Recording a call on any phone

The mechanic is the same everywhere — a three-way call with the recording line as the third participant. What changes is what the buttons are called, what your carrier has to allow, and what goes wrong when it does not work.

Each guide covers the exact steps for that kind of phone, plus the failures people actually hit.

• iPhoneStep-by-step: record an iPhone call by merging a recording line into it. What your carrier needs to support, what to do when Merge is greyed out, and how it relates to iOS's own recorder.
• AndroidRecord an Android call by merging a recording line into it. Why third-party Android recorders stopped working, the exact steps, and what to do when merge fails.
• landline and desk phoneLandlines cannot run apps, which makes a dial-in recording line the practical option. How three-way calling works on a landline or office desk phone, and what to check first.
• VoIP and softphoneHow merging a recording line works on VoIP and softphone services, where it does not, and why your provider's own recording is usually the better first stop.