Settings for call recording
Call Recorder works with its default settings on most devices. Use this page if recordings are silent, empty, too quiet, or contain only your own voice.
Install the version from this site
This is the first thing to check. There are two versions of Call Recorder, and only one of them can record both sides of a call.
Since Android 10, an app needs the accessibility service to record any sound during a call. The version from Google Play cannot use the accessibility service for this, and it cannot get the access described below either. In most cases it records silence.
Download the latest version from the download page and install it over the Google Play version. It is the same app, so your settings and recordings stay in place.
If you are not sure which version you have, just download and install it. Nothing is lost if you already have the right one. You can also compare Settings > About > Version in the app with the version on the download page.
Recording access
On Android 9 and newer, Android does not allow a normal app to record the other side of a call. Call Recorder needs elevated access for this.
Open Settings > Recording > Standard API > Recording access to see the current state. If access is not set up, Call Recorder records through the microphone only, and the other side may be quiet or missing.
The setup wizard offers three recording-access options: built-in ADB, the Shizuku app, and the accessibility service. With the accessibility service, Call Recorder records through the microphone, so the other side may be quiet or missing. For built-in ADB, see Built-in ADB setup and troubleshooting.
If your phone has root access, this is not needed and the row is not shown.
Basic settings
These settings work on most devices:
- Settings > Recording > Recording method — Standard API.
- Settings > Recording > Standard API > Audio source — Voice call uplink + downlink. This is the default.
- Settings > Recording > Standard API > Recording format — OPUS. This is the default and it makes small files.
Some devices cannot record Wi-Fi Calling, VoLTE, or calls made through apps such as Skype and WhatsApp. See Recording internet calls.
Recordings are silent
The usual cause is the Google Play version. Since Android 10 it cannot record any sound during a call. Install the version from this site — see the top of this page.
If you already use the version from this site, check that Call Recorder's accessibility service is still enabled. Some phones turn it off after an update.
Only your own voice is recorded
This means recording access is not active and Call Recorder has fallen back to microphone recording. Open Settings > Recording > Standard API > Recording access and check its state.
Access can also be lost later — for example after a reboot, or when Developer options or USB debugging is turned off. Call Recorder shows a Setup required notification when this happens.
While access is missing, Call Recorder records through the microphone, so the call is not lost completely.
If files are empty or not created
A common cause is Wi-Fi Calling. When a call goes over Wi-Fi Calling instead of the mobile network, most devices do not let the app record it, and the file stays empty. This happens most often on Samsung phones with Exynos chips.
To check, turn Wi-Fi Calling off in your phone's settings (it is usually in the call or connection settings) and make a test call.
If the files are still empty, try these:
- Make sure that the default sample rate and recording mode are set for the selected recording method.
- Switch the recording format to WAV for a few test calls. WAV is uncompressed, so it removes the format as a possible cause.
If other side's volume is low
- Check that recording access is active (see above). Without it, only the microphone is used and the other side is always quiet.
- Make sure other recorders aren't active while in-call (voice control apps, navigation apps, other call recorders, etc).
- To ensure that recording is not started too early, either disable automatic recording and start recording manually after the other side answers, or stop it and restart after that moment. If both sides are clearly heard in the part of recording that was manually started later, then you need to increase "delay before start of recording" in Settings > Recording > Standard API > Other.
- If the volume is low for a specific type of calls only (i.e., either outgoing or incoming ones), or for random calls, then increasing this delay should help.
If sound is distorted (too loud)
First check Settings > Recording > Standard API > Volume control. The normal value is 100%. Higher values make the recording louder, and this can cause distortion. Set it back to 100% and make a test call.
If the volume control is already at 100%, there is no way to fix it. The app records what the system provides.
If microphone is muted while in-call
Unfortunately, there's no general solution here. Try increasing "delay before start of recording" in Settings > Recording > Standard API > Other. Also, check if turning the speaker on then off in-call will help.
If internet calls are not recorded
Some devices do not allow Wi-Fi Calling, VoLTE, or calls made through apps such as Skype and WhatsApp to be recorded. This is a limitation of the device, not of the app.
See Recording internet calls for details.
If these calls produce empty or useless files, you can skip them with Ignore VoIP calls in Settings > Recording > Standard API > Other.
Reset the settings
If nothing above helps, you can reset all settings to their defaults by clearing the app data in Android's app settings.
Back up your settings first: Settings > three dots at the top right corner > Backup. After clearing, you can load them again with Restore.
Recordings stored outside the app's private storage should remain, but make a backup of important recordings first.
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