[How-To] Record Calls

[Bolly]

@br1 Very thanks.

I have dedicated an entry in my blog in Spanish of your great work, it is mostly a translation.

https://elcondonrotodegnu.wordpress.com/2022/12/31/como-grabar-todas-las-llamadas-en-ubuntu-touch-automaticamente/

The link to your installation script is down, I had to create another one.

https://t.me/ElCondonRotoDeGNU/3

Thanks you again and good year

[domubpkm]

It's the feature that has done me the greatest service since it's been around. Should be by default on each smartphone and can be activated as desired. Will absolutely have to be adapted for focal if necessary.

[FP3plusRT]

Great.
Works under OTA-24 on FairPhone 3+.
Saves me from taking notes during a call.

[Br1]

--------- UPDATE ---------

I am glad you enjoyed ... new version to install/uninstall with single command, see here for further information.

The previous version must be uninstalled and the device rebooted, but first save the recorded calls or they will be deleted.

New features :

• install script asks you how many days you want to keep recorded calls, hit enter for default (30 days)
  if you later decide to change, repeat the installation (in this case reboot not required)

• recorded calls are named with their recording start time

three steps :

1 - download (just click) callrecorder.1.02.tar.gz from here

2 - open file manager, go to Downloads click callrecorder.1.02.tar.gz and select extract archive

3 - open terminal and type :

sudo /home/phablet/Downloads/callrecorder.1.02/callrec-install

type 1 to install
type 2 to uninstall
type 3 to exit

and reboot, that's all.

Changelog :

I added a new script that is run daily by crontab, keep-rec-sh :

#!/bin/bash
# 
days=+30
# delete recordings older than ... days
find /home/phablet/MyRec/* -mtime $days -exec rm {} \; 2> /dev/null ;

preview of the new version of callrec_install :

#!/bin/bash

CRSERV=/etc/init.d/callrecorder ;

# Make sure only root can run this script
if [ "$(id -u)" != "0" ]; then
   echo "    Must be run as root, you must prepend sudo !" 1>&2 ; exit 1
fi

echo -e '\n - Install/uninstall CallRecorder :\n' ;

PS3='Please enter your choice : '
options=("Install" "Uninstall" "Quit")
select opt in "${options[@]}"
do
	case $opt in
	"Install")

			#   -------------------- already installed section ------------------------------

			crontab -l | grep -q 'keep-rec-sh' ;

			if [ $? = 0 ] ; then

                                        echo -e '\n Recorded calls : auto erase them after' ;

                                        read -p " how many days ? (hit enter for 30) : " days

					# --------------- default days section --------------------------

					#if pressed ENTER set default days
					if [ ${#days} -eq 0 ];	then days=+30 ;

					# remove + for echo message
					myString="${days:1}" ; echo -e "\n  - Will be deleted after $myString days. \n" ;

					# replaces the third line
					sed -i "3s/.*/days=$days/" /home/phablet/.callrec/keep-rec-sh ;

					exit 0

					else	# -------- custom days section  -------------------------

					echo -e "\n  - Will be deleted after $days days. \n" ;

					days=+$days ;

					# replaces the third line
					sed -i "3s/.*/days=$days/" /home/phablet/.callrec/keep-rec-sh ;

					exit 0

					fi


			fi

			#   ----------- end already installed -------------------------------------------


			# ------------- new install section ---------------------------------------------


			# creates 3 directories
			mkdir -p /home/phablet/.callrec ;
			mkdir -p /home/phablet/MyRec ;
			mkdir -p /home/phablet/.cr_Ram ;

			cp /home/phablet/Downloads/callrecorder.1.02/* /home/phablet/.callrec/ ;

			# change the working directory
			cd /home/phablet/.callrec ;

			# mount root in read/write mode
			mount -o remount,rw / ;

			# set daily check at 11 am
			crontab -l > cron_bkp ; echo "0 11 * * * /home/phablet/.callrec/keep-rec-sh >/dev/null 2>&1" >> cron_bkp ;
			crontab /home/phablet/.callrec/cron_bkp ; rm /home/phablet/.callrec/cron_bkp ;

			# copy callrecorder service and enable autostart
			cp callrecorder /etc/init.d/ ; update-rc.d callrecorder defaults ;

                                        echo -e '\n Recorded calls : auto erase them after' ;

                                        read -p " how many days ? (hit enter for 30) : " days

						# --------------- default days section ------------------

						#if pressed ENTER set default days
						if [ ${#days} -eq 0 ];	then days=+30 ;

