IOS 18.5 call recording functionality just made my work much easier

As a journalist, I live and die by my interviews. And for years, recording telephone calls was the most boring part of my workflow.

I tried everything. Memos vocaux While putting the call on the speaker. External recorders. At one point, I spent $ 79.99 per year for the Tape App, a bypass solution that looked more like a hacking than a solution. (It worked perfectly, but only after composing a third -party number and merged the calls, which meant explaining this awkward process with each source, each time.) Before that, I used an Olympus telephone pickup microphone which connected my iPhone to my recorder. And before thatA literal fixed adapter – The recording adapter of telephone calls VEC TRX -20 – which plunged on the basis of my office phone as it was in 2004. I will always be haunted when I had connected it to the bad Jack receiver on my Sony recorder, only to make after the interview that I had not captured. I had to recall the source and redo everything.

Thus, when Apple announced a native characteristic of call recording and transcription in iOS 18, I was intrigued. Now, with the iOS 18.5 update, I finally had the chance to test it on real interviews, and it really changes for me.

Here is how it works: when you are on a phone call, a small waveform icon appears in the upper left corner of the screen. Press it and a notification appears, letting you know that the call is saved. The person at the other end also hears an audio signal from Siri, which, from a legal and ethical point of view, is crucial. Then, magic occurs: your iPhone records not only the call, but transcribes it automatically. And it stores audio and transcription in your notes.

I first tested the functionality while signaling a story on Labu, a collection figure with wide -wide and slightly disturbed eyes with a raised online fans base. I had several telephone interviews aligned, and instead of juggling tapard or planning an interview zoom only to record audio, I just type the waveform icon at the start of the call. It was easy. The person at the other end obtained a notification, and I could really focus on the conversation without worrying if the technology betrayed me.

And the transcription? Surprisingly precise. Not perfect, but good enough so that I can look for quotes, scan through key moments and even pull text blocks with minimal cleaning. I found its precision similar to Otter.aA service that I also use to help transcribe audio files. Both made the same charming error recently: the transcription “Labu” as “Little Boo-Boo”. Honestly, I understand. This is a mistake that your father would do too.

But the biggest difference is time. The hours I spent connecting to whole interviews (and creaking crews on my own voice) just to find a quote are now recorded by a parchment and a search for keywords. I am also more present on calls now, not distracted by frantic strike or concern if my weekly application really works.

It is not only a convenience feature. For anyone whose use is based on accuracy, consent and efficiency – journalists, researchers and even caregivers – it is a discreetly revolutionary update. And for those of us who remember playing with plastic adapters and praying to red light has remained on, we have the impression that we finally caught up the future.