We are just over a week away from attending the iOS 14 presentation at WWDC 2020. Although the vast majority of news that we will see in this presentation are already known, there are still some features that are still hidden. One of these is the recording of phone calls, but it seems that it will never reach users.
Call recordings will not arrive with iOS 14
With a screenshot that has been appearing on the networks in recent days, all the alarms have gone off. In this screenshot, supposedly from iOS 14, the call recording function is clearly seen. The presence of this function has been confirmed by 9to5mac, which has the leaked code for this great update that will end up arriving in the fall.
But while this may be a tremendously interesting native feature you may not end up seeing the light. Apparently the call recording would only be available in the internal iOS compilations that would only be used for debugging. That is why we must weigh that this is a function that will remain only in these test versions and will not reach users. This was entirely predictable, as the screenshot itself details: ‘Furthermore, you agree that you will not allow any other person to use this device while audio recording is enabled.’
This is typical. There are some internal versions of iOS that have exclusive functions for Apple engineers. In this way, some usage scenarios can be simulated and all the results obtained can be compared. That is why you should always be careful with this type of screenshots that are leaked as they may not provide anything new that will be seen in the final version of the operating system for users.
Why does Apple not want calls to be recorded?
As you can see, the functionality of recording calls is quite easy to implement. This can have many advantages for users, since all calls made to collect evidence for trials or to have a beautiful moment well kept can be recorded. But unfortunately Apple believes that this may violate the company’s privacy policy and the privacy of the other user.
Despite the fact that it is common for calls to be saved when we contact a medical or legal service, Apple believes that this can violate the privacy of users. The company’s privacy policy is clear, and you may fear that this functionality will be misused.
Legislation stipulates that the other person must always be advised that the conversation is to be recorded. But if we are totally honest, it is possible that some user may forget to advise that this action will be carried out. Given this fear, Apple wants to be farsighted and although recording calls on the iPhone is possible thanks to third-party applications, we must continue to wait for a native function.