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How To Use Ambient Recording For iPhone And Android

Ambient recording is the ability to remotely switch on a mobile’s microphone, and start recording the sound picked up. The sound is sent to your web account where you can download and listen to it.

You can start these recordings two ways:

  1. Immediately using the RECORD icon.
  2. Automatically according to a predefined schedule using the SCHEDULE icon.

NOTE: All scheduled ambient recordings are limited to a maximum of 30 minutes

This article will show you how to use both of these features so that you can either set up ambient recording to record immediately or set it up according to a schedule and then listen to the recordings inside your web account on your PC.

How to set up a scheduled ambient recording

Click the Schedule option as shown in the Ambient section of your online account.

create-a-new-scheduled-ambient-recording

You will then need to click the Create A New Schedule Ambient Recording button.

You can then configure the scheduled ambient recording as follows:

set-the-description

  • Schedule Name – Type a name for your scheduled ambient recording
  • Start date – Set the start date and time for the scheduled ambient recording.
  • Recurrence – Make sure this option is checked.
  • Recurrence Pattern – Set the frequency of recurrence for the scheduled ambient recording.
  • Range of Recurrence – Set when you wish for the scheduled ambient recording to end.

Click Save to confirm the scheduled ambient recording and FlexiSPY will do the rest.

After that, you can view all scheduled ambient recordings you have currently set and edit them as you require or you can click Create A New Schedule Ambient Recording to create another one and repeat the process.

view-or-edit

Once a scheduled ambient recording has been set the recording will be automatically uploaded to your web account once it is complete.

recording-that-has-been-uploaded-to-your-account

You can then click the Download button to download the ambient recording to your computer.   Once it has been downloaded you can listen to it on your computer using software such as VLC Media Player.

play-the-ambient-recording-with-vlc-or-another-program-of-your-choice

How to set up ambient recording to record immediately

If you don’t want to schedule an ambient recording you can simply set up an ambient recording to record immediately according to the time duration that you set.

To set this up go to the Ambient tab of your web account and click the Record button.

setting-up-immediate-recording

You will then be asked to set the recording duration. This can be from 5 minutes up to 60 minutes. Once you have set the ambient recording duration click Start Ambient Recording Now.

start-ambient-recording-now

The ambient recording will take place on the TARGET device according to the duration you specified and it will then be uploaded to your web account.

You can click Download to save it to your computer to listen to using software such as VLC Media Player.

Ambient recording and scheduled ambient recording gives you the flexibility to record the ambient audio from the TARGET device according to your own schedule.

This is incredibly powerful and allows you to set the ambient recording (be it to record immediately or scheduled) and forget about it and come back to your web account later on to download and listen to the recordings on your computer.

Comments

53 responses to “How To Use Ambient Recording For iPhone And Android”

  1. Majeed Avatar
    Majeed

    hi,
    How I want to set the duration of recording in ‘schedule recording’ or its been set by default..?
    if its been set by default, may I know how long the duration is..?

    Regards
    Magic

    1. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

      Scheduled recordings is set for every 30 minutes.

      1. Magic Avatar
        Magic

        hi,
        Thanks on your reply.
        I would like to know, what is the best time interval between schedule recording.?
        For example my first schedule recording is at 12:00 PM, then its should finish record at 12:30PM, thus what is the best time should I set for second recording.?
        May I start another recording 10 minutes or 20 minutes after finish the first recording.?

        1. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

          The way you have the schedule laid out should definitely work.

  2. Alla Al Hassan Avatar
    Alla Al Hassan

    can i send command with SMS to the target device to start recording ?

    1. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

      Yes you can, but -for Android devices- there really isn’t a need for SMS commands anymore as our latest software runs on push notifications.

  3. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    We recommend that you download vlc media player, and if it still doesn’t play, then you should right click on the downloaded file, and rename the extension to .mp3

    For example, after renaming, the file name might look like this:

    recording1.mp3

  4. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    In this case, the recording will stop.

