Is it legal to record a call on a Mac?

Updated 2026-09-03.

Whether recording a call is legal depends on the country, and sometimes the state, of everyone on the call, not on the Mac or the software. Germany's criminal code punishes recording another person's non-public spoken word without authorisation with up to three years; US federal law allows recording when one party consents; California requires all parties. The safe rule everywhere is to announce the recording and get agreement first. This page quotes the primary sources and is not legal advice.

Is it legal to record a call on a Mac?

The Mac is irrelevant to the answer; the law looks at the people and the place. Three things decide it. First, whether the country requires the consent of one party (you) or of all parties. Second, whether the conversation counts as non-public or confidential. Third, what you do with the recording afterwards: keeping it for yourself and publishing it are treated very differently. The sections below quote the statutes for Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States as they stood on the day this page was written, with links to the official texts. Read them as a starting point. Only a lawyer in the relevant jurisdiction can tell you how they apply to your call, and this site does not encourage recording anyone without telling them. Tools with a built-in recorder, such as the Phone app on macOS Tahoe, FaceTime audio calls, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, play or display a notice to every participant; local recorders, including AirCheck, play nothing, so the notice is your job.

What does Austrian law say about recording a conversation?

The relevant provision is § 120 of the Austrian Strafgesetzbuch, "Mißbrauch von Tonaufnahme- oder Abhörgeräten". Paragraph 1 reads: "Wer ein Tonaufnahmegerät oder ein Abhörgerät benützt, um sich oder einem anderen Unbefugten von einer nicht öffentlichen und nicht zu seiner Kenntnisnahme bestimmten Äußerung eines anderen Kenntnis zu verschaffen, ist mit Freiheitsstrafe bis zu einem Jahr oder mit Geldstrafe bis zu 720 Tagessätzen zu bestrafen." Paragraph 2 adds that the same penalty applies to anyone who, without the speaker's consent, makes a recording of another person's non-public utterance available to a third party for whom it was not intended, or publishes it. In plain words, the text targets two acts: using a recording device to obtain speech that was not meant for you, and passing on or publishing a recording of non-public speech without the speaker's agreement. How it applies to a call you take part in is a question for a lawyer; the text is on the RIS legal information system linked below.

What does German law say about recording a call?

§ 201 of the German Strafgesetzbuch, "Verletzung der Vertraulichkeit des Wortes", paragraph 1 begins: "Mit Freiheitsstrafe bis zu drei Jahren oder mit Geldstrafe wird bestraft, wer unbefugt" and its first item is "das nichtöffentlich gesprochene Wort eines anderen auf einen Tonträger aufnimmt". That is: recording another person's non-public spoken word on a sound carrier without authorisation is punishable with up to three years' imprisonment or a fine. Paragraph 2 extends this to listening in with a device on speech not intended for you. The wording does not carve out calls you are part of, which is why German practice is usually summarised as requiring the agreement of everyone recorded. For a Mac user in Germany the practical consequence is clear: ask, get a yes, then press Record. The official text is at gesetze-im-internet.de, linked in the sources.

What do UK and US law say?

United Kingdom. The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 replaced the older RIPA interception rules. Section 44(1) says: "The interception of a communication is authorised by this section if the sender and the intended recipient of the communication have each consented to its interception." Section 44(2) covers the case where one party consents and surveillance has been separately authorised, which applies to public authorities, not to a private individual. Data protection is a separate layer; the GDPR's Article 2(2)(c) excludes processing "by a natural person in the course of a purely personal or household activity", so what you do with the recording matters.

United States, federal. 18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d): "It shall not be unlawful under this chapter for a person not acting under color of law to intercept a wire, oral, or electronic communication where such person is a party to the communication or where one of the parties to the communication has given prior consent to such interception unless such communication is intercepted for the purpose of committing any criminal or tortious act". That is the one-party rule.

California. Penal Code § 632(a) penalises a person who "intentionally and without the consent of all parties to a confidential communication" records it, with a fine of up to $2,500 per violation or up to one year in jail for a first offence. Several other states have all-party rules; check the state of every participant.

