REQ: iPhone app for recording phone calls

[silvine]

Anyone know if you can get an app for iPhones (jailbroken or otherwise) for recording phone calls?

I really need this app for recording work related interviews. If there's none available I guess I'll have to get a Nokia...

[taibien86]

Originally Posted by silvine

Anyone know if you can get an app for iPhones (jailbroken or otherwise) for recording phone calls?

I really need this app for recording work related interviews. If there's none available I guess I'll have to get a Nokia...

that's really creepy man. i hope you plan on recording the phone call with the interviewee's knowledge

[silvine]

Yes obviously. I did say it's for work related interviews

[diesel]

i wonder if there might be legal issues with distributing such an app......especially in the US where i believe it is illegal to record phone conversations without the other party's knowledge.

though the op wants to use it for work related interviews which is a legit purpose, the developer who puts effort into such a project might wind up not getting his app approved or getting it yanked cause not everyone will be using such an app for a legit purpose

[JimmyJawn]

from what I understand it's perfectly legal to make phone software that does this. i think it's actually a standard feature on blackberries (iPhone is my first smart phone so i can't say personally) and they certainly sell hardware recorders for landlines in chain electronics stores (radioshack etc).

with that being said i second silvine's request.

[dizzlemizzle]

my boss said he did this with the evernote app...don't have an iphone so i can't test it myself
legal as long as you notify the person or persons on the other end of the phone

[opticalserenity]

Originally Posted by diesel

i wonder if there might be legal issues with distributing such an app......especially in the US where i believe it is illegal to record phone conversations without the other party's knowledge.

though the op wants to use it for work related interviews which is a legit purpose, the developer who puts effort into such a project might wind up not getting his app approved or getting it yanked cause not everyone will be using such an app for a legit purpose

It is NOT illegal in many states, including Georgia, where only one party has to know.

[domness]

Have you checked the Jailbreak list of Apps? There may be one there as I'm not sure where Apple stand on recording calls.

Although, I'd love to have an App like that myself. It seems an important feature that Apple have missed off. Something that even basic phones have.

[diesel]

Originally Posted by opticalserenity

It is NOT illegal in many states, including Georgia, where only one party has to know.

thanks for the clarification........so the other party that you are talking to and recording need not be notified?

[bbrosen]

I am a telephone man, I install reapair Pbx's, large business phone systems in Mississippi, have done so for 20 years now. Telephone conversation recording laws are state by state, in Miss you can record a line you "own" pay for etc whether or not the other person knows or not. A lot of states are like this. This is where "one party must know" which would mean you, about the recording of the line. Where you would get into trouble is if you were a third party recording a conversation of 2 others with out their knowledge.Check your state laws to know for sure.

[diesel]

thx bbrosen. i didn't know that the laws for this was governed at the state level. i learn something new every day here

[iPegboy]

FYI:
Twelve states currently require that BOTH or ALL parties consent to the recording. These states are:
California
Connecticut
Florida
Illinois
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
Pennsylvania
Washington

[taibien86]

Originally Posted by iPegboy

FYI:
Twelve states currently require that BOTH or ALL parties consent to the recording. These states are:
California
Connecticut
Florida
Illinois
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
Pennsylvania
Washington

interesting. a bunch of phones come with the ability to record convos already, like my old sony ericson z520a

[Ding.Dong]

Here's a previous thread on the subject:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...hone+recording

Someone there said that there's a jailbreak app called SpoofApp3g that will do this. My phone's not jailbroken, so I haven't tried it. I don't think this type of application would work in the App Store because it would have to run in the background.

As other poster have mentioned the laws very by state. Most states are "one-party" states, which means that you can record calls without the other person's permission. Here's a wikipedia article about the laws:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_recording_laws

[aceinthehole]

Is anyone asserting their legal opinion a lawyer? Didn't think so.
And why avoid answering the guys question and instead go off on some state law tangent? Just answer his friggin question please!

I work as a journalist and there are times when I need to record the interview. That means I need an app to do it, not someone's opinion of why it shouldn't be created to begin with because it might raise legal questions!

I'll try Evernote as someone suggested -- thank you for your helpful advice. Wish there was more of it.

[diesel]

Originally Posted by aceinthehole

Is anyone asserting their legal opinion a lawyer? Didn't think so.
And why avoid answering the guys question and instead go off on some state law tangent? Just answer his friggin question please!

I work as a journalist and there are times when I need to record the interview. That means I need an app to do it, not someone's opinion of why it shouldn't be created to begin with because it might raise legal questions!

I'll try Evernote as someone suggested -- thank you for your helpful advice. Wish there was more of it.

not off to a good start are you with your first post, chastising people? maybe you haven't been around internet forums much but you will find that many many threads will go off on a "tangent" so you will need to get used to it otherwise you would wind up one really pissed off guy.

i for one don't feel like this thread got as off topic as you would believe it had. op asked if there were any telephone recording apps, and people responded with reasons as to why there might not be any. granted much of it was speculation initially, however i believe that the overall conversation was completely within the scope of the thread. in addition, unlike many other threads, this is one where i actually learned something.

what if someone asked for cell signal or wifi "sniffing" software for the iphone? well the poster would get a deluge of responses as to the "legality" of such software. is that getting off tangent since the question was not answered with a specific list of such software? NO, the responses would all be within the scope of the original question. would the op get the answers that he was looking for? probably not, but does that mean people responded out of scope? absolutely not.

[Pring]

Not possible with the sdk. Access to the mic is only available when not on a call.

