Moving from Phone by Google to CallVault
Google’s own phone app, with call recording on certain devices and carriers. 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 Phone by Google if one of these is you:
- You want everyone on the call to hear that it is being recorded: Google’s app announces it, and CallVault does not.
- Your phone and country support it, and a copy on the phone is all you need.
Move if these matter more:
- Backup, if you want a copy that survives a lost phone. Google says its recordings are not saved or backed up off the device.
- It isn’t limited to Google’s list of devices and carriers, though what it hears still depends on your phone.
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 Phone by Google'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 Phone by Google's files, so try one first.
How do they differ?
| What it does | CallVault | Phone by Google |
|---|---|---|
| Records phone calls on Android | Yes | Partly (source) |
| Starts recording by itself | Yes | Not stated on their site |
| 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 | Yes (source) |
| Works without rooting the phone | Yes | Not stated on their site |
| Installs from Google Play | No | Yes (source) |
| Says recordings stay on the phone | Yes | Yes (source) |
| Copies recordings off the phone | Yes | No (source) |
| Plays recordings in a web library | Yes | No (source) |
| 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 | Not stated on their site |