heilo Line)	each salesperson has their own +48 number; calls through it are recorded automatically	records only calls made through that number; you get the number after company verification

Sources checked 19 October 2026: Apple's guide to recording calls, Google Phone app help, Google Play policy, Xiaomi 17 FAQ and Samsung support. Availability changes without notice and differs between countries, so before you rely on a feature, check it on your own phone and with your own carrier. We compare specific apps in best call recording apps.

Why phone recording is unreliable for a business

Even when recording works on one phone, a team has several more things to check:

Availability depends on the device. The same model bought in another country may not have the feature. That is why a team has to check the feature on every phone in use.
It can stop working after an update. A new system version or a change in store policy can switch recording off overnight, without warning and through no fault of the user.
Access to files needs organising. Without a company account, export or backup, a recording may stay with the employee. Some apps offer cloud copies; check who owns the account, the permissions and the retention. A copy alone does not save the agreements in your CRM.
Files have to be organised. For a team to use them, it needs to know who called, what the matter was and what happens next.

How to record customer calls in a business

When a call goes through a number run by a service, or the service joins the call, you can:

play the other person a recording notice,
save the recording in the cloud,
create a transcript,
extract dates, addresses, prices and tasks,
attach the call to a contact,
give access to team members,
also handle calls nobody answered.

In Heilo you choose one of three plans, depending on which calls you want to record:

Heilo Line is the core option for sales teams. Each salesperson gets their own +48 business number, and inbound and outbound calls through it are recorded automatically. You start an outbound call in the dashboard with the “Call via Heilo” button (+48 numbers only), and the customer sees the Heilo number. You get the number after your company is verified with a Polish tax ID (NIP): you choose it, and Heilo orders it from the carrier; the time depends on verification.
Heilo Select: you keep your current number and add Heilo to a chosen call. Your phone and carrier must support conference calls, and Heilo records the call from the moment it joins. Voicemail is included.
Heilo Voicemail saves messages left after missed calls that your carrier forwards to Heilo (business voicemail).

After a Heilo Line call you get a transcript, a summary and suggested tasks, and the call coach shows what went well and what to improve. With Heilo Select you get the recording, transcript and summary of the part of the call after Heilo joins. The call lands in the customer's history in the dashboard, and once an integration is configured, the agreements reach your CRM through the API, signed webhooks, Zapier or Make (sending calls to your CRM). Recordings are kept for 365 days by default and then deleted, while the transcript stays. Heilo never talks to the caller: it records the call, transcribes it and summarises it.

The plan for teams is described on the call assistant page. Plans and prices are on the pricing page.

New Heilo numbers start in the “Announcement before the call” mode: the caller hears a recording notice before Heilo connects them to you. You can change the mode in the number's settings. Heilo gives you tools to inform the other party (an announcement, your own wording, a marker on the call). Your company, as the data controller, is responsible for the legal basis and for informing the people on the call.

How to record calls that a salesperson places is covered in our guide to recording outbound calls. If the team is meant to draw conclusions from calls and not only store them, the next step is analysing sales calls.

What to do today

If you are an individual, check whether your phone has the feature at all: an iPhone in the EU does not, and on Android it depends on the model and carrier. Then tell the other person that you are recording the call; we cover the rules in our article on business call recording laws.

If you run a business, write down why you record calls: complaints, quotes, training, proof of agreements, or missed inquiries. Then choose the tool that supports that workflow. How GDPR applies to recorded customer calls is covered in recording customer calls and GDPR.

A typical call in a team with Heilo Line looks like this:

The customer calls the Heilo business number, or the salesperson calls the customer with “Call via Heilo”.
On a new number the customer hears a short recording notice before the call starts.
Heilo records the call from the moment it is answered.
A transcript, a summary, suggested tasks and call coach notes are created.
The call lands in the customer's history and, once an integration is configured, in your CRM.
If nobody answers, the caller can leave a message in Heilo voicemail; if you turn on notifications, you get an SMS with the caller, the topic and a link.

Conclusion

A single conversation can be preserved with a phone feature or a tested app. In a business, plan team access, transcription and saving the agreements on the customer record from the start. Choose the solution based on how you work and what you will use the recordings for. How Heilo records business calls is described on the business call recording page.

FAQ

Does built-in call recording in the iPhone Phone app work in the EU?

No. Apple says call recording is not currently available in the European Union. That does not rule out every other method: a separate service can record through a conference call if your carrier supports merging calls. Check its cost, its privacy terms and how it informs the other person about the recording.

Why does the app record only me and not the other person?

Possible causes are system restrictions, the audio source, permissions, the app being put to sleep and the headset in use. Google Play's ban on using the accessibility API for call audio does not explain all of these cases. Start with the publisher's documentation and a test of both voices.

Can I record without telling the other person?

Do not assume so. This guide does not settle legal questions: in a business, first establish the purpose of recording, the legal basis for processing, the duty to inform and the national rules that apply. A recording notice fulfils the duty to inform the other person, and whether the basis is consent, a contract or legitimate interest is for your company, as the data controller, to decide. See business call recording laws.

Is a call recording app enough for a business?

It can be, if you confirm the quality, team access, export, retention and saving of agreements. With many devices, each element has to be checked separately. A service tied to a business number reduces dependence on phones, but records only the calls made through it. With Heilo Line, a call placed in the ordinary Phone app does not go through Heilo, so it is not recorded.

What is better: recording or transcription?

The recording lets you check what was actually said. The text makes work and search easier, but it can contain errors. Verify amounts, names and dates against the recording. How transcription works.