Record a call
Call recording in Ody is a per-number switch in Settings → Numbers: turn it on and every answered call on that line — inbound or outbound, your team or a forwarded phone — is recorded, transcribed with speaker labels, and summarized into the Inbox. It's included on the Growth plan and above.
Recording during your trial and first 30 days
Every workspace starts in a safety-monitored period: while your workspace is on a trial, not yet identity-verified, or less than 30 days old, every answered call on your numbers is recorded and transcribed — inbound calls that ring your team, forwarded calls, voicemails, and outbound calls made from the Ody softphone. This is on regardless of the number's recording setting and cannot be switched off during that period.
Each transcript is reviewed automatically for known phone-scam patterns (for example fake court or bond notices, "family emergency" calls, or demands for payment in gift cards or crypto). Before any review, phone numbers, names, card and account digits, emails and addresses are masked, and the review only looks at the shape of the conversation. If a call matches a scam pattern the workspace is paused and a member of Ody's team looks at the anonymised transcript within the day; if it's a false alarm the workspace is restored. Ordinary sales, collections, appointment and customer-service calls are not affected.
The monitored period ends once your workspace is on a paid plan, identity-verified, at least 30 days old and has no open review. After that, recording follows your numbers' settings below. Recordings made during the monitored period stay in your Inbox like any other recorded call.
Because these calls are recorded, tell callers that calls may be recorded (see Consent below) — your voicemail greeting or the first seconds of the call are a good place.
Before you start
- Call recording is included on the Growth and Enterprise plans. On Starter the switch is visible but locked, with a link to Settings → Billing to upgrade.
- You need to be a workspace admin or owner to change it. Every member can see whether a number is recording.
- The Record button on the in-call card doesn't control server-side recording — whether a call is recorded is decided by the number's setting below.
- This switch covers calls a person answers. Calls Astra answers or places have their own switch on the agent — see Record the calls Astra handles. Either can be on without the other.
- Recording starts with the next call. Calls that happened before you switched it on can't be recorded or transcribed after the fact.
Turn recording on or off for a number
Click Settings in the left sidebar, then Numbers.
Find the number and, under Voicemail & recording, click Configure next to Call recording. When recording is already on, the row shows Recording on.
Switch on Record every answered call on this number. The change saves immediately and the row shows Recording on.
To stop recording, open the same row and switch it off. Existing recordings stay in your Inbox.
On your phone: More → Settings → Numbers, then Call recording under the number.
Both sides of a recorded call are captured on separate channels, so the transcript shows who said what (CALLER / AGENT).
Where recordings live
Open Inbox in the left sidebar and select the caller's conversation.
The recorded call appears as a card on the conversation timeline with an audio player — a waveform you can click to seek.
Below the player you'll see the transcript (speaker-labeled CALLER / AGENT turns when available) and an AI summary with the gist, key points, and sentiment. Right after the call the transcript line reads "Transcript on its way" — it fills in within a few minutes.
On your phone the recorded call shows the same player in the thread, with View transcript underneath.
Consent
Call recording laws vary: some US states (and other countries) require all parties to consent before a call is recorded. Ody doesn't play an automatic recording announcement yet, so whenever your calls are recorded — because you enabled recording on a number or because your workspace is in its safety-monitored period — tell callers at the start of the call (or in your greeting) that calls may be recorded, and check the rules for the regions you call.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I turn on call recording?
Go to Settings → Numbers, open Call recording under Voicemail & recording on the number, and switch on "Record every answered call on this number". You need to be a workspace admin on the Growth plan or above.
Can I start and stop recording during a call?
Not yet — recording is automatic per number (all answered calls on that number are recorded). Mid-call recording controls are planned.
Where do recordings go?
Each recorded call becomes an item on the caller's conversation in your Inbox, with an audio player, a transcript, and an AI summary.
How long are recordings kept?
Ody stores recordings in its own secure storage, so they don't expire with the carrier's short retention window.
Why are my calls recorded during my trial when I didn't turn recording on?
New, trial and not-yet-verified workspaces have every call recorded and automatically reviewed for scam patterns for the first 30 days. This protects the phone network Ody runs on and every other customer on it. Recordings appear in your Inbox like any other recorded call.
Does a person at Ody listen to my calls?
No. Transcripts are reviewed automatically with names, numbers and card digits masked. A team member only looks at an anonymised transcript if the automatic review flags a likely scam.