						# remove + for echo message
						myString="${days:1}" ; echo -e "\n  - Will be deleted after $myString days. \n" ;

						# replaces the third line
						sed -i "3s/.*/days=$days/" /home/phablet/.callrec/keep-rec-sh ;

						else  # -------- custom days section --------------------

						echo -e "\n  - Will be deleted after $days days. \n" ;

						days=+$days ;

						# replaces the third line
						sed -i "3s/.*/days=$days/" /home/phablet/.callrec/keep-rec-sh ;

						fi

			# roll back root in read only mode
			mount -o remount,ro / ;

			echo -e '\n Installed, reboot your device !\n' ;

			exit 0

		;;

	"Uninstall")

			# check status
			if [ ! -f "$CRSERV" ]; then

			echo -e '\n CallRecorder is not installed !\n' ; exit 1

			else

			# mount root in read/write mode
			mount -o remount,rw / ;

			# stop callrecorder, disable autostart and remove service file
			service callrecorder stop ; update-rc.d -f callrecorder remove ; rm /etc/init.d/callrecorder ;

			# remove line from crontab
			crontab -l | grep -v 'keep-rec-sh' | crontab - ;

			# roll back root in read only mode
			mount -o remount,ro / ;

			# delete scripts and remove directories
			rm -rf /home/phablet/.callrec/* ; rmdir /home/phablet/.callrec ;
			rm -rf /home/phablet/.cr_Ram/* ;

			echo -e '\n Uninstalled, reboot your device !\n'

			exit 0

			fi

		;;

        "Quit")
			exit 0
		;;
			*) echo "invalid option $REPLY"
		;;
    esac
done

and preview of new version of manager.sh :

#!/bin/sh

while true

do

FL1=/home/phablet/.cr_Ram/Rec_Call/fl1 ;
FL2=/home/phablet/.cr_Ram/Rec_Call/fl2 ;
FL3=/home/phablet/.cr_Ram/Rec_Call/fl3 ;
RecDir=/home/phablet/MyRec ;
HomDir=/home/phablet/.cr_Ram/Rec_Call ;

# if fl1 exist ini.sh intercepted outgoing or incoming call
if [ -f "$FL1" ]; then
	#
	setName=$(date +'%d-%m-%Y_%H:%M:%S') ;
	# deletes temporary file and starts recording as phablet user (with .new extension)
	rm -f $FL1 ; su phablet -s /usr/bin/arecord /home/phablet/MyRec/"$(date +%H_%M_%S)".wav.new &
fi

# if fl2 exist call has ended
if [ -f "$FL2" ]; then
	# deletes the temporary file and stop recording
	rm -f $FL2 ; pkill -f arecord ; sleep 0.2 ;
	# if fl3 exist call was answered
	if [ -f "$FL3" ]; then
		#
		FLN=$(cat /home/phablet/.cr_Ram/Rec_Call/fln) ;
		# delete .new extension and exec three scripts
		rm -f $FL3 ; mv $RecDir/*.new $RecDir/$setName.wav ;  $HomDir/ini.sh & $HomDir/ter.sh & $HomDir/ris.sh &
		else
		# call was not answered
		# delete recording and exec two scripts
		rm $RecDir/*.new ; $HomDir/ini.sh & $HomDir/ter.sh &
	fi

fi

sleep 1 ;

done ;

. small differences in other scripts (new paths)

. now uninstall procedure does not delete recorded calls

. the working directory is now hidden (.cr_Ram)

. the previous version is available here

[Br1]

OTA-25 --- You can reinstall, no changes are necessary.

[domubpkm]

@Br1 Given the recent boot problems in RC on which I was, I had to reflash the Volla in RC (using the installer without wipe) on which the first short version of the recorder was installed. The recorder was no longer installed, all the files of the recorder yes.
I pass steps, but I installed the last version of the recorder: I have to check that it works but I have a doubt since these boot problems... I'll keep you up-to-date.

[domubpkm]

@Br1 So on my Volla in RC, I uninstalled recorder 1.02. I reflashed in RC (without wipe) with the installer, and reinstalled the recorder. Everything seems to be in place, but i confirm no recordings are made. I tried multiple uninstalls and reinstalls and nothing changed. After my first reinstallation, I had the message 'no crontab for root' which never reappeared in my installations after.

Edit : I retested version 1.01 and no record created either.

