How To Record a FaceTime Call

Jamie Read more July 21, 2022

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Apple device owners often prefer to FaceTime their contacts rather than call them because it’s more personal than a voice call, and it’s so easy. What’s more, some Apple users need to record the video on their FaceTime calls for either business or personal reasons. The following helpful guide will show you how to do just that, regardless of the reasons for recording.

If you are a FaceTime user, you’ve probably wondered whether it is possible to screen record your phone calls. Fortunately, you can! Users who run iOS 11 or later can use the operating system’s native screen record feature. But, there are also many third-party applications that can help you too.

This article will walk you through everything you need to know about recording FaceTime calls on iOS and macOS devices.

How to Use the iOS Screen Record Function

The easiest way to record a FaceTime call is to use the iPhone’s native screen record option. If you’re already familiar with this feature, feel free to skip ahead, but for those of you who have yet to enable it, follow these steps:

Open Settings and Control Center.
Scroll to Screen Recording and select the green + icon.

Now that you’ve added the Screen Record icon to the Control Panel, we can get started with recording your FaceTime call.

Record a FaceTime Call on iPhone

You can record a FaceTime call on iPhone or iPad without audio from within iOS.

To use the built-in screen recorder, follow these instructions:

Swipe up from the bottom of your phone screen to access the Control Center.
Then look for the screen recording icon, which looks like a pair of white circles. Tap this icon.
Then you have three seconds until it starts recording. Swipe back down (or swipe up, depending on which model you’re using) to return to the call.

After three seconds, your phone will begin recording everything on your screen, but it does not record the audio.

How to Screen Record With Audio on iOS

Contrary to popular belief, you can record FaceTime call audio. The process is quite simple. Of course, we’ve also included some third-party applications in this section that will perform the same task.

At any point during your call, go back to the Control Center and long-press the Screen Record icon. Here, you’ll see a Microphone icon. Tap it so that it says Microphone On.

Now, your FaceTime call will record the in-call audio. When you are finished recording, go back to the Control Panel and tap on the Screen Record icon again. The recording will end. Upon ending the recording, you can find the finished product in the Photos app on your iPhone.

If the method above didn’t work for you, Apps such as Record it!, DU Recorder, Web Recorder, and others will get the job done.

All of these apps are free to download and fairly trustworthy. Upon installation, follow the on-screen instructions to enable the screen recorder and also where you want to store any files from the application.

Record a FaceTime Call on Mac

Most people will use their iPhone to FaceTime, but you can do it on your Mac computer too. The easiest way to record FaceTime is through QuickTime. It is already installed within macOS and gets the job done.

Open QuickTime from the launcher or Applications.
Select File and New Screen Recording.
Select the small down arrow labeled options next to the record button within QuickTime.
Select MacBook Microphone.
Go to the File section and choose Quicktime Player.
Open FaceTime to set up your call.
Select QuickTime to record the entire screen or drag and drop to record just a portion of it.
Hit the Record button when you’re ready.
Select the stop recording icon once done.

QuickTime is the native screen recorder for Mac and will slide out of the way once you begin recording. You can choose to record mouse clicks and commands if you’re creating tutorial videos or just have it highlight your FaceTime window. It records both audio and video once you set up the microphone, so it offers more inherent features than the iPhone and iPad. While QuickTime is pretty good at recording your screen, there are other apps that can do better.

Apps such as ScreenFlow, Snagit, and Camtasia will all get the job done. They aren’t free but offer many more features than QuickTime, so they may be worth checking out if you’re doing this regularly and want additional editing features.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some more answers to your questions about Apple’s FaceTime and screen record function.

Does Apple notify the other person if I record a Facetime call?

No. While the operating system will send the other caller a notification if you take a screenshot, it does not do the same if your record the call.

What do I do if I forget to record the audio on a FaceTime call?

Unfortunately, there isn’t anything you can do to retrieve the audio if you didn’t follow the steps above to initiate the function first. The video file will save to your phone’s Photos app, but it won’t include any sound.

Recording FaceTime Calls

As mentioned above, it’s imperative to notify the other party if you plan to record. It’s also important to understand that you may be recorded at any time as well. Many countries and even local municipalities have specific laws regarding recording without consent, so make sure you know the laws that govern your behavior when choosing to record a FaceTime call. As long as you stay within the law, you shouldn’t have any problems.

That’s how to record a FaceTime call. Do you know of any other apps or methods to achieve the same goal of recording FaceTime audio and video call? If so, please tell us about these other methods below in the comments!