[aceinthehole]

what if someone asked for cell signal or wifi "sniffing" software for the iphone? well the poster would get a deluge of responses as to the "legality" of such software. is that getting off tangent since the question was not answered with a specific list of such software? NO,

Actually, the answer would be a definite "yes, it is going on a tangent."

Sticking to the subject helps keep the thread relevant, especially if it gets archived. And it also prevents people like me from posting obnoxiously long reasons why you shouldn't .... post obnoxiously off-topic.

And your example, if someone is using a packet sniffer, do you have to assume they are going to do it for illegal purposes, or are they a network administrator that needs to examine traffic? You do know what people say about assumptions right? I use them regularly in my job, but never for nefarious reasons, and if I seek technical advice, the last thing I need is someone critiquing my reasons for it and not answering my question; just give me some help.

It's good you learned something, though it'd behoove you not to take legal advice from people you don't know to be lawyers.

Thanks for looking up my information for my first post. You must think I'm new to this because my first post obviously marks my first visit to macrumors.com right? lol, I've been posting in forums since the days of Fidonet and Arpanet. But I don't expect you to know that, you don't know me... but those assumptions! Watch out!

[uberzete]

Originally Posted by diesel

i wonder if there might be legal issues with distributing such an app......especially in the US where i believe it is illegal to record phone conversations without the other party's knowledge.

though the op wants to use it for work related interviews which is a legit purpose, the developer who puts effort into such a project might wind up not getting his app approved or getting it yanked cause not everyone will be using such an app for a legit purpose

I think its legal so long as one of the parties on the call knows its recorded. Whats illegal is something where neither do. Then again if you're the gub'ment you can do what you want.

[diesel]

Originally Posted by aceinthehole

And your example, if someone is using a packet sniffer, do you have to assume they are going to do it for illegal purposes, or are they a network administrator that needs to examine traffic? You do know what people say about assumptions right? I use them regularly in my job, but never for nefarious reasons, and if I seek technical advice, the last thing I need is someone critiquing my reasons for it and not answering my question; just give me some help.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time i've been accused of making an a$$ of myself

out of curiosity (and now we are getting off topic), were you saying you use packet sniffers regularly in your job or assumptions? from the structure of the sentences i couldn't be sure

[aceinthehole]

Sorry for the digression guys -- if you're looking for voice recording software, skip my note:

Originally Posted by diesel

Well, it wouldn't be the first time i've been accused of making an a$$ of myself

out of curiosity (and now we are getting off topic), were you saying you use packet sniffers regularly in your job or assumptions? from the structure of the sentences i couldn't be sure

Whew, I'm glad this didn't turn into a flame contest. Sorry for sounding like a jerk in my earlier posts.

I should be more clear: To pay the bills, I work as a network technician for a computer research lab. Packet sniffing is used to monitor for torrent traffic and porn surfing. But it's also used to figure out where traffic is running into problems when it's routed through all the firewalls, switches and what not. But, it can easily be used to spy on people, which is what makes folks tense. It's a fine line to walk.

For my continuing education, I'm in school to learn more about new media, specifically interactive online journalism. For that, doing voice recordings is a must to get the quotes right, and keep the interview conversational rather than a stagnant Q&A. For an iPhone, it's especially helpful because it means that I don't have to sit next to my computer to wait for a call back, I can walk around town, do what I need to do in my everyday life, and not worry about making sure I have a notepad and pen ... and holding my phone between my ear and shoulder while I misquote someone talking really fast. Additionally, with new media, I can take the recordings and use them for interactive stories.

Insofar as the law goes, I think everyone has been right with their assertions as they appear consistent with what was taught in my journalism law classes. It does vary state by state, requiring consent to be actually recorded in some cases. But I'm always a bit wary of legal pontifications because, well ... I've been burned in court before from bad advice (not related to recording).

Long story short -- with your question -- I was referring to working on networks. But, I think it's really funny that you thought I meant journalism! haha -- cause it does apply! Too many journalist make horribly bad assumptions and posit it as fact. It's one reason I stopped working as a producer and went to school for online (huge cultural differences between broadcast, print and online).

Cheers, and I'll stop ranting.

[Clete2]

Originally Posted by iPegboy

FYI:
Twelve states currently require that BOTH or ALL parties consent to the recording. These states are:
California
Connecticut
Florida
Illinois
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
Pennsylvania
Washington

So is it by contract/phone number? E.g. I have a South Carolina number and my 'permanent' address is in SC, but I go to school in PA. (SC: area code 803 PA: area code 570)
So is it legal or not without notification? My first phone was able to record, but the ones after it were not and the iPhone can't.

[Michael CM1]

Originally Posted by diesel

i wonder if there might be legal issues with distributing such an app......especially in the US where i believe it is illegal to record phone conversations without the other party's knowledge.

though the op wants to use it for work related interviews which is a legit purpose, the developer who puts effort into such a project might wind up not getting his app approved or getting it yanked cause not everyone will be using such an app for a legit purpose

It varies from state to state. Go back and look at stuff from the Linda Tripp-Monica Lewinsky case. It was all wacky because one was in one state, the other was in another. That could be why no such apps have been released, but it would be kinda dumb since it is legal in places and would really really really help out reporters. I can't type fast enough to keep up with some people even though I can do 80 wpm.

[PatrickRS]

There are examples of these programs on other platforms (e.g., CallRec on PalmOS), have been for sale for years and, to the best of my knowledge, aren't being shut down / sued, so it can be done, legally.

The thing is, people who are in a position to know say that the SDK doesn't allow such programs to be built, which is very believable.

[pedroistheman]

have you tried putting speakerphone on and running the recorder app?