Transcribe a Phone Call: Record It Legally, Then Get the Text

In short

Start with a recording — TraScrivo transcribes audio files; it doesn't listen in on live calls.
Legal check — in the US, federal law allows recording with one party's consent, but about 11 states require everyone's consent. The safe habit anywhere: say you're recording at the start.
iPhone — iOS 18.1 and later can record calls; everyone on the call hears a notice, and the recording is saved in Notes.
Free — recordings up to 30 minutes, unlimited minutes (fair use), no account needed; longer calls with a Pass (10 hours for €3.90, lower in some countries).
Who said what — with Pass or Pro, processing on our server splits the text into Speaker 1, Speaker 2…

Is it legal to record the call?

In the United States, federal law requires the consent of at least one party, so you can record a call you are part of. Several states are stricter: about 11 primarily require the consent of everyone on the call, among them California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington, and Connecticut and Nevada apply all-party consent to phone calls. When people are in different states, assume the stricter rule applies.

Outside the US the rules depend on the country, and businesses that record customer calls usually have extra duties, such as explaining why the call is recorded and how long the recording is kept. The simplest habit everywhere: say at the beginning that you are recording, and carry on only after a clear yes.

This is general information, not legal advice. If the recording matters for work or a dispute, check the rules where you and the other person are.

Source: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Reporter's Recording Guide

How to record a call on iPhone

Make sure the iPhone runs iOS 18.1 or later. During a phone call or a FaceTime audio call, tap the record button on the call screen.
Everyone on the call hears that the call is being recorded.
When you hang up, the recording is saved in the Notes app, in a Call Recordings folder, together with an automatic transcript in supported languages.
To use the recording elsewhere, open the note, open the recording's menu and choose Save Audio to Files. You get an M4A file that you can upload to TraScrivo.

Call recording isn't available in every country or language. Apple's own transcript is handy for a quick look; upload the audio to TraScrivo when you need Word or PDF, subtitles, a summary, a translation or a language the built-in transcript doesn't cover.

Source: Apple Support, Record and transcribe a call on iPhone

How to record a call on Android

Phone by Google (Pixel 6 and later, Android 14 or newer): call recording is built in, but only in some countries, and local consent rules still apply; both sides hear an announcement, and the recording is kept with the call in the app, where you can share or save it.
Samsung and other brands: many have a recorder in their own Phone app, depending on the country. The files are usually saved as audio in a Recordings or Call folder that you can open from the file manager.
Third-party recorder apps: on recent Android versions many of them can no longer capture both sides of a call reliably. The phone's built-in recorder is the dependable option.

Calls on Zoom, Teams, Meet or WhatsApp

Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet have built-in recording (depending on the plan and the host's settings), and participants are shown that the meeting is being recorded. Download the MP4 or audio file and upload it as is.
WhatsApp calls can't be recorded inside WhatsApp. Voice messages, on the other hand, are easy to transcribe: see how to transcribe WhatsApp voice messages.

Turn the recording into text

Open TraScrivo on your phone or computer and choose the recording: M4A, MP3, WAV, AAC, OGG and most other formats work.
Select the language of the call. Automatic detection works, but the right language reduces mistakes with names and numbers.
Press Transcribe. Between 7 October and 6 November 2026, a 30-minute file took a median of about 2 minutes on TraScrivo.
Copy the text, or download it as TXT, Word or PDF. Use AI summary to get the key points of the call.

Calls longer than 30 minutes: the first 30 minutes are free and the rest is transcribed in the meantime; unlock it within 48 hours with a Pass, without uploading again. With a Pass or Pro you can upload files up to 4 hours and use Process on the server, which separates the voices and lets you close the page.

Why phone audio is harder, and how to get better text

Phone lines carry less of the voice than a normal recording, so names, numbers and quiet speakers come out less accurately. Check those parts against the audio.
Use the phone's built-in recorder, not speakerphone plus a second device: you get both voices cleanly instead of the room echo.
Pick a quiet place and avoid talking over each other; overlapping speech is where most errors happen.
Spell out what matters: during the call, repeat names, email addresses and amounts slowly; it helps the person and the transcript.

FAQ

Can TraScrivo transcribe a call while it's happening?

No. TraScrivo works on recordings: record the call first (for example with the iPhone or Android built-in recorder), then upload the file.

Is it free?

Yes, for recordings up to 30 minutes, without an account and with no limit on the number of files. For longer calls, the first 30 minutes are free and the rest can be unlocked within 48 hours with a Pass, from €3.90 for 10 hours that never expire.

Can it tell the two speakers apart?

Yes, with Process on the server (Pass and Pro): the text is split into Speaker 1, Speaker 2…; replace them with names when you edit the text (for example with Find and Replace in Word). The free version gives you continuous text with timestamps.

Which file formats work?

Recordings from iPhone (M4A) and Android, plus MP3, WAV, AAC, OGG, OPUS, FLAC and video files such as MP4 from Zoom or Teams.

How long can the call be?

Up to 30 minutes per file for free and up to 4 hours with a Pass or Pro. With Process on the server, files up to 2 GB are accepted.

Do you keep my recording?

No. The audio is used only to produce the transcript and is deleted as soon as it is ready; the text stays in your browser. With Process on the server (Pass and Pro), the audio is deleted within 24 hours at most and the text is kept encrypted in your account for 30 days. Details in our privacy policy.

How to transcribe a phone call: record it legally, then turn it into text