iOS 14’s new call recording feature, which was spilled by a leaked screenshot earlier this week, was designed for internal debugging and will not be made available to the public, according to a new report.
Many immediately questioned the authenticity of the screenshot, which reveals a new “Enable Audio Call Recording” toggle for iPhone, when it surfaced. It seems the image is genuine, but we shouldn’t get our hopes up for a new feature.
Apple’s strict stance on protecting user privacy makes it difficult to record calls on iPhone. It’s not a feature that’s baked into iOS, and third-party call recording apps like TapeACall must use workarounds like patching into your calls. The only other options are jailbreak tweaks, or using a voice recorder with speakerphone.
This week’s leaked screenshot, first published by ITHome, suggested all this could change in iOS 14 with a new call recording featured for iPhone. However, that’s probably not going to happen.
iOS 14 call recording for Apple’s use only
9to5Mac, which has access to an early build of iOS 14, “was able to confirm that this feature does exist,” the site explains in a new report. However, “we’ve heard from Apple engineers that the feature has been present in iOS internal builds and it’s only intended for debugging purposes.”
The report goes on to mention that this explains Apple’s notice within the leaked screenshot, aimed at Apple employees, which reads:
You further agree that you will not allow any other person to use this device while audio logging is enabled.
9to5 adds that call recording is one of a number of features currently found in early iOS 14 builds that are intended only for internal use. It does not mention what some of the other features are, however.
This is disappointing news for those hoping for a call recording feature on iPhone. But let’s face it — it did seem highly unlikely Apple would give us one. Having said that, we can’t be certain what iOS 14 will or won’t include until Apple delivers its first preview during the WWDC 2020 keynote on June 22.
