The Phone app on your iPhone cannot record calls in the Netherlands. With the Ajora app you switch on call forwarding once, and from then on Ajora joins automatically as soon as you call. You do not get a bare audio file but a written-out conversation with a summary and action items.
Can an iPhone record a call by itself?
No. In the Netherlands the iPhone Phone app has no record button, because Apple does not ship call recording in the European Union. A voice recorder app is no help either: iOS gives no app access to the audio of a call in progress.
No. In the Netherlands there is no button in the iPhone Phone app to record a call. Apple has built call recording into iOS, but rolls the feature out country by country and language by language, and the Netherlands is not among them at the moment. So if you go looking for a record button in the Phone app, you will not find one.
A voice recorder app is not a way around it either. Those record through your handset microphone, and iOS gives apps no access to the audio of a call in progress. You end up hearing yourself, and the other person barely or not at all.
So how do you record a call on an iPhone?
By adding a third participant to the call who listens in. That is what Ajora does: to your iPhone it is an ordinary conference call, so you need no special permissions and no modified phone.
The route that does work on iOS is adding a third participant to the call. That is exactly what Ajora does: it joins your call as an extra participant, listens in, and writes the conversation out afterwards. To your phone it is simply a conference call, so you need no special permissions and no modified iPhone.
Automatically, through call forwarding
You switch on call forwarding once in the Ajora app. After that Ajora joins on its own as soon as you call, and you do nothing during the conversation.
Or by hand, per call
If you would rather decide which calls get captured, you add Ajora during the call with Merge calls. That takes a few taps.
You get more than a recording
A recording leaves you with an audio file you have to listen back to. With Ajora a written-out conversation is ready once you hang up, with a summary, the action items and the agreements made.
How do you set up automatic recording on an iPhone?
In three steps: create an account, install the Ajora app and switch on call forwarding with Activate Ajora. After that Ajora joins every call you make and there is nothing left to do during the call.
Create an account and install the app
You set up your account at debrief.ajora.io/register. Then download the Ajora app from the App Store and log in with the same details.
Switch on call forwarding
In the app you land on the Turn on call forwarding screen. Tap Activate Ajora there and the forwarding is set up for you. If that button does not work, set it yourself through Settings → Apps → Phone → Call Forwarding, using the Ajora number shown in the app. The guide on call forwarding walks through it step by step.
Call the way you always do
From now on Ajora joins automatically. You hang up as usual and the debrief arrives on its own, in the app and in your inbox.
Ajora joins over the internet, so you need wifi or mobile data during the call. Without a connection your call carries on as normal, but you get no debrief of it.
Rather decide per call?
Then leave call forwarding off, save Ajora as a contact and add it only to the calls you want captured. That costs you a few taps during the call.
Call forwarding applies to all your calls. If you do not want that, save Ajora once as a contact and add it only to the calls you want captured: during the call tap the three dots, then Add call, call Ajora and tap Merge calls. The full walkthrough with screenshots is in Adding Ajora to your call by hand.
Are you allowed to record a phone call?
In the Netherlands you may capture a call as long as you take part in it yourself; that follows from Article 139c of the Dutch Criminal Code. Use the write-up for business and the GDPR applies on top, which means telling the other party the call is being captured.
In the Netherlands you may record a call as long as you take part in it yourself. That follows from article 139c of the Dutch Criminal Code: what is punishable is recording telecommunications not intended for you, and a conversation you are having yourself is intended for you. If you use the write-ups commercially, the GDPR comes into play, with extra rules on transparency and retention.
There is no beep or notice when Ajora joins the call, so it is up to you to tell the other person that you are capturing it. The full explanation is in Is it legal to record a phone call?.
Where does the conversation end up?
Your transcripts are stored encrypted on servers in Germany, with a key tied to your account, and they are never used to train AI models. The audio itself is not kept.
Your calls are stored encrypted on servers in Germany and are never used to train AI models. What exactly is processed and how long it is kept is set out in the privacy statement and the security overview.
Frequently asked questions
Can I record a phone call with the iPhone itself?
No. In the Netherlands the iPhone Phone app has no recording function. Apple rolls call recording out country by country and language by language, and the Netherlands is not included at the moment. So you need a service that joins the call.
Can a phone call be recorded automatically?
Yes. With call forwarding you set it up once so that Ajora joins as soon as you call. After that you do nothing during the conversation, and the write-up is ready once you hang up.
Does the other person hear that the call is being captured?
Not by themselves: there is no beep or notice. It is up to you to say at the start of the call that you are capturing it. For business use article 13 of the GDPR requires it.
Does this work on Android as well?
Yes. Call forwarding and adding Ajora by hand work the same way on Android, and the Ajora app is in the Google Play Store too. The steps per brand are in automatically record a phone call on Android.
Does the iOS 18.1 call recording feature work in the Netherlands?
No. Apple states in its own guide that call recording is not available in the European Union. So you will not see that button on a Dutch iPhone, even on the latest iOS.
Can I record a call with the Voice Memos app?
No. iOS gives no app access to the audio of a call in progress. Record through the handset microphone and you will hear yourself clearly and the other person barely at all.
How do I capture an incoming call?
Through call forwarding. On outgoing calls you can also add Ajora yourself, but on an incoming call forwarding is the only way it happens by itself: you answer as always and Ajora joins.
Do I need internet during the call?
Yes. Ajora joins over the internet, so you need wifi or mobile data at that moment. Without a connection you get no debrief of that call.