phone call recorder

BrianME · Feb 24, 2011

What's perennially bothersome about this conversation is that it always ends up spinning around the legality of such apps. But there are more than a few good, legal reasons to record one's phone calls. I'm a working writer who conducts a half-dozen phone interviews a month, all currently recorded quite legally with a dictaphone and an ear mic. I once just about socked a smarmy kid at an Office Max who told me ear mics didn't exist because it would be illegal for anyone to record their calls. It simply isn't. A functioning app that can record both sides of a phone conversation would sell quite well with journalists alone.

kratos · Feb 24, 2011

BrianME said:
What's perennially bothersome about this conversation is that it always ends up spinning around the legality of such apps. But there are more than a few good, legal reasons to record one's phone calls. I'm a working writer who conducts a half-dozen phone interviews a month, all currently recorded quite legally with a dictaphone and an ear mic. I once just about socked a smarmy kid at an Office Max who told me ear mics didn't exist because it would be illegal for anyone to record their calls. It simply isn't. A functioning app that can record both sides of a phone conversation would sell quite well with journalists alone.

I think that what the largest issue is, lies in the fact that there are a handful of people who would use such devices and apps illegally. Yes, it is not illegal to record a call, but it is if both parties don't consent to it (unless of course there is a court warrant involved). I'm sure that most devs would feel that, even with disclaimers and warning, they could be held liable if someone was caught using their app illegally.

I could be wrong, but that would be my biggest concern.

Kratos

quietmike · Feb 25, 2011

kratos said:
I think that what the largest issue is, lies in the fact that there are a handful of people who would use such devices and apps illegally. Yes, it is not illegal to record a call, but it is if both parties don't consent to it (unless of course there is a court warrant involved).
Kratos

Depends on the area. In my state it is legal as long as one knows.

As far as the legality issues, it is illegal to call in a bomb threat so should all phones be banned, just in case?

**Not directing this rant at you kratos.

johnlgalt · Feb 25, 2011

I have to agree with both sides of it. OTOH, I know that it was legal here in GA (not sure now) to record conversations as long as one of the parties knew about it - IOW, you can't tap someone else's line, but you could legally do it on your own line when you are one of the parties involved.

OTOH, I can understand being rather upset if I was party to a call that was recorded without my knowledge. I doubt that there is more than that that I could do, unless I could find out whether the state law for where that person was locatd mandated that *I* know.

Dark Jedi · Feb 26, 2011

When in doubt call up your local police station or court and ask the question. They will be more than willing to tell you what the law is on this topic.

kratos · Feb 26, 2011

quietmike said:
Depends on the area. In my state it is legal as long as one knows.

As far as the legality issues, it is illegal to call in a bomb threat so should all phones be banned, just in case?

**Not directing this rant at you kratos.

Don't worry, I'm not taking it as an attack.

I just think that it is developer preference. I honestly didn't know that it was legal in some states if only one part knew about it. In illinois, both parties must agree to the recording for it to be legal. So, I am mostly speaking from a stand point of what I know.

I would love to have a recorded that I can use for my business to remember what I quote people and to use when they try to say that I quoted something different.

Kratos

johnlgalt · Feb 26, 2011

I can agree with you there, Kratos. Good thing is that in GA I can.

Even if I cannot record *both* sides, recording my own voice would be good enough as it would record what I said - and that is all I really need to have recorded.

nickmichel · Mar 1, 2011

shel3702 said:
Likewise, this is an app that I used constantly on my Palm Treo, and I am frustrated that the Android platform doesn't have an app for this. I switched from Palm to Android to go to the supposed "best" and hottest system out there. What a dissapointment.

I used the CallRecorder do go over what my father would describe to me regarding various projects, from electrical wiring and subpanels (he's an electrical engineer) to stock market information. Similarly, I'd be able to review what various vendors or businesses would tell me regarding various products that I'd called about.

It was possibly the most valuable feature on my phone, and now I realize that in fact it is extremley valuable.

I, too, would pay to have a working version of call recorder that didn't require me to use the speaker phone.

@...hey dnt worry there is a app named AllCallRecorder .....if u hav samsung mobile with android plateform it will work on that ..........just check it out .......

johnlgalt · Mar 1, 2011

Most of us have a Motorola DROID through VZW - but if I ever get a Samsung Android-based phone, this is good to know.

kratos · Mar 1, 2011

I talked to an Illinois State Police trooper the other day and he said that Illinois is definitely a two party consent state. He also stated that anyone thinking of using a phone call recorder should at least consult an attorney and even put one on retainer, if possible. He said that it is a felony, in Illinois at least, and there is no leniency for eavesdropping at all.

