Taking notes on phone calls from a Mac

There are two practical ways to take notes on a phone call from a Mac: use the Phone app's own Call Recording, which saves the recording and a transcript in Notes and plays a notice to both people, or put the phone on speaker and record it with the Mac's microphone in an app that transcribes. Either way, tell the other person first. Phone calls are where recording-consent laws are strictest.

This guide covers both methods, what each captures, and the consent question that comes before either.

Consent comes first

Recording laws were largely written with phone calls in mind. In many places recording a call is lawful if one party to it agrees — which can be you. In others, everyone on the call must agree, and a call between two jurisdictions can fall under the stricter rule. The rules also differ for business calls, calls with customers, and calls where the other person reasonably expects privacy.

One-party and two-party consent explains the distinction for US states. The practical rule works almost everywhere: say at the start that you are recording and ask if that is all right. If they say no, take notes by hand.

"Before we start — I'd like to record this call so I have accurate notes. Is that OK with you?"

Option 1: the Phone app's Call Recording

On a Mac with macOS 26 set up to make calls through your iPhone, Apple's Phone app for Mac documents a Call Recording option (Apple: While on a call in the Phone app on Mac, checked 25 September 2026). According to that guide:

1. During a call, click the More button, then click Call Recording.
2. Both people on the call hear an audio notice that it is being recorded.
3. To stop, click the stop button or hang up.
4. The recording is saved in a Call Recordings folder in the Notes app.

Apple says call recording is not available in every language and region; check its macOS Feature Availability page for yours. Apple's FaceTime guide describes a similar option for FaceTime audio calls with one other person.

The built-in notice is a good thing: the other person is told by the system, not only by you. It is still courteous to ask before you start, rather than let the notice be the first they hear of it.

Option 2: a phone on speaker, recorded by the Mac

If the call is on your phone and you would rather not route it through the Mac, put the phone on speaker next to the Mac and record with the Mac's microphone. This works with any phone and any calling app.

Set it up

1. Put the phone flat, speaker up, close to the Mac's microphone — a hand's width from the keyboard area of a MacBook.
2. Turn the phone's volume up enough that the other person is clear, without distorting.
3. Keep the room quiet. Both voices arrive at the same microphone, so background noise affects both.
4. Test for ten seconds before an important call: record a few words of a voice message, and play it back.

What you get

Both sides of the conversation arrive on the Mac's microphone. The other person's voice has been through the phone network and a small speaker, so it is thinner than a video call; expect the transcript on their side to have more mistakes, especially with names and numbers. Say key figures back to confirm them — "so that's 4,200, starting on the 3rd" — which helps the call as much as the transcript.

Because everyone is on one microphone, a recorder that separates you from the other side by track has no second track to work with here. The transcript will not reliably know which of you said each line.

Recording with Notey

Notey is a Mac app for Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later. It records your microphone and what your Mac plays as two tracks and transcribes them on the Mac. A phone on speaker is not a call on the Mac, so you start it yourself. It is one way to take bot-free meeting notes — nothing joins any call.

1. Download Notey, open it, and allow Microphone. No account is needed.
2. Press Start before the call connects, or as soon as the other person agrees.
3. A red dot and the elapsed time show while it records. They are for you; the other person only knows because you told them.
4. Press Stop when you hang up.

The transcript is made on the Mac and the audio stays on your disk. If you want a summary or action items, those need an account; only the transcript's text is sent, never audio, and the result is labelled as AI-generated.

This guide does not cover whether calls relayed from an iPhone to the Phone app on the Mac reach Notey's system-audio track. If you want to rely on that, make a short test call first and check that both sides were captured.

Calls that are made on the Mac itself are simpler, because the Mac hears both sides: recording a Zoom Phone call on a Mac covers a business phone line in the Zoom app, and recording a WhatsApp call on a Mac covers WhatsApp's desktop app.

Notes that work for calls

Phone calls are short and often about one thing. A useful call note has:

• Who, when, and the number or company.
• What was agreed, in their words where it matters.
• What happens next, who does it, and by when.
• Anything to confirm in writing.

For in-person conversations rather than calls, see recording an in-person meeting with a MacBook.

Frequently asked questions

Can I record a phone call on my Mac?

Apple's Phone app on the Mac has a Call Recording option in macOS 26, where available in your language and region; both people hear a notice. You can also put a phone on speaker and record it with the Mac's microphone.

Does the other person know I'm recording a phone call?

With Apple's Call Recording, yes — both people hear an audio notice. With a phone on speaker and a separate recorder, nothing tells them, so you must.

Is it legal to record a phone call?

It depends on where each person is. Some places allow recording if one party agrees; others need everyone's agreement, and a call between two places may be covered by both. Ask at the start of the call.

Where are Call Recordings from the Mac's Phone app saved?

In a Call Recordings folder in the Notes app, according to Apple's Phone app guide for Mac.