Record Audio on Android With These 5 Reliable Methods

You can easily make an audio recording if you own an Android handset. Most models today come with a built-in option, but there are other ways to achieve the same result – and most are free to use. If you want to know how to record audio on your Android, read on for the best methods.

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1. Record Audio with Google’s Recorder App

The easiest way to start recording audio is to use your Android’s native recording app. Depending on your phone model, the Google Recorder app might be pre-installed. If that’s not the case, try searching through your phone’s app list for an alternate app. For this tutorial, we’re using Google’s option, which is available by default on our Pixel phone.

Open the Google Recorder app, and tap on the round microphone button at the bottom to start your recording. You may need to grant permission to the app to use your Android microphone.

Start speaking into the microphone to record your voice. Microphones are usually located at the bottom of the handset, so make sure you’re speaking in that direction, but don’t hold the phone too close.

As you’re speaking, notice that you can switch to Transcript, and view the text version of your discourse.

If you’re recording an external audio source, point the phone’s mic toward the source of the sound.

When recording sound from an app (such as Spotify or YouTube), you don’t need to do anything extra. The Google Recorder app will detect whether you’re recording music and optimize the result accordingly.

When you’re done recording, press the Pause button, followed by Save.

On the next screen, you can view all your recordings so far. The Google Recorder app even lets you edit these tracks if you need to do some trimming.

Sharing your recordings in .M4A format to various messaging or social apps is also easy. Select a recording, then press on the Share icon at the top.

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2. Use Android’s Screen Recorder to Capture Audio

Another native option available to Android users who want to record is the Screen Recorder. Starting with Android 10, Google has included a native screen recording feature. If you have a phone running an older Android version, you may need to use one of the other methods outlined in this guide.

With Screen Recorder, you can capture audio from your device, as well as external sounds that are captured by using the device’s microphone.

Swipe from the top of your Android phone to bring up Quick Settings. Swipe again to view more toggles. Find the Screen Recorder toggle, and tap on it to activate it. (You may have to swipe right once or twice to find it.)

Decide whether you want to record device audio, external sound using the microphone, or both, then press Start. Select the first option if you’re looking to capture audio from a game, music app, or ringtones. The second option is recommended when you wish to record your voice and surroundings. In our testing, we used the microphone option to record from Spotify, but the audio option worked for apps like YouTube and games.

To stop the recording, swipe from the top of the device, and tap Stop in the red notification banner.

The video will be saved to your phone’s gallery, and you can open or share it from there as an MP4 file.

As you’re recording video, the resulting file may be quite large. You’ll need to ensure that you have enough space on your Android device before using this method.

If you wish to keep the recording only as an audio file, convert the MP4 file to MP3 using an online tool such as FreeConvert.

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3. Try a Third-Party Android App for Audio Recording

Another avenue to try when you’re looking to record audio on your Android is to install a third-party app. If you wish to record internal audio, such as sound from apps and games or ringtones, you’ll have to go with an app that can record your screen, such as Internal Audio Recorder. The advantage of this app is that it also has the option to record only the audio stream.

Open the app and grant the necessary permissions. Once you do that, you’ll notice a tiny floating TV icon on your screen. Exit the Internal Audio Recorder app, navigate to the game or app you wish to record from, then tap on the floating TV.

Select the Mic icon to start your recording. Grant permission for the app to use the mic, and press Start now. Allow the app to capture the audio.

To finish the recording, press the floating blue button again, then tap on the Stop button.

Press X in the pop-up that says “Audio saved.”

Return to the app, and switch to the Audio tab to find the recording.

Note that you may not be able to record from apps like Spotify with this method. To bypass that, go to Settings (gear-shaped icon) in the Internal Audio Recorder app, and select Internal + External audio (Mic) under Audio source.

All recordings are saved as MP3s, so you won’t have to convert the resulting file as in the method above.

If you only need to record yourself speaking or sound from an external source, use the Dolby On app. This is excellent if you’re recording music, for instance, at a concert, as it will fine-tune the sound for you. The app also offers a range of editing tools, such as boost, noise reduction, and adding styles, such as Powerful Bass.

4. Record Audio on Android Using an External Microphone

Finally, there is the option to employ an external microphone for recording audio on Android. You may need an adapter to connect it to your phone, depending on whether the handset has a USB Type-C or micro USB port. Or, if you don’t want to deal with all that, opt for a Bluetooth microphone for added convenience.

After connecting the microphone to your device, initiate audio capture using your phone’s built-in recorder app.

5. Recording Android Audio Discreetly

While the solutions we’ve outlined so far will get the job done, they make it quite obvious that you’re using your phone to record something. For the most part, you need to open the app to activate the recording process. Even more so, the apps usually display a notification of some sort on your phone’s screen, which can easily be spotted by someone else.

If you want a more discreet way of recording audio, you may want to try the GOM Recording app. It lets you start a recording by shaking your phone. A subtle notification (in the form of a musical note) will be displayed on your screen, giving the impression that you’re using your phone to listen to music. You can even schedule recordings with it.

Another option is Background Voice Recorder, which lets you start a recording via a voice command, even if your device’s screen is off.

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Can I Record Phone Calls on Android?

If you’re wondering whether you can use these methods to record calls on Android, the answer is yes and no. If you have a spare smartphone at your disposal, you can record phone calls using your handset’s recorder app.

A second solution would be the Call Recorder – Cube ACR app, which we discuss along with a few other methods to record calls on a mobile device.

Warning: before starting, verify the legality of call recording in your region. Some countries permit it as long as you obtain informed consent from the other party.

Your handy Android phone has many uses. On top of being able to record audio for you, learn how to use your Android phone as a remote control for your Android TV. You can also turn it into a mouse by following our tutorial.

Image credit: Freepik. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.