Moving from BCR to CallVault
Basic Call Recorder: an open-source recorder for rooted phones or custom firmware. Facts about it come from its own page, last checked 7 November 2026. Prices and the wider comparison are on the CallVault site.
Should you move?
Stay on BCR if one of these is you:
- Your phone is rooted or on custom firmware: BCR works at that level, and CallVault runs as an ordinary app.
- You want an app with no network permission at all. Its README says it does not and will never access the network.
- You want to read the source: it is GPL-3.0.
Move if these matter more:
- It runs on a stock phone with no rooting.
- Optional private backup and a web library.
- CallVault can import from a BCR-compatible folder, so you can use both.
How do you move?
- Install CallVault and record one real call. Play it back before you change anything else. What CallVault hears depends on your phone.
- Keep BCR's recordings where they are until that test call sounds right.
- To bring old recordings across, point CallVault at the folder they're in. CallVault reads those files and never changes them. It's built around phone makers' recorders and BCR-compatible ones, and we haven't tested BCR's files, so try one first.
How do they differ?
| What it does | CallVault | BCR |
|---|---|---|
| Records phone calls on Android | Yes | Yes (source) |
| Starts recording by itself | Yes | Yes (source) |
| Records WhatsApp and other internet calls | No | Not stated on their site |
| The other person is clear without the speaker | Partly | Not stated on their site |
| Announces the recording on the call | No | Not stated on their site |
| Works without rooting the phone | Yes | No (source) |
| Installs from Google Play | No | Not stated on their site |
| Says recordings stay on the phone | Yes | Yes (source) |
| Copies recordings off the phone | Yes | No (source) |
| Plays recordings in a web library | Yes | Not stated on their site |
| Imports recordings other apps made | Yes | Not stated on their site |
| Writes a transcript of the call | No | Not stated on their site |
| Shows no ads | Yes | Not stated on their site |
| Open source | No | Yes (source) |