How to record and transcribe voice calls on your iPhone

Starting in iOS 18.1, with supported models and languages, you can record only or record and transcribe voice calls.

- BY GLENN FLEISHMAN

FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, and other apps offer live captions for calls and videoconferences. You can record calls in FaceTime. Several services and some apps transcribe audio to text using machine learning. Why not combine all these into a single service? Apple did with the Phone app and FaceTime in iOS 18.1.

Starting with that release, you can opt to record calls if you meet Apple’s broad requirements. The integration into the operating system is still a little wonky: Apple has the Phone or FaceTime app record into a Notes item, which is also where you find a transcript in a special format embedded in the note.

For transcription, you need at least an iPhone 12 model. Presumably for reasons of software development, call recording and transcription are limited to many of the most-spoken languages. See the bottom of this article for more details.

If you have iOS 18.1 installed and you see the recording icon described and shown below, you have the right intersection of language, country, and hardware to record.

RECORD A CALL

Here's how to record a call:

1. In the FaceTime or Phone app, look for the new Recording icon that appears overlaid in the app. Tap it. (If you don’t see it, read the requirements at the end of the article.)