In short
WhatsApp for Mac makes voice and video calls, including group calls, but WhatsApp documents no way to record them. To record one, ask the other person first, take the call in the Mac app, and record your microphone and the Mac's audio with an app such as Notey.
WhatsApp for Mac makes voice and video calls, one-to-one and in groups, but WhatsApp does not document any way to record them. To record a WhatsApp call on a Mac, take the call in the WhatsApp Mac app and record it with an app that captures your microphone and the sound the Mac plays, such as Notey. Ask the other person first. Most WhatsApp calls are personal, and they will not expect to be recorded.
This guide covers what WhatsApp for Mac does, the steps with Notey, and the consent part. WhatsApp's features were checked on its blog and the Mac App Store listing on 25 September 2026. For recording meeting apps, the main guide is how to record a Zoom meeting on a Mac.
These steps use Notey. Notey does not notice WhatsApp calls, so you start the recording yourself.
Record a WhatsApp call on your Mac
- Ask the other person first. "Do you mind if I record this so I don't miss anything?" In a group call, ask everyone.
- Check Notey's permissions. The first time, allow Notey to use the microphone and to record the Mac's audio. Notey never asks for Screen Recording.
- Use headphones. On speakers, the other person's voice reaches your microphone and can end up on your side of the transcript.
- Make or answer the call in WhatsApp for Mac. Not on your phone: the Mac can only record calls playing on the Mac.
- Press Start in Notey. A red dot and the elapsed time appear in Notey's window, the menu bar and the floating button.
- Check both lanes move. You when you speak, Them when they do.
- Press Stop when the call ends. The transcript is ready; English calls are improved on the Mac afterwards.
What WhatsApp for Mac does
- A native Mac app from WhatsApp, listed on the Mac App Store as needing macOS 12.1 or later. (WhatsApp on the App Store)
- Calls: voice and video calls. WhatsApp's announcement of the Mac app says group calls on Mac allow up to 8 people on video and up to 32 on audio, that you can join a call already in progress, and that you get incoming-call notifications with the app closed. (WhatsApp blog)
- Permissions: WhatsApp needs microphone and camera access on the Mac for calls.
We found no WhatsApp documentation of a call recording feature.
Calls on your phone and calls on your Mac
A recorder on your Mac hears two things: your Mac's microphone and whatever your Mac plays. A WhatsApp call on your iPhone plays on the iPhone, so the Mac has nothing to record from it. There are two ways round that:
| Take the call in WhatsApp for Mac | Phone on speaker next to the Mac | |
|---|---|---|
| What the Mac records | Your microphone and the call's audio, as two tracks | Everything through the Mac's microphone, one track |
| Your side and theirs | Kept apart | Mixed together |
| Transcript quality | As good as the call's audio | Poorer; a speaker in the room is harder to transcribe |
| Recommended | Yes | Only when you cannot use the Mac |
Recording a FaceTime call on a Mac covers the same choice for FaceTime, which Notey does notice.
Ask first
WhatsApp calls are usually with family, friends and clients who chose a personal channel. Recording one without saying so can damage the relationship, and in many places it is not allowed. Some places allow a participant to record a call without telling the others; many require everyone's consent, and a call between two places may fall under the stricter rule. One-party vs two-party consent explains the difference. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Asking costs one sentence and works everywhere. If the answer is no, take notes by hand instead.
When Notey does not notice the call
Notey notices calls in Zoom, Teams, Slack and FaceTime, and in Chrome, Safari, Arc and Edge when the browser uses the microphone. The WhatsApp app is not on that list, so no prompt appears, and choices that depend on noticing a call, such as arming the next one, do not start a recording for it. Press Start once the other person has agreed. Why your notetaker didn't notice a call starting explains how detection works.
Get a usable recording
- Headphones, so the two tracks stay separate.
- A steady connection. When WhatsApp lowers call quality on a weak connection, the transcript suffers with it.
- One device. If WhatsApp rings on both your phone and your Mac, answer on the Mac.
- Test for ten seconds before a call that matters: speak, play a video, check both lanes moved.
If a side is missing from the recording
Most failed recordings of a WhatsApp call fail in one of three ways, and each is quick to check before the next call:
- Nothing on the Them lane. The call was not playing on this Mac, or Notey is not allowed to record the Mac's audio. Check the call's sound comes out of this Mac, and check the permission in System Settings › Privacy & Security. Allowing an app to record your Mac's audio shows where it is.
- Nothing on the You lane. The microphone is muted at the system level, the wrong input is selected, or Notey is not allowed to use the microphone. Meeting recording silent or transcript empty goes through the checks.
- A gap in the middle. Usually headphones connected or disconnected, or another microphone chosen, mid-call. Notey marks the meeting incomplete and says which side is missing and from when; it never fills the gap with silence. Why a recording is marked incomplete explains each reason.
What you get afterwards
- A transcript made on your Mac, labelled You and Them. You can name either side; in a group call, voices on the other side are told apart after the call.
- The recording, on your Mac, with every line playable from its timestamp. It is never uploaded to be transcribed.
- AI notes if you ask, with an account and a paid plan. Only transcript text is sent, never audio, and everything the AI wrote is labelled.
With no account, nothing leaves the Mac. When you no longer need a recording, delete the meeting; its recording, transcript and notes go with it.
Frequently asked questions
Can WhatsApp record calls on a Mac?
WhatsApp does not document a call recording feature. To record a call made in WhatsApp for Mac, you use a separate app that records the Mac's audio and your microphone.
Will the other person know I am recording a WhatsApp call?
Not from WhatsApp. A recorder on your Mac is outside the app, so nothing tells them. Ask before you start, and do not record if they say no.
Can I record a WhatsApp call taken on my iPhone from my Mac?
No. A Mac recorder hears only what plays on the Mac. Take the call in WhatsApp for Mac instead, or put the phone on speaker near the Mac, which records only through the microphone and gives a poorer transcript.
Does Notey notice WhatsApp calls?
Not in the WhatsApp app, so press Start. Notey notices calls in Zoom, Teams, Slack, FaceTime, and in Chrome, Safari, Arc and Edge when the browser uses the microphone.
How many people can join a WhatsApp group call on a Mac?
WhatsApp announced group calls on Mac with up to 8 people on video and up to 32 on audio. Check WhatsApp's help centre for the current limits.