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After using iOS 18’s call recording feature a few times, I ran into a weird glitch that almost ruined my recordings. Since this is a new feature, I couldn’t find any help on the forums. Thankfully, I figured out a workaround.
The Glitch
I use an iPhone 12, and whenI record calls on my iPhonethe system files the recordings into my notes like it should. However, when I try to share the audio file to my laptop, especially longer recordings, everything glitches out.
I see two screens in succession—a preparing screen followed by the share screen after a few minutes. As you can see below, when I go to share the audio, there’s no audio file; it’s just a vague Notes icon.
One time, the audio file disappeared completely from my phone. It was a nightmare because I needed to write an article based on quotes from that interview, and yet here I was without the interview.
The Work Around
Luckily, I found a way to fix it, though I have no idea why it works.
On your iPhone, navigate toSettings>DisplayandBrightness>Auto-Lock, and then select “Never.” Navigate back to your notes folder with your call recordings and find the problematic Call Recording note.
In the note, open the audio by tapping anywhere in the gray area. Tap the “more” button on the top right, then select “Share Audio.”
You should see the “Preparing” message again with a little loading pie. Now just set your phone on a charger and walk away. Let that file cook.
After a bit has passed, check on the file to see if it’s ready. You’ll likely see one of two screens—the same screen you saw before that won’t let you share audio, or the actual .m4a file ready to be shared.
If you see that first one, it’s not a huge deal. Go back a step and attempt to share it again. Eventually, you should see the audio file. Now you can Air Drop it or share it however you like.
Why does shutting auto-lock off help? As I said before, I have absolutely no clue. Apple is rushing to catch up to Google’s AI capabilities, and because the iPhone’s call recording is tied up with AI transcription, I guess Apple hasn’t ironed out all the wrinkles yet. When your phone locks during the processing, it might mess with the file somehow.
Alot of Apple Intelligence stillfeels underwhelming, so it isn’t that surprising to run into issues related to the various features Apple has released thus far.
Whatever the case, this is a weird and unexpected glitch. So far, I haven’t found anything about it in the Apple forums, so if you run into the same issue,
