Recording phone calls

1

Are there apps you recommend that make recording a phone call easy? Preferably one that can be engaged in the middle of a call?

Thanks!

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2

In the middle of a call? Probably not without a jailbroken phone. The normal procedure is to use an app and 3-way calling - not designed for use while already in a call.

3

Usually I just put it on speakerphone and sit near a mic hooked up to my Mac. When I make Skype calls from my Mac I use Audio Hijack to record it.

4

I have used Tape-a-Call for just that purpose about a million times. Works like a champ:

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5

It works when you’re in the middle of a call now?

7

Good advice.

I think most states in the U.S. are one-party states, but it’s worth checking the law where you live.

It’d be better if more states were two-party states. And of course, making sure all parties on the call agree to the recording is the courteous thing to do.

8

I wouldn’t say ‘usually’ illegal in the USA at any rate. USA Federal law only requires one-party consent, meaning you can record if you’re a party to the conversation. 70% of states have laws stating that as well, although 15 states have all-party consent laws (and consent may be said to be implied in cases). And if you’re recording in a one-party state and another caller is in an all-party state, well, too bad for the other person. :man_shrugging: GDPR rules are much more strict in the EU and both requires consent and must fill criteria for necessity.

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10

Right: GDPR applies to companies, and EU restrictions overall are more strict for individuals as well.

The USA is considerably more open and recording is not usually illegal.

11

California is a two-party state. Or all-party state. I know this because I frequently record calls for my work. I ask the other guy’s permission, they say OK, and it’s all good. I suppose it would be better if we got the permission on tape but when I come back I say, “We are recording.”

12

It has always worked in the middle of a call, as far as I know.

You call the other guy, then open the Tape-a-Call app and then, when you’re connected, conference everybody together.

As far as I can see, the way Tape-a-Call works is you set up a conference call that includes the Tape-a-Call service, which records everything that happens on the line. Has to be a phone call; it won’t work with Zoom or Weber or Teams or suchlike – but with those services, you can phone in and STILL use Tape-a-Call.

13

Setting up a conference call is how the app has always worked (and it’s how the recommended apps from my earlier link work) but it’s clunky because it’s not a way to quickly record a call in the middle with a click of an app. For that you pretty much need a jailbroken phone + one of may apps available on jailbreak-store Cydia.

14

I have found Tape-a-Call to be quite satisfactory.

“Mind if I record this call?”

“OK.”

“Thanks. I need to put you on hold for literally about 10 seconds but I’ll be back.”

…

"And I’m back and we are recording… "

15

Fine for journalism purposes but it assumes any user wants to wait to set up the conference call, inform the other person, and is willing to live with the file containing the imposed beep every x seconds (that the other person can hear during the call). To silently, quickly record any part of a call at will you need a jailbroken iPhone or an Android phone.

16

There is no beep and now this message is more than 20 characters.

17

Thank you all for your responses - lots of great info!

18

I should be difficult to do. At the moment I will say I am getting tired of the possibility that nearly everything I do, write or say, every walk I take, every journey is recorded in some way for posterity. I really think it is now out of hand. Including these Ring Cameras on people’s door which are being used localy for purposes they are not advertized for if I can put it that way!. I accept the permanent record of sites like this. I am not if I should even be on that. It is nice sometimes just to talk without having to think that somebody else, one day, might review it. I really don’t like it yet a lot of techies seem quite ok with it? Am I right?

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19

I 100% agree with you and think we already crossed the “this is too much” threshold.

We shouldn’t look to new ways to minimise this “tracking” everyday because we can’t keep up with all the new ways everything is recorded and analysed somewhere…

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20

Thanks wow. I was starting to wonder whether it was ‘just me’, if you know what I mean!? My wife likes Alexa all over the house too. I don’t but I deferred to her wishes and actually bought one for her as a gift. I don’t use it ever though. I will say I feel I get adverts that come up on some sites that seem to me connected to things we have been talking about. Once after a conversation on this very subject I got a few ads about Google being ‘privacy centered’ or something like that. Ironic and spooky eh?

Once it was something that came up that I think was related to something I was talking to myself one day about. I do that I admit :rofl:

21

I don’t own any smart device other than the iPhone / iPad / Mac (all with “hey Siri” turned off, mainly because I never use the function, to be honest), so I can’t speak out of personal experience, but I think that visiting Amazon’s Alexa recordings page on someone’s account can be useful to understand if you (or other family members) are comfortable with the thing.

And I sincerely think that is no more a problem regarding people’s privacy in the first place, it has become a problem of the power (nations-size power) some entities other than nations have acquired. And the lack of capacity (or will) of nations to deal with them.

But I’m afraid we’re beating an off topic path.

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22

I am where you are and funny enough no Siri, it is nowhere near good enough for the technical terms I use a lot and won’t learn them or I can’t teach it to her.
I didn’t know even about that page for Alexa. As it says though, it won’t work well without ‘learning’. I talk to myself too and that doesn’t help!

But as I said, my wife is not of the same mind, so… I am going ‘low tech’ anyway for all kinds of reasons now where I can and losing the battle. I don’t even want a touch pad door lock in our new house. In some cases the low tech options are no longer really available. For HVAC systems for instance a simple ‘on off’ which I wanted would have been an expensive optional extra! I am back to a stove top coffee pot, no microwave, no toaster… As you say memex off topic but very interesting.