17 years after its launch, Apple released iOS 18.1, the beta version of its iPhone operating system, on Oct. 28. The most notable feature of this update is Apple’s first official support for call recording in South Korea. 

Apple previously had not provided a call recording feature due to privacy concerns over sensitive information, leaving users to rely on third-party apps. As criticisms grew harsher, Apple introduced the call recording option that allows users to simply press a record button in the top-left corner during a call.

Consumers have expressed mixed reactions to this new update. The controversy centered around the “recording notification” feature, which notifies users when a call recording begins and ends.

While many expressed concerns that this feature defeats the very purpose of recording, others applauded Apple for prioritizing privacy and transparency in its design.

“Call recording can be a problem of privacy and could be an issue for some individuals, but this feature of notification prevents that violation,” Kevin Kim (10), an iPhone user, said. “As this notification can actually tell when someone is recording secretly, I would be more careful with what I say and when I should do that.”