Call recordings are useful for training, disputes and quality checks, but recording laws differ by state. FrontDesk plays a short notice to callers before a recorded call, and you choose which callers hear it.
Where to set it
Open Settings → Phone & SMS, stay on the Calls tab, and find Play a recording notice. The line under the title is written for your practice's state: it tells you whether your own state needs everyone's consent or only one person's. Recording settings belong to the location you are working in.
With the switch on, pick who hears the notice:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Only callers from states that require it (default) | The notice plays for callers whose area code is in one of the 13 all-party-consent states. Everyone else goes straight through. |
| Every caller | The notice plays on every call. It adds about four seconds to each call. |
Under What the caller hears, edit the wording (up to 500 characters). The default is "This call may be recorded for quality and training purposes." You could add your practice name, for example "Thanks for calling Sunny Dental. This call may be recorded for quality and training purposes."
Which states need everyone's consent
FrontDesk treats these 13 states as all-party (two-party) consent states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington. Everywhere else, one person on the call can consent.
The caller's state is estimated from the area code of their phone number. People keep their numbers when they move, and blocked, unknown or international numbers don't match a state. If you would rather not depend on the estimate, choose Every caller. This article explains how the setting works. It is not legal advice, so check with your own counsel if you're unsure what applies to your practice.
What the caller hears
- AI receptionist calls: the notice is the first thing the AI says, before its greeting.
- Calls that ring your team or forward to another number: the notice plays before the call connects.
- The notice only informs the caller. There is no "press 1 to accept" step, and a caller can't turn recording off during the call.
Call recording and transcription are included on paid plans and during the trial. On the Free plan, calls aren't recorded, so the notice isn't played either, whatever this setting says. Recordings and transcripts appear on the call in Call Logs.
Turn the notice off
Switch Play a recording notice off and save. A Disable recording disclosure? dialog lists the 13 states and points to the Terms of Service. Tick "I understand and accept responsibility for obtaining consent through other means." and click Turn off disclosure. FrontDesk records who turned it off and when. Turning the switch back on brings back Only callers from states that require it.
Outbound calls
- Outbound AI calls (confirmations, reminders, recalls and campaigns) always open with an automated-call disclosure and a recording notice, whatever state the person is in. You can't remove these from a call script.
- Natural conversation flow (Receptionist → AI Voice → Voice tab, under What it can do) lets outbound campaign calls confirm who they're speaking with before the recorded part of the call begins. In states that require it, the recording notice still plays first.
- Calls your team places from FrontDesk aren't recorded.
What's next
- Listen to recordings and read transcripts: Review call recordings and transcripts
- How long recordings are kept: Data retention and deletion
- For healthcare practices: Sign your BAA