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One of your smartphone’s many capabilities includes recording audio using the device’s built-in microphones. You can use this to record voice notes, keep reminders, and with the correct setup, you can even record songs, live stream your mobile games, and so much more. Here’s how to record external and internal audio on your Android device.

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Use your phone's microphone and an audio recorder app to record external audio on Android. You can use the phone's built-in screen recorder feature or download an app from the Google Play Store to record internal audio.

You can record decent audio with your Android phone’s built-in microphones. The primary mic on many phones is at the bottom, next to the charging port, and you’ll find secondary mics, one or two, at the top or on the back. Test the mics with an audio recorder app to see which works best.

You can also use wired and wireless headsets with mics, Bluetooth earbuds, or external mics to improve the quality of your audio recordings. Remember that you will have to change the audio source in the sound recorder app, or it will default to the phone’s microphones instead. Not every audio recording app will have this option.

Speaking of audio recording apps, you will need a good one to make the most of your audio recording experience. Don’t forget to check out our roundup of the best audio recording apps you can get for Android. The phone’s built-in voice recorders aren’t usually as good. For this guide, we’ll use Dolby On.

Dolby On is a free voice recorder packed with features usually hidden behind a paywall. To use the app as a simple voice recorder, tap the large mic button to get started. As soon as you finish recording, you’ll see a message letting you know the post-processing the app will do — noise reduction, dynamic EQ, compression, volume maximization, and more. You can also shoot videos or set up a live stream from the app.

Once your recording is complete, you can find it in the tracklist. Tap the music note icon at the bottom left to find your recorded tracks. You’re good to go if you’re happy with the recording. However, Dolby On gives you control over certain aspects of the audio recording. Tap on the track you want to edit and go to Tools at the bottom left corner. You can change the noise reduction level, adjust the treble, mid, and bass, boost the audio, or use preset equalizer styles. The controls are pretty basic, but it’s an easy way to make quick adjustments on the fly.

Since Android 10, recording your screen with internal audio has become more accessible. You don’t need to jump through any hoops and don’t need to root your phone anymore. Most recent phones from Google, Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, and more, come with a built-in screen recording feature that lets you capture internal audio.

I used a OnePlus phone in this guide, so the steps on your device might be slightly different. On most of these phones, you should see the Screen recorder option in the Quick settings section of the notification dropdown. If you don’t, tap on the pen tool icon in the dropdown to add the setting. Tap on Screen recorder and open Settings (gear icon) on the floating widget. Go to Audio source and select Internal audio.

You can use a third-party screen recorder app from the Google Play Store if your phone doesn’t have one built-in. Using the AZ Screen Recorder as an example, go to the app settings, enable Record audio, tap on Audio source, and select Internal audio.

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