How do you record a call the safe way?

Say it before you press Record: "I am recording this call, is that okay?" and wait for the answer. In a meeting, put it in the chat as well.
Prefer a tool that announces itself. Apple's Phone app and FaceTime play an audio notice to both participants; Teams and Meet show a notification to everyone.
If you use a local recorder, whether the Screenshot toolbar, OBS or AirCheck, remember that it plays no notice at all. The other side knows only if you told them.
Keep the file private. Austria's § 120(2) and the GDPR's household exclusion both turn on whether you pass the recording on.
When someone says no, do not record.

Platform-specific notes on who gets notified are in how to record a Teams meeting on a Mac, how to record a Google Meet without being the host and how to record a phone call on a Mac. None of this is legal advice.

The interception of a communication is authorised by this section if the sender and the intended recipient of the communication have each consented to its interception.
Investigatory Powers Act 2016, section 44(1), legislation.gov.uk

Consent rules for recording a conversation, as written in the primary source (fetched 3 Sept 2026)

Jurisdiction	Rule in the text	Consent needed from	Penalty stated in the text	Primary source
Austria, § 120 StGB	recording speech not intended for you; passing on a recording without consent	the speaker (for passing on)	up to 1 year or 720 daily rates	ris.bka.gv.at
Germany, § 201 StGB	recording another's non-public spoken word without authorisation	everyone recorded (in practice)	up to 3 years or a fine	gesetze-im-internet.de
United Kingdom, IPA 2016 s.44	interception authorised where sender and recipient have each consented	both parties	not stated in s.44	legislation.gov.uk
United States, federal, 18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d)	not unlawful where one party consents	one party	not stated in (2)(d)	law.cornell.edu
California, Penal Code § 632	penalises recording without the consent of all parties to a confidential communication	all parties	up to $2,500 per violation or 1 year	leginfo.legislature.ca.gov

Summaries of statutory text, not legal advice. The applicable law follows the participants, not the computer.

Where AirCheck fits

AirCheck is a plain recorder: it captures system audio or one Core Audio input on macOS 14 or newer and writes a WAV or MP3 file. It has no scheduling, no silence detection and no hidden mode, and it plays no notice, which is exactly why the announcement has to come from you. It costs $39 once. If you record calls, do what this page says first, then use whatever tool you like.

When you do not need it: For a call where the app has its own recorder with an automatic notice (the Phone app on macOS Tahoe, FaceTime audio, Teams, Meet, Zoom with permission), use that. It documents consent better than any local capture.

AirCheck records what your Mac plays, or any input, to one file. $39 once.

Buy AirCheck for $39

macOS 14 or newer. One-off payment. Fourteen-day refund, no questions asked.

Questions people ask

Is it legal to record a phone call in Germany without consent?

§ 201 StGB makes recording another person's non-public spoken word without authorisation punishable with up to three years or a fine. Get agreement first. This is a summary of the statute, not legal advice.

Can I record a call in the US if I am one of the parties?

Under federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d), interception is not unlawful where the person is a party to the communication. Several states, including California under Penal Code § 632, require all parties' consent for confidential communications, so check every participant's state.

Does GDPR apply if I record a call for myself?

GDPR Article 2(2)(c) excludes processing by a natural person in the course of a purely personal or household activity. Sharing, publishing or using the recording for business moves it outside that exclusion. Ask a lawyer for your case.

Does the other person get notified when I record on a Mac?

Only with recorders built into the call app: Apple's Phone app and FaceTime play an audio notice, Teams and Meet show a notification. Screen recordings, OBS and AirCheck play nothing, so you must tell the other person yourself.

Sources

Hannes Hennerbichler builds AirCheck and records his own DJ sets with it through a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6. Every step on this page was run on the macOS version stated above. Drafted with AI assistance, checked and edited by the author. About

Is it legal to record a call on a Mac?