  5. Stefan Avatar
    Stefan

    in 75 % of all ambient recordings the File doesn`t work. File is named with extension.mp3 . The size of the broken files is just 44 Bytes. What causes the problem ore better solve it.?

    1. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

      It should work.. Try downloading VLC media player, and playing the file with that. If that still doesn’t work, rename the extension of the file to .wav or .mp4
      Hope this helps.

      1. Stefan Avatar
        Stefan

        I did all that allready. It is still not working. Just 25 % of the recordings are fine. All broken files have a size from only 44 Bytes. ….

        1. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

          What phone model is FlexiSPY running on, also can you give us the Android OS version?

  6. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    If the recording is interuppted, you will have to perform a new recording, and, you won’t get a notification (neat suggestion though and we’ll look into it.) Also, whatever was recorded prior to the interruption will be uploaded to your dashboard for your listening.

  7. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    So we’ve looked into this further, and have come to the conclusion that when an ambient recording is interrupted on some models (this can happen if the phone gets a call) then what was recorded previously may be broken.

  8. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Yes, it will be interrupted, and the recording won’t start again until the next scheduled time. You will receive a notification that the recording was interrupted though, and the interrupted recording will still upload what it has recorded so far.

  9. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Sorry, but right now there is no way to prevent scheduled ambient recordings from being interrupted by variables such as a phone call.

  10. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Thanks for reporting this.. Our portal isn’t entirely responsive at this time, but we are working on improving it and add your bug report to our backlog.

  11. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Currently, scheduling is done for 30 minutes by default but if the phone is not rooted, it will be 15 mins only

  12. Jly76 Avatar
    Jly76

    it does not let me play the ambient recording file in my ipad or iphone and when I try to download it from my laptop I get a .m4a file which it’s impossible for me to play or convert to mp3 or such. What can I do?

    1. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

      On your computer, right click on the file and click rename. Then rename it to something with .mp3 or .mp4
      for example, without the quotes name it “recording1.mp3”

      Hope this helps

  13. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    So, when you install FlexiSPY onto the target phone you are given the option on whether or not you want FlexiSPY to be hidden or visible. If you choose hidden then there will be absolutely no sign that FlexiSPY is installed onto the phone. Just make sure that you check your local laws before you attempt to hide the icon to make sure that it is legal for you to do so.

  14. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Ambient recording does require the target device to have internet.

  15. xyz Avatar
    xyz

    les enregistrements n ‘arrivent pas sur le tableau de bord je recois les appels les messages mais pas les enregistrements comment faire ?

    1. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

      Nous aimerions vous aider, mais nous aurons besoin de vous pour remplir un ticket de support à l’adresse: http://support.flexispy.com/

  16. Nando Avatar
    Nando

    how can I root the phone (Android)..?

  17. Nando Avatar
    Nando

    The voice of the ambiente rcording is strange…is slow….as if it was in slow motion!…How can I solve this problem?

    1. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

      Unfortunately it may be that there is a bug with FlexiSPY and the phone working together. What phone is FlexiSPY installed on?

      1. Nando Avatar
        Nando

        iT´S INSTALLED IN AN ANDROID SANSUNG ACE.

        2015-11-10 1:45 GMT-02:00 Disqus :

        1. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

          Thanks for the information.. Ambient recording quality depends on the device – there isn’t much that can be done to fix this. We would advise that you contact us at http://support.flexispy.com/ where we can better assist you.

  18. trapshooter3 Avatar
    trapshooter3

    With the ambient recordings can you schedule one right after the other or does there have to be times in between? Also are the intervals all 5 minutes?

    1. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

      Yes, you can schedule them one after the other but you still need the five minute interval in between.

  19. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    The information that is available is the duration of the recording and the date of the recording, but it is not as specific as the actual time when the recording took place.

  20. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    No, but we’ll look into implementing this!

  21. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Please submit a ticket to us via our support at http://support.flexispy.com. so that we can assist you.

