Call Recording Options/ Alternatives for N986U and N986U1 Devices

[dj24]

I have had my U.S T-mobile unlocked N986U device for a while now and quite enjoy using it. Apart from wishing it had a bit better battery life (Who doesn't?) and missing bluetooth codecs (aptX) it's as close to perfect as any handset I've ever owned. This brings me to the one feature that I truly need and miss quite a bit- Call recording. This is one where I honestly can't really place the blame on Samsung's feet since google removed the API starting in Pie affecting all android users out there.

I thought I'd start this thread for users to share their workarounds and ways that they've implemented to include this feature in their U/ U1 devices. What have you tried and what has worked and not worked.. Which third party apps have disappointed you and which ones only record one side of the conversation etc..

The good and the bad as they say.. Hopefully there's an option out there even if it's not perfect..

 

[sclarktay4]

ACR from galaxy play store. It work pretty good for over the headset calls. It is hit or miss over Bluetooth. You will have to play with the settings to get it perfect as I still am doing but it does work.

 

[dj24]

ACR from galaxy play store. It work pretty good for over the headset calls. It is hit or miss over Bluetooth. You will have to play with the settings to get it perfect as I still am doing but it does work.

Is it this same one on the google play store? Do you use it on your U1 device and does it record both sides of the conversation well when using the headset outside of bluetooth?

 

[sclarktay4]

Is it this same one on the google play store? Do you use it on your U1 device and does it record both sides of the conversation well when using the headset outside of bluetooth?

Yes and yes. I used on U and U1 device. Records fine as long as you are using headset and not Bluetooth.

 

[dj24]

Yes and yes. I used on U and U1 device. Records fine as long as you are using headset and not Bluetooth.

No dice. I tried recording 5 different regular calls on the t-mobile network and it did not pick up a peep... just absolute silence. I made sure my wifi and bluetooth were turned off as well. I'm on the latest t-mobile march update that just enabled e-sim.. Could that have broken it?

 

[sclarktay4]

No dice. I tried recording 5 different regular calls on the t-mobile network and it did not pick up a peep... just absolute silence. I made sure my wifi and bluetooth were turned off as well. I'm on the latest t-mobile march update that just enabled e-sim.. Could that have broken it?

I dont know why its not working for you. Did you enable it in Accessibility->Installed Service? I just checked and all my calls are recorded with the exception of the bluetooth calls which I can hear myself but the other party is very low if even heard.

 

[dj24]

I dont know why its not working for you. Did you enable it in Accessibility->Installed Service? I just checked and all my calls are recorded with the exception of the bluetooth calls which I can hear myself but the other party is very low if even heard.

I have version 33.5. I cleared cache and when that didn't work I uninstalled and reinstalled it. Still silence. Now I don't see it under my accessibility settings nor any way I can add it on there.

The wierdest thing is the first time you install it, there is a notice that says it might not work properly on my phone and that I should install "ACRPhone our new free call recorder etc..." Choosing that takes you to a completely different app and I'm not willing to go there from what I've seen so far..

 

[sclarktay4]

I have version 33.5. I cleared cache and when that didn't work I uninstalled and reinstalled it. Still silence. Now I don't see it under my accessibility settings nor any way I can add it on there.

The wierdest thing is the first time you install it, there is a notice that says it might not work properly on my phone and that I should install "ACRPhone our new free call recorder etc..." Choosing that takes you to a completely different app and I'm not willing to go there from what I've seen so far..

I had same issue. Uninstall and install from galaxy store

 

[elmor0]

Is modification of "cscfeatures.xml" file still an option to enable native call recorder?

 

[dj24]

I had same issue. Uninstall and install from galaxy store

That was it. I uninstalled the 33.5 newer version from the google play store and installed the prior version 33.3 which shows as the current one from the galaxy store. Immediately this version allowed me to add it to my accessibility settings and It was all good from there.

Moral of this story- DO NOT update to the latest version as long as everything works

Time to dive in and start getting familiar with this app..

 

[dj24]

Is modification of "cscfeatures.xml" file still an option to enable native call recorder?

Not that I know of and I've been on the N20 Ultra forum from the beginning...

I hope others will chime in with alternatives... although at a first glance everything looks really good with the older version of ACR, I'm not sure how long it'll continue to work.

 

[elmor0]

What about FireFDS via EdXposed to activate NCR? Anyone already tried?

 

[michel5891]

Call Recorder, by Skavalex works, as long as you're not making calls over Wifi Calling.

 

[dj24]

Call Recorder, by Skavalex works, as long as you're not making calls over Wifi Calling.

Great.. Do you have it working on a U or a U1 device? Apart from not working over wifi, how is the overall call quality? Does it pick up voice/ sound from the other party equally well? Does it also work over bluetooth/ wired headsets and VOIP services like Viber and Whatsapp? Lastly, can you share a link and the app version you're on?

 

[michel5891]

Great.. Do you have it working on a U or a U1 device? Apart from not working over wifi, how is the overall call quality? Does it pick up voice/ sound from the other party equally well? Does it also work over bluetooth/ wired headsets and VOIP services like Viber and Whatsapp? Lastly, can you share a link and the app version you're on?

I have a U1 device and yes it works on both up and down stream. I haven't gotten around to testing on Bluetooth, though. I'll give it a shot and report to you on how it works.

I'm on version 3.4.9 and here's a link to the site which seems to no longer be a place to download, ironically:

https://skvalex.org

EDIT: Here is a link to the actual site:

Download

callrecorder.skvalex.com

 

[michel5891]

Great.. Do you have it working on a U or a U1 device? Apart from not working over wifi, how is the overall call quality? Does it pick up voice/ sound from the other party equally well? Does it also work over bluetooth/ wired headsets and VOIP services like Viber and Whatsapp? Lastly, can you share a link and the app version you're on?

I have a U1 device and yes it works on both up and down stream. I haven't gotten around to testing on Bluetooth, though. I'll give it a shot and report to you on how it works.

I'm on version 3.4.9 and here's a link to the site:

Download

callrecorder.skvalex.com

 

[dj24]

Yes and yes. I used on U and U1 device. Records fine as long as you are using headset and not Bluetooth.

I had same issue. Uninstall and install from galaxy store

After everything was working blissfully for a while there it stopped working about a week ago. All my recordings are dead silent now. I noticed that mine had automatically updated from ver. 33.5 to 35.0. I checked both the google & sammy play stores to see if I could revert back to the older version but they're both showing ver 35.0

Is yours still working?

 

[dj24]

I have a U1 device and yes it works on both up and down stream. I haven't gotten around to testing on Bluetooth, though. I'll give it a shot and report to you on how it works.

I'm on version 3.4.9 and here's a link to the site which seems to no longer be a place to download, ironically:

https://skvalex.org

EDIT: Here is a link to the actual site:

Download

callrecorder.skvalex.com

Is this still working out well for you?

 

[sclarktay4]

Is this still working out well for you?

Yup, all call recorded. Not as loud as I want but still hearable on both sides.

 

[elmor0]

What about FireFDS via EdXposed to activate NCR? Anyone already tried?

This solution has been working fine folks.