How to record FaceTime calls

Although there isn’t a built-in option to record FaceTime calls, you can still do that with a simple workaround. In this tutorial, we will show you how to record FaceTime calls directly on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Record FaceTime Calls

FaceTime has made it incredibly easier to keep in touch with loved ones. The simplicity and the immediacy of the app have made it one of the most used applications in our household, especially because we live overseas and don’t get to see our family in person very often.

FaceTime conversations are ephemeral, though. As soon as you hang up, that moment spent with friends and family is gone forever, except in our minds, where memories of that conversation may live on for a few days and then slowly fade away.

There are special moments spent on FaceTime that we’d like to keep forever, such as when we’re doing a video call with the grandparents while the kids are opening their gifts on Christmas Day or when wishing a very happy 98th birthday to Great Grandpa. FaceTime allows us to spend these moments together but not record them or keep a digital copy of them like we would with a video.

If you want to keep a recording of specific conversations, we’re going to show you how you can record FaceTime calls on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Record FaceTime calls on Mac

1) Open the FaceTime app on your Mac.

2) Press Command + Shift + 5 to open the screen recording utility. Alternatively, you can open the QuickTime app on your Mac, and with this app in the foreground, go to File > New Screen Recording. The trick is that we’re going to do a screen capture of the FaceTime video call as it happens on your computer.

3) Click the Options button in the screen recording bar and select the microphone you want to use to record your sound. Unless you have some fancy microphone plugged in, you’ll most likely use the Internal Microphone. If you’re using your iPhone as your Mac’s webcam and mic, you will select that.

Click Options in Screen Recording bar and select microphone

Important: The microphone will pick up the sound from your Mac’s speakers. So, don’t use AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones with your Mac if you want to capture the sound of the video call.

Tip: You can also choose where to save the recording file. By default, it saves them to your desktop.

4) Now, decide if you want to record the entire computer screen or just a part of it where you have the FaceTime window. If you’re going to put FaceTime in full screen on your Mac, then it might be a better idea to record the entire screen, in which case, you can select the Record Entire Screen button. If you just want to record a specific area of the screen, select Record Selected Portion and then use your mouse to drag a recording area on your screen.

Record Entire Screen or selected portion of your Mac screen

5) You have selected the microphone and the recording area. Now, hit the Record button.

Start screen recording on Mac by clicking Record

6) Start your FaceTime conversation by calling your friend or family member.

7) Once the conversation is over, hang up the call and click the Stop Recording button located in the menu bar of your Mac. The screen recording video file will be saved to your desktop or the folder you selected in step 3. From there, you will be able to watch it or save it to another folder.

Stop screen recording on Mac when you finish talking on FaceTime

Record FaceTime calls on iPhone and iPad

Despite Apple adding the option to record the screen of your iPhone or iPad, you aren’t able to record sound, so this defeats the purpose of our goal. To overcome this limitation, we have to employ the same finicky technique as described above, albeit in a slightly different way.

1) Plug your iPhone or iPad into your Mac using the USB cable. Make sure your device is unlocked, and the Home Screen is visible. Click Allow if you see a popup on your Mac. Next, tap Trust on your iOS device and enter its passcode.

2) Launch the QuickTime app on your Mac.

3) With QuickTime as the active app, go to File > New Movie Recording.

New Movie Recording in QuickTime on Mac

4) In the window that appears, click on the arrow down button and make sure to select your iPhone or iPad under the Screen or Camera section. By doing this, we are actually telling QuickTime to record what is happening on the screen of your iPhone or iPad.

Next, ensure Internal Microphone is selected as the Microphone. After that, make sure the volume slider is not on mute.

Record FaceTime calls on iPhone

5) Click on the red recording button in QuickTime, then start your FaceTime call. Make sure you talk on speaker phone so your Mac’s microphone can record the call voice.

Start recording call

6) When you’re done with the call, hang up, then click the same button to stop the recording. Your FaceTime recording will be available immediately. From there, simply go to File > Save in order to save the recording to your computer.

Recording a FaceTime call on your iPhone or Mac isn’t really complicated, but it does require jumping through a few hoops. My guess is Apple isn’t making it easier to record FaceTime video calls for privacy and legal reasons. Until they change their mind, the methods described above will have to do. And, if you are experiencing trouble, take a look at what you can do if you can’t make or receive FaceTime calls on your device.

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