  22. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Hi Eason,

    Please contact our support team at http:support.flexispy.com/ who will be better able to assist you.

  23. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Scheduling is available whether rooted or not…

    The duration is maximum 15 minutes if unrooted, and maximum of 30 minutes if rooted.

    So, you just schedule another one right after if you want to keep recording.

    Hope this helps!

  24. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Hi Mactadpole, we don’t offer this scheduling.

  25. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    You can’t save the scheduled recordings or the scheduled recording settings?

  26. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Is the software running in Full Mode or Limited Mode? Please open up a ticket at http://support.flexispy.com/ and our team will help you there 🙂

  27. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    No, the recording will continue if a text message comes through, but if the microphone gets used in some way -like a telephone call- then the recording will be interrupted.

  28. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Yes, the recording file is deleted from the device after a successful upload.

  29. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Hi Lulu,

    For technical problems please submit a ticket to our support team at https:/support.flexispy.com

  30. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Hi Irene,

    The phone needs internet access to process commands from our server in order for it to start recording. So, without internet, even though you send the command from the portal, the device won’t do anything.

  31. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Hi Chris. This can happen when another app is using the microphone when the Ambient Recording is taking place.

    However, so that our support team can investigate and assist via email, please write to us at https://support.flexispy.com/

    Thank you.

    1. BJ Avatar
      BJ

      Is there a way to find out what app could be causing this? Also, if the person with the target phone knows Flexispy is on the phone, can he stop the ambient recording from happening without actually uninstalling it? The phone seems to be continuously disconnecting…according to him. It was recording just fine until he played around on it so my guess is he has figured out a way around it. But…if there is an app that could cause this, how do I find out which one? This is the only reason I chose Flexispy over all of the other options and it’s so important that I get this working. 🙁

      1. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

        Hey Chris,

        It’d be difficult to know what app it is that’s using the microphone at the time we try and make the recording, because we do not have a feature that detects this.

  32. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Hi VV, we don’t monitor the microphone usage and notify you when it’s idle. I’ll pass your request up the chain though, and if you’d like I’ll let you know whether or not we decide to develop your request into a FlexiSPY feature.

  33. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Hi Luis, most likely your recordings are not taking place because the microphone is being used when the recording is scheduled to take place.

  34. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Hey jjd, please work together with our support team, who are equipped to handle technical problems such as yours. You can visit support here: https://support.flexispy.com/

  35. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Hi K Hoff. Sorry to hear about this. What you’ve described sounds like the device’s microphone is in use at the time of the recording. This means the recording will most likely fail. Unfortunately, you’ll need to keep trying.

  36. FlexiSPYBlog Avatar

    Hi Jo.

    We passed this to our support team and they have since responded to you via email.

    However, their answer may benefit other readers, so we’re posting it here.

    1. If I schedule a series of back to back recordings and a call comes in to device and interrupts one segment, does it stop all the following segments from recording?

    Answer: A call activity on the Target device will stop the current Ambient Record schedule, but once the call ended and the device is idle, the next schedule (that you previously setup) can start the new recording for you.

    2. have read in the forums it is best to allow 5 minutes in between but the scheduler doesn’t give that as an option. It is broken down in 15 minute segments.

    Answer: Schedule Ambient Record will be set to 15 min duration automatically. If you would like to create a short pause for each schedule, please see the sample below.

    First schedule -> Start Record 9.00 am – Auto Finish 9.15 am -> You should setup the next Schedule Ambient Record at 9.20 am.

    3. Also non rooted android, ambient recordings can be done in 15 min or 30 for the extreme version? I have read both as answers. Please help it is urgent for this weekend, thank you!

    Answer: For a non-rooted Android phone, you can record the surroundings using Ambient Record function for 15 minutes at a time. For rooted Android phone, you can record up to 60 minutes at a time, but the recorded file will be split into two files of 30 minutes each in order to speed up the uploading.

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