This guide covers how to turn it on, why it sometimes does not work or does not transcribe, what Samsung phones do, and the recording law in each state. The last part is for lawyers, brokers and advisers who want to turn a recorded client call into a proper file note. Everything about Apple's feature below comes from Apple's own support pages, checked in October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is iPhone call recording available in Australia?
Apple does not publish a list of countries where call recording is on. It publishes a list of places where it is off. Its iPhone User Guide says call recording "isn't currently available in Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, the European Union, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen." Australia is not on that list. Apple's Feature Availability page lists English for Call Recording and English (Australia) for both call transcription and Apple Intelligence call summaries.
| Feature | What you need | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Call recording | An iPhone on iOS 18.1 or later, on a call with one other person | Available. Australia is not on Apple's excluded list |
| Call transcript in Notes | A supported language and region, and an iPhone that meets the minimum requirements | English (Australia) is listed as supported |
| Call summary | Apple Intelligence. Apple says on iOS 27 this needs an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or an iPhone 16 model or later | English (Australia) is listed for Call Transcription Summaries |
Apple's iOS 18 update notes describe the iOS 18.1 change this way: call recordings and transcriptions let you record live calls and transcribe them in the Notes app, "with an automatic announcement that the call is being recorded". If your iPhone is on an older version, update it first in Settings, General, Software Update.
Before you record: check the law with our free tool
Apple's own guide tells you to "make sure the other call participant is willing to be recorded" before you start. In Australia the rule depends on the state. Our free Can I record this call? checker tells you whether your state or territory needs everyone's consent and gives you a line to say before you record. The short version is further down this page.
How to record a phone call on iPhone
- Open the Phone app and make or answer the call.
- During the call, tap the More button, then tap Call Recording. On iOS 18 you tap the Start Call Recording button on the call screen instead.
- Both of you hear an audio notice that the call is being recorded.
- To stop, tap the stop button or just hang up.
- Tap View Saved Call to open it, or find it later in the Notes app, in the Call Recordings folder.
Call Recording is on by default. If the option is missing, check Settings, then Apps, then Phone, then Audio Call Recording, and make sure it is switched on. Apple's guide says you can record a phone call "when you're talking to one other person", so it is built for one-to-one calls, not conference calls.
Where do iPhone call recordings save?
iPhone saves every call recording to a Call Recordings folder in the Notes app. Each recording is a note. Open it and tap the recording to play it or see the transcript. Apple's guide lists what you can do from there:
- Play from a point. Select a line of the transcript to hear that part of the audio.
- Search. Use Find in Transcript.
- Copy the transcript. Choose Add Transcript to Note or Copy Transcript.
- Save or share the audio. Save Audio Files or Share Audio.
- Read a summary. On an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, tap Summary.
- Delete. Apple notes that deleting the audio recording also deletes the transcript.
Apple says the transcript identifies the speaker of each statement, and that it may not appear straight away while transcription is in progress. Apple also warns: "Verify the accuracy of a transcription before relying on it." That warning matters if the call is about a client's money, legal matter or health.
Can you turn off the iPhone call recording announcement?
Apple's guide offers no setting to turn the announcement off. It says both call participants hear an audio notice that the call is being recorded. People search for "iPhone call recording without announcement" on Reddit, and some answers suggest workarounds. We would not use any of them for a client call. The announcement is the part of the feature that tells the other person what is happening, and in five states and territories recording a private conversation without everyone's consent is generally an offence.
The announcement is also not the same thing as consent. Hearing a recorded notice and asking "are you happy for me to record this?" are different. Ask, wait for the yes, and note that the client agreed. Our call recording disclosure wording examples have lines you can use.
See what a finished file note looks like.
Pick your line of work and we'll send a sample note written from a mocked call. No account, no card, and nothing from your own client files.
One sample note, plus the occasional CallNote update. Unsubscribe any time by replying. We never ask for your call recordings or client files.
The form above sends you a sample file note made from a fictional call, so you can see what a transcript turns into before you try it on your own calls.
iPhone call recording not working or not transcribing: what to check
| What you see | Likely reason, from Apple's guide | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No Call Recording option | iOS older than 18.1, the setting is off, or you are in a region where it is unavailable | Update iOS. Check Settings, Apps, Phone, Audio Call Recording |
| Option missing on a group call | Apple describes recording a call with one other person | Record one-to-one calls only |
| Recording saved but no transcript | Transcription still in progress, the language was not detected as supported, or the iPhone does not meet the minimum requirements | Wait and reopen the note. Check your iPhone language and region settings |
| No Summary button | Summaries need Apple Intelligence on a supported iPhone and language | Check your model against Apple's list and that Apple Intelligence is on |
| Transcript has errors | Apple says it might not be a perfect representation of the conversation | Check names, figures and dates against the audio before you rely on it |
Samsung call recording and transcripts
Samsung Galaxy phones have their own call recording in the pre-installed Phone app, and Galaxy AI's Transcript Assist can transcribe and summarise those recordings. Samsung Australia's Galaxy AI page says Transcript Assist needs a network connection and a Samsung Account, works on files recorded with the pre-installed Phone, Voice Recorder, Notes or Interpreter apps, and only processes audio under 3 hours long. It also says voice recording in the Phone app "may not be supported in some countries", that availability varies by language, and that accuracy is not guaranteed. Samsung's page does not say whether the other person is told, so treat consent as your job on every call.