I plan to talk to my attorney and find out the best way to go about recording client calls to both protect me and my clients.

This is just informational as it was stated here that I should ask the police. I'm just relaying what the trooper said.

Kratos

johnlgalt · Mar 2, 2011

The easiest would probably be to ask them first, then start the recorder and have them repeat their consent, wouldn't it?

Or can the app not be started after the call is in progress?

h4x0rj3ff · Mar 2, 2011

im pretty sure that 2 party consent means that party 1 can inform party 2 that the call is being recorded and if he continues the conversation than its obviously consent.... if he doesnt continue the convo then obviously he didnt agree to consent...

johnlgalt · Mar 2, 2011

No, that would have to be established in each state, and just because one state accepts implied consent does not mean all 2 party states do.

kratos · Mar 2, 2011

johnlgalt said:
The easiest would probably be to ask them first, then start the recorder and have them repeat their consent, wouldn't it?

Or can the app not be started after the call is in progress?

h4x0rj3ff said:
im pretty sure that 2 party consent means that party 1 can inform party 2 that the call is being recorded and if he continues the conversation than its obviously consent.... if he doesnt continue the convo then obviously he didnt agree to consent...

johnlgalt said:
No, that would have to be established in each state, and just because one state accepts implied consent does not mean all 2 party states do.

The trooper advised that if I were to go this route, I should get consent, start recording, and immediately confirm that consent was given again. However, I still need to talk to my attorney about it and see if it is even necessary. The trooper said that if it was him personally, he would give the quotes over the phone and then send out an email detailing the quotes and asking my client to email back confirmation that they agree with them.

I'm still trying to decide what to do...

Kratos

MasterEmrys · Mar 3, 2011

Google Voice + Google voice callback FREE = Free calls over wifi on any carrier, plus recording functionality whether it's an outgoing or incoming call.

Edit - You need to install a VOIP service as well, such as SIPDROID or CSip simple, as well as to add your google voice number to your "faves" list to get free calls. This may breach your contract with your service provider, so be wary and research first!

johnlgalt · Mar 3, 2011

kratos said:
The trooper advised that if I were to go this route, I should get consent, start recording, and immediately confirm that consent was given again. However, I still need to talk to my attorney about it and see if it is even necessary. The trooper said that if it was him personally, he would give the quotes over the phone and then send out an email detailing the quotes and asking my client to email back confirmation that they agree with them.

I'm still trying to decide what to do...

Kratos

Seems the trooper and I are of like mind, seeing as he basically said what I said in the first part. But, yeah, your attorney would be able to find out the best recourse for you.

If you were to use the trooper's second method, be sure ti enable return receipts (and delivery receipts, if your email client supports it) on all outgoing mail.

kratos · Mar 3, 2011

johnlgalt said:
Seems the trooper and I are of like mind, seeing as he basically said what I said in the first part. But, yeah, your attorney would be able to find out the best recourse for you.

If you were to use the trooper's second method, be sure ti enable return receipts (and delivery receipts, if your email client supports it) on all outgoing mail.

It would seem that way... You're not a cop or attorney are you? LOL

Yea, I actually talked to my attorney today and he said that it is usually suggested that small businesses stay away from things like this. There is just too much that could go wrong.

I always have read receipts turned on with Microsoft Outlook. I also have it set to save a copy of all emails (sent and received) on my server with the headers in tact. Finally, I require a physical signature on the contract (either snail mailed or scanned and emailed back to me) for all clients. So, I think that this is a non-option for me at this point.

On another note, even though Illinois requires two party consent, I am trying to figure out how Medical Insurance companies get away with simply stating that they are on a recorded line. I work for a hospital full time and I never verbally consent to the recording, so I am wondering if they are recording me illegally. I probably should ask my attorney about that, but just forgot.

Kratos

johnlgalt · Mar 3, 2011

Negative - Former IT worker who's back in school, currently doing my second Bachelor's in Mathematics and my first Master's in Biotechnology. Oh, and I repair computers (hardware and software) on the side.

It could be that they are not based in IL (as in headquarters)?

kratos · Mar 4, 2011

johnlgalt said:
Negative - Former IT worker who's back in school, currently doing my second Bachelor's in Mathematics and my first Master's in Biotechnology. Oh, and I repair computers (hardware and software) on the side.

It could be that they are not based in IL (as in headquarters)?