[Ian]

@domubpkm No crontab? Have you seen

https://forums.ubports.com/topic/8868/cron-not-installed

[domubpkm]

@Ian All I know is that for me (and for others ?), the recorder hasn't worked since the last RC, whereas it worked very well before: I don't know why.

Hello @lduboeuf . Do you think something has changed in the latest RCs that could prevent callrecorder from working? Even 1.01 doesn't record calls. Thanks.

[RayCulp]

@Ian In the past with UT16, I used cron jobs to start Syncevolution on a schedule to sync my contacts (address books) with my CardDav server. However, after I updated to UT20 via OTA and performed a hard reset of the OS, the crontab command is no longer found:

Also, when I search for "cron*", all it finds are the bash tab-completions:

It is also my understanding that the scripts in the "/usr/share/bash-completion/completions" folder are provided by the packages that install the commands and utilities they complete. So this would indicate that cron/crontab was initially present but later removed.

[domubpkm]

RC 64 Volla

[RayCulp]

@domubpkm Thank you, but I'm confused. Does this mean that cron is indeed available on UT 20.04?

In any case, I asked about cron in one of the Telegram groups just now, and the recommendation I received was to use systemd timers instead of cron jobs. I hope this helps!

[Br1]

@domubpkm Between ota 25 (xenial) and the RC release there could be many differences ... I will try to adapt call-recorder to Focal OTA-2 Stable, but no promises.

[domubpkm]

@Br1 The callrecorder should work for OTA-25. If there is an OTA-26 that fixes boot issues (last 3 RCs), no. Is not it ?

Edit : I did : anyway, OTA-25 is no longer installable, the dev channel is installed instead (system parameters). So no more callrecorder.

Edit 2 april 18 : i installed dev 1111 (2023-04-18/2) and callrecorder v 1.01 works ! I stay here until a focal that suits me.

[domubpkm]

@Br1 said in [How-To] Record Calls:

I will try to adapt call-recorder to Focal OTA-2 Stable, but no promises

I just hope your work is progressing as you wish, because all of your scripts are great and will enhance focal environment (as they do for xenial).

[Br1]

@domubpkm said in [How-To] Record Calls:

I just hope your work is progressing as you wish, because all of your scripts are great and will enhance focal environment (as they do for xenial).

I installed it yesterday, seems to work fine ... a few days of testing

[Br1]

---- UPDATE OTA-2 Focal ----
---- Stable Channel ----

Usual three steps :

1 - download callrecorder-ota.2.tar.gz from here : www.spacelinux.it/UTouch/callrecorder-ota.2.tar.gz

2 - open file manager, go to Downloads tap callrecorder-ota.2.tar.gz and tap extract archive

3 - open terminal, type :

sudo Downloads/callrecorder-ota.2/callrec-install

and hit enter,

type 1 + enter to install

type 2 + enter to uninstall

and reboot.

---

As in previous versions, install script asks you how many days you want to keep recorded calls, hit enter for default (30 days) if you later decide to change, repeat the installation (in this case reboot not required).

Focal required several changes, callrecorder now is a systemd service, to delete older calls there is a systemd user timer .

preview of the new version of callrec-install :

#!/bin/bash

CRSERV=/usr/lib/systemd/system/callrecorder.service ;

# Make sure only root can run this script
if [ "$(id -u)" != "0" ]; then
   echo "    Must be run as root, you must prepend sudo !" 1>&2 ; exit 1
fi

echo -e '\n - Install/uninstall CallRecorder :\n' ;

PS3='Please enter your choice : '
options=("Install" "Uninstall" "Quit")
select opt in "${options[@]}"
do
	case $opt in
	"Install")

			#   -------------------- already installed section ------------------------------

			if [ -f "$CRSERV" ]; then

                                        echo -e '\n Recorded calls : auto erase them after' ;

                                        read -p " how many days ? (hit enter for 30) : " days

					# --------------- default days section --------------------------

					#if pressed ENTER set default days
					if [ ${#days} -eq 0 ];	then days=+30 ;

					# remove + for echo message
					myString="${days:1}" ; echo -e "\n  - Will be deleted after $myString days. \n" ;

					# replaces the third line
					sed -i "3s/.*/days=$days/" /home/phablet/.callrec/rec-remove-sh ;

					exit 0

					else	# -------- custom days section  -------------------------

					echo -e "\n  - Will be deleted after $days days. \n" ;

					days=+$days ;

