How to Record a Call on iPhone for Client Calls

Why it matters for a broker or realtor's day

A recorded client call becomes the file: the numbers the client gave you, what they're worried about, and what you said you'd do next. Typing all of that from memory after the call is where details go missing or late. But recording a client without handling consent properly creates the opposite problem — a complaint, or a recording you can't use. Treat the consent step as part of the call, not an afterthought, the same way you'd note a client's name.

How to record a call on iPhone (built-in method)

Apple's Phone app can record calls natively since iOS 18.1, and this is the method to use first:

1. Make or answer the call as usual.
2. During the call, tap More, then Call Recording.
3. Both you and the client hear a recorded notice that the call is being recorded. It repeats periodically through the call.
4. Tap Stop Recording, or just hang up — the recording stops either way.
5. Find the recording and its transcript in the Call Recordings folder in Notes. Apple's advice is to "verify the accuracy of a transcription before relying on it", so check names and numbers.

Two things the feature doesn't do: it can't record anything said before you tapped Call Recording, and it isn't available everywhere. Apple's own support guide lists the European Union, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and several other regions and languages as unsupported; Canada, in English, is not on that list, but confirm under Settings → Apps → Phone → Audio Call Recording before a call that matters, since Apple updates the list with each iOS release.

Can you record an incoming call on iPhone?

Yes, the same way — the native feature works for incoming and outgoing calls equally, as long as you tap Call Recording after you've answered. What you can't do is turn it on retroactively: if a client calls unexpectedly and you're thirty seconds into the conversation before you reach for your phone, only what happens after you tap gets captured. For calls you can't record from the start, or on an iPhone running an iOS version before 18.1, your options are a separate recorder next to the phone on speaker, a three-way-calling workaround through your carrier, or a call-recording app from the App Store — read that app's own privacy policy before you use it for client work. Apple warns that third-party apps "may not provide a warning", so telling the client is up to you.

Is it legal to record a client call in Canada?

This isn't legal advice, and the answer has two separate layers.

Federal criminal law sets the floor. Under the Criminal Code, intercepting a private communication is an offence unless you have the consent of the originator or the intended recipient (s. 184(2)(a)). In practice, this means recording your own call is lawful with your own consent alone — Canada is a one-party consent country, not an all-party one.

Privacy law is a separate layer on top, and it applies because you're recording for business purposes, not personal ones. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has found that an organization recording a customer's call must tell the customer it's recording and why; in most cases, "if the customer proceeds with the call knowing that the conversation is being recorded and why, their consent is implied." The same page says customers "must be given a choice about whether their voice is recorded", and if recording isn't integral to the service, the organization must offer an alternative. Quebec goes further: its private sector privacy Act requires consent that is clear, free and informed, and given for the specific purpose (s. 14) — a notice the client might not have registered isn't enough on its own.

One-party consent under the Criminal Code does not settle your privacy obligations. Both layers apply at once. If you work with a compliance officer or a lawyer, have them confirm wording for your brokerage.

Consent rules by situation

Something to copy: the consent line

Say this before you start recording, or as your first sentence if recording is already running, in your own words:

"Before we get into it, I'm going to record this call so I can follow up accurately and keep a note on file — that okay with you?"

Wait for a yes. If the client says no, keep typing notes by hand instead; don't record anyway and rely on the Phone app's notice to cover you.

Common mistakes

• Relying only on the automatic notice. Apple's notice tells the client a recording is happening, but not why, and Quebec requires clear consent for a specific purpose. Apple itself says to make sure the other person "gives explicit consent to being recorded".
• Assuming a recorded voicemail or meeting counts as a recorded call. It's a different capture method with different handling — see your notes app or recording tool's own guidance.
• Treating "I recorded it" as the finish line. A recording with no notes, no follow-up and no file update doesn't help the client or you later.
• Recording on a device the client can't see, like a laptop on speaker across the desk, without saying so. The obligation to tell them doesn't change with the device.

How CallSmart helps

CallSmart is built for mortgage brokers' phone-heavy days, so you can start a recorded client call from the same app that drafts the follow-up. Call clients from your own number and CallSmart records the call, or join a call you're already on — your carrier plan needs three-way calling for that, and recording starts from the moment you merge, not before. Either way, the app reminds you to tell the client, and telling them is your job: on a live call through CallSmart, recording starts when the call connects and the client doesn't hear an automatic notice. Open with the consent line. If the client says no, end the call, call back from your regular phone, and delete the call in CallSmart. After the call, CallSmart writes a follow-up email and CRM notes from the conversation; you approve both before anything sends, so nothing goes to the client unreviewed.

CallSmart's drafting is built for mortgage conversations — it looks for income, down payment, property details and the gaps a broker would normally chase down. Realtors can capture and send a follow-up the same way, but the drafts won't read like a tailored buyer or listing script the way a mortgage follow-up does.

Recording a meeting in person or importing a file from elsewhere work the same way, without the consent line changing: tell whoever's on the call, every time.

Frequently asked questions