I hate math, but seem to be really good at it... Go figure... LOL

Most of them are not, but my attorney informed me that if I do business outside of IL, I need to know their laws and consequences and abide by them.

Oh well... I figure, if all else fails, I could attempt to create an app and charge a small fee for it ($.99 maybe) and require a signed waiver that keeps me from being held responsible if anyone decides to use the app illegally...

I'm getting pretty good at coding in Java and am starting to consider something like this since there seems to be a high demand for it.

If I did code an app to do this, would anyone be willing to sign a waiver to obtain it? Obviously, it wouldn't be a market app and would probably require some specific info from users to obtain it. I would need to talk to my attorney to see if I need to collect end user info to protect myself from any lawsuits and then have him draft up a legal waiver that protects me (and the end users). Also, what would you be willing to pay for something like this? $.99. $1.99, $10,999.99 (

), etc?

Kratos

andyrubin · Mar 9, 2011

Have you guys read this before...?

"Can We Tape?"

If you have other technical info to fill, please let me know. I'm keeping a list over xda (Android Phones with Call Recording Function - xda-developers) to provide information to people who may find this function important.

AngryHatter · Mar 10, 2011

Linda Tripp was convicted of this vis a vis Monica Lewinsky.

I am in the QA dept of a call center and announcing that the call is recorded for QA purposes is a must. The onus in on the party taping and the applicable laws are the ones in the state of the person taping, not the one being taped.

AlChron77 · Mar 14, 2011

kratos said:
I hate math, but seem to be really good at it... Go figure... LOL

Most of them are not, but my attorney informed me that if I do business outside of IL, I need to know their laws and consequences and abide by them.

Oh well... I figure, if all else fails, I could attempt to create an app and charge a small fee for it ($.99 maybe) and require a signed waiver that keeps me from being held responsible if anyone decides to use the app illegally...

I'm getting pretty good at coding in Java and am starting to consider something like this since there seems to be a high demand for it.

If I did code an app to do this, would anyone be willing to sign a waiver to obtain it? Obviously, it wouldn't be a market app and would probably require some specific info from users to obtain it. I would need to talk to my attorney to see if I need to collect end user info to protect myself from any lawsuits and then have him draft up a legal waiver that protects me (and the end users). Also, what would you be willing to pay for something like this? $.99. $1.99, $10,999.99 ( ), etc?

Kratos

I would definitely be interested in this. I've been searching and searching for a good call recorder but have only found ones with horrible reviews. I'd be willing to pay up to $5.00-ish (maybe a bit more) depending on how well it works. If you decide to go ahead with it definitely let me know. Thanks!

geohump · Apr 16, 2011

CRPercodani said:
I would imagine it is disabled because it is illegal to record the call unless the other party consents

There are many states where it is legal to record a phone call as long as one person involved is aware that the call is being recorded. Further, due to Section 508 of the Americans with disabilities act there are people who can record anything they want at any time without telling anyone. These are people whose disabilities affect their memory or their understanding of human speech. Letting them record their conversations theoretically enables these people to go back and read this and to the words so that they can be sure they are understanding what has been said.

Naturally the same thing would apply to recording phone calls.

Mörkö · May 10, 2011

Quit this legislative talk or start a new thread for it! I want the app and I am able to find these things out on my own and don't even live in US. This is totally offtopic.

Has anyone found an app that would work on HTC Desire Z? I'm getting a new phone and need this feature for journalist work.

e_found the desire forum, posted there. Still the problem persist, and I would really want to know if there is such apps. I found general thread about it here:

http://androidforums.com/android-lounge/181663-android-phone-call-recording-function.html
please post there if you want to participate in a project of getting the complete list of android phones that support call recodring directly or with 3rd party app.

ART4 · May 13, 2011

This legality talk has really got me upset. Something needs to be done about the fact that you can't record someone without their knowledge. I've got a cousin who is being verbally harrased by her ex. This guys is a control freak and the worst part is he's tormenting their kids as well. They've been divorced 3 years and he will not leave her alone. It's constant calling and txting. The one positive is she's able to print off the txts and emails. He's basically stalking her and when she doesn't cow tail to what he says, he takes it out on the kids when it's HIS weekend. We've been trying to find an app for her new Droid and now I see why we may never find one. I'm sick of LAWS protecting THUGS like him. For all the people who've been tormented like her and eventually killed there should be an exception. If you can get verbal proof via a phone recording it should NOT be illegal. I guess I need to get a LAW passed for this!!! Will let you all know how that works out. :mad:

phone call recorder

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