					# replaces the third line
					sed -i "3s/.*/days=$days/" /home/phablet/.callrec/rec-remove-sh ;

					exit 0

					fi


			fi

			#   ----------- end already installed -------------------------------------------


			# ------------- new install section ---------------------------------------------


			# creates 4 directories
			mkdir -p /home/phablet/.callrec ;
			mkdir -p /home/phablet/MyRec/{saved,} ;
			mkdir -p /home/phablet/.cr_Ram ;

			cp /home/phablet/Downloads/callrecorder-ota.2/* /home/phablet/.callrec/ ;

			# change the working directory
			cd /home/phablet/.callrec ;

			# mount root in read/write mode
			mount -o remount,rw / ;

			# copy callrecorder service and enable autostart
                        cp callrecorder.service /usr/lib/systemd/system/ ; systemctl enable callrecorder > /dev/null 2>&1 ;

			# roll back root in read only mode
			mount -o remount,ro / ;

			# copy rec-remove.service/timer and create simbolic link (as user)
			su - phablet -c "cd /home/phablet/.callrec ; cp rec-remove.service rec-remove.timer /home/phablet/.config/systemd/user/ ; ln -s /home/phablet/.config/systemd/user/rec-remove.timer /home/phablet/.config/systemd/user/default.target.wants/rec-remove.timer" ; 


                                        echo -e '\n Recorded calls : auto erase them after' ;

                                        read -p " how many days ? (hit enter for 30) : " days

						# --------------- default days section ------------------

						#if pressed ENTER set default days
						if [ ${#days} -eq 0 ];	then days=+30 ;

						# remove + for echo message
						myString="${days:1}" ; echo -e "\n  - Will be deleted after $myString days. \n" ;

						# replaces the third line
						sed -i "3s/.*/days=$days/" /home/phablet/.callrec/rec-remove-sh ;

						else  # -------- custom days section --------------------

						echo -e "\n  - Will be deleted after $days days. \n" ;

						days=+$days ;

						# replaces the third line
						sed -i "3s/.*/days=$days/" /home/phablet/.callrec/rec-remove-sh ;

						fi

			echo -e '\n Installed, reboot your device !\n' ;

			exit 0

		;;

	"Uninstall")

			# check status
			if [ ! -f "$CRSERV" ]; then

			echo -e '\n CallRecorder is not installed !\n' ; exit 1

			else

			# mount root in read/write mode
			mount -o remount,rw / ;

			# stop callrecorder, disable autostart and remove files
			systemctl disable --now callrecorder > /dev/null 2>&1 ;
			rm $CRSERV ;

			# roll back root in read only mode
			mount -o remount,ro / ;

			# remove all timer files
			rm /home/phablet/.config/systemd/user/rec-remove* ;
			rm /home/phablet/.config/systemd/user/default.target.wants/rec-remove.timer ;
			rm /home/phablet/.local/share/systemd/timers/stamp-rec-remove.timer ;

			# delete scripts and remove directories
			rm -rf /home/phablet/.callrec/* ; rmdir /home/phablet/.callrec ;
			rm -rf /home/phablet/.cr_Ram/* ;

			echo -e '\n Uninstalled, reboot your device !\n'

			exit 0

			fi

		;;

        "Quit")
			exit 0
		;;
			*) echo "invalid option $REPLY"
		;;
    esac
done

preview of callrecorder service :

[Unit]
Description=Call Recorder

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/home/phablet/.callrec/prepare-sh
RemainAfterExit=yes

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

systemd user timer requires 2 files, rec-remove.timer :

[Unit]
Description=Run every day at 11:00

[Timer]
OnCalendar=*-*-* 11:00
Persistent=true

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

and rec-remove.service :

[Unit]
Description=Remove older calls

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/home/phablet/.callrec/rec-remove-sh

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

to run daily the script rec-remove-sh :

#!/bin/bash
#
days=+30
# delete recordings (except saved directory) older than ... days
find /home/phablet/MyRec -type f -not -path '*/saved/*' -mtime $days -exec rm {} \; 2> /dev/null ;

. small change, now you can save recorded calls in "saved" folder and will not be deleted

. small differences in other scripts (new paths)

. as for previous versions callrecorder must be uninstalled before proceeding to ota update.

[ATTESA]

@Br1 I don't know if it is just me, but the download link does not seem to work, I get a Not Found error.

[Br1]

@ATTESA try direct link : www.spacelinux.it/UTouch/callrecorder-ota.2.tar.gz

[dosolly]

@Br1 Hallo, thanx a lot for your work, but :
:~/sudo Downloads/callrecorder-ota.2/callrec-install

:~/sudo: callrec-install:command not found