She finally got there too Apple. iOS 18, the new version of the operating system for Apple smartphones presented at WWDC 2024, finally introduces the possibility of recording phone calls with iPhones. A function that has been awaited for years, for which users have often had to rely on third-party services of dubious effectiveness or procedures that are anything but intuitive.
As often happens in Cupertino, however, the introduction of this new method brings with it particular attention to detail: not only the recording of the phone call, but also the transcription of the same through the Apple Intelligence, the artificial intelligence of the Californian giant. But let’s proceed in order.
Record phone calls with iPhone today
At present, it is necessary to rely on third-party services. The settings of iOS they do not allow you to record phone calls. Therefore, we often invent the most unlikely procedures, perhaps activating the speakerphone and starting classic voice recording apps directly on iPhone or using external devices such as tablets, computers or perhaps a second smartphone. Definitely uncomfortable.
Over time, however, some apps have arrived iOS, more or less effective. Among these it certainly stands out Google Voicewhich allows you to start the call and record it for free (to be used instead of the iPhone “phone” app. Once started, you need to click on the number “4” to start the recording, with the device communicating the start of the recording itself. It works very well, but to use it you need to have a Google Voice number, which is required for the first setup of the service.
The most used alternative on App Store is called «Rev Call Recorder». In this case, however, it is necessary to make the application the third member of the phone call, adding it from the numeric keypad. Again, far from comfortable and intuitive.
Finally everything changes with iOS 18. The call recording function will be added directly to the “phone” app, so simply press the appropriate button once the phone call has started.
To ensure privacy and transparency, call participants will automatically be notified that the conversation has been recorded. This way, everyone involved will be aware of the ongoing recording, avoiding potential legal or ethical issues. But that’s not all, because the Cupertino company has also thought of an integration with the Notes app: on the one hand it will be possible to make a real transcription of the phone call, on the other it will be possible to create a summary of it using the algorithms Apple Intelligence. All automatically, a great convenience in many areas, especially at a professional level (think of the telephone interviews of us journalists, potentially a tool capable of saving hours and hours of work).
Call transcripts will initially be available in English (US, UK, Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore), Spanish (US, Mexico, Spain), French (France), German (Germany), Japanese (Japan), Mandarin Chinese (Mainland China, Taiwan), Cantonese (Mainland China, Hong Kong), and Portuguese (Brazil). The function should arrive in Italy by the end of the year (therefore also supporting the Italian language).
Beyond user needs iPhone, Apple with this move he also filled a gap compared to Android. In the world of the green robot the question has always been much simpler: many manufacturers have implemented the function natively for years (think of Xiaomi), without prejudice to the possibility of relying on one of the many apps on the Play Store.
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