Is it legal to record a phone call on iPhone in Australia?
It depends on the state. Recording a private conversation with a device, including a phone, falls under each state and territory's surveillance or listening devices Act. Separately, the federal Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 prohibits intercepting a call passing over the network without the knowledge of the person making it.
- All-party consent (everyone on the call must agree, with narrow exceptions): New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT.
- One-party consent (a person who is part of the conversation may record it, but sharing the recording is restricted): Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory.
You often do not know which state the other person is in, so work to the all-party standard. Our full guide, is it legal to record a phone call in Australia, sets out the Act and section for every state and territory.
For lawyers, brokers and advisers: from iPhone recording to file note
For a professional, a recording and a transcript are raw material. What goes on the client file is the file note: who you spoke to, what they told you, what you advised and what happens next. A 20-minute transcript is too long for that job and hard to find again. An Apple summary is general, and it is not in your firm's format.
This is where CallNote fits, for law firms, brokers and advisers. CallNote never records calls and never joins them. It takes a transcript that already exists and turns it into a structured file note in your firm's own format. With the iPhone feature, the steps are simple:
- Ask the client for consent, then record the call on your iPhone.
- Open the recording in Notes and choose Copy Transcript.
- Paste it into CallNote. The draft note is ready in about two minutes, using your firm's template.
- Check the draft against the transcript, especially names, amounts and dates.
- Publish it. The note is sealed with a SHA-256 checksum and locked, amendments are append-only, and it can go to Clio, HubSpot or Microsoft Dynamics 365 if your firm has one of those connected. Otherwise export a PDF or copy it into your file.
To get your own format, paste one of your past notes and CallNote builds a template with your headings, order and shorthand. Nothing about that client is kept. You can see real examples of notes CallNote produces. If you would rather not record the client at all, dictate a short voice memo of your own recap straight after the call and CallNote turns that into the note instead.
Two things to settle with your firm first
- Where the recording sits. The audio and transcript live in the Notes app on your phone. Check whether your Notes sync to a personal iCloud account, and what your firm or licensee policy says about client recordings on a personal device.
- How long you keep it. Once the file note is published, decide whether the recording is part of the client file or should be deleted. Apple notes that deleting the audio also deletes the transcript.
iPhone recording compared with the other ways to capture a call
| Option | How the call is captured | Is the other person told? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone call recording | Built into the Phone app, saved to Notes | Yes, an automatic announcement to both people | Occasional client calls on an iPhone |
| Business phone system with transcription | Dialpad, Aircall, Teams Phone or Zoom Phone transcribe calls made through them | Depends on your settings and greeting | Firms whose client calls go through one business number |
| Hardware recorder such as Plaud | A device on the back of the phone picks up the call | Only if you tell them | In-person meetings and any handset |
| Dictated voice memo after the call | Nothing records the client. You dictate your own recap | Not needed, the client is not recorded | Clients who would rather not be recorded |
If most of your client calls happen on a mobile, a business phone system with its own mobile app is the longer-term fix, because every call is transcribed the same way and your number is not tied to one handset. CallNote receives transcripts automatically from Aircall, Dialpad and Microsoft Teams. Our guide to the best AI note taker for phone calls in Australia compares all four routes, and recording calls with Plaud covers the hardware option.
Common questions
Is iPhone call recording available in Australia?
Yes. Apple added call recording to the Phone app in iOS 18.1. Apple lists the places where it is not available, such as the European Union and the United Arab Emirates, and Australia is not on that list. Apple's Feature Availability page also lists English (Australia) as a supported language for call transcripts.
Does the other person know when I record a call on iPhone?
Yes. Apple says both call participants hear an audio notice that the call is being recorded. Apple's guide does not offer a setting to turn this off. The notice is not the same as asking for consent, so ask the other person first, especially in NSW, WA, SA, Tasmania and the ACT, where all parties must agree.
Where are iPhone call recordings saved?
In the Notes app, in a folder called Call Recordings. Each call is a note holding the audio and, where your language and region are supported, a transcript. From there you can play the audio, copy the transcript, save or share the audio file, or delete it.
Why is my iPhone call recording not transcribing?
Apple says the transcript may take a little while to appear, and that if you do not see one, your iPhone does not meet the minimum requirements or did not detect a supported language. Check that your iPhone is up to date and your language and region are set to a supported option such as English (Australia).
Does Apple call recording give a summary of the call?
Yes, on iPhones that support Apple Intelligence. Apple's iOS 27 guide lists the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 models or later. Open the recording in Notes and tap Summary. Apple lists English (Australia) for call transcription summaries.
Can I use an iPhone call transcript as a file note?
A transcript is a record of what was said, but it is not a file note. A file note sets out who you spoke to, what they said, what you advised and the next steps, in a form someone else can read quickly. You can copy the transcript from Notes and paste it into a tool such as CallNote, which drafts the note in your firm's format for you to check and lock.