Are phone calls encrypted?
No. Normal phone calls are only encrypted between your phone and the cell network, so your carrier can listen. Carriers can also be ordered by a court to intercept calls.
Checked on 25 October 2026 against 5 sources.
Made by Secria. We grade every app by the same rules. How we check
- One-to-one callsYour carrier can read itCalls are encrypted over the air between your phone and the network, but not end to end, so your carrier can hear them.3, 2
- Group callsYour carrier can read itConference calls go through your carrier's network in the same way.2
- RecordingsNot offeredRecordings are made by your phone, not your carrier: on iPhone, they're saved in the Notes app.5
- Post-quantumNot yetNormal calls aren't end-to-end encrypted, so there is no post-quantum protection for them as of 25 October 2026.
- Who holds the keys
- Your carrier's network sets up the encryption on the radio link, and the call is open inside the network.
- What Your carrier can still see
- Everything: the call itself, plus who you call, when and for how long.
Email is worth checking next: Gmail, Outlook and iCloud Mail can all read your mailbox. See which email services can.
Are normal phone calls encrypted?
Only part of the way. On 4G networks, calls (VoLTE) are encrypted on the radio link between your phone and the network3. That isn't end to end: once the call reaches your carrier, it's open, so the carrier can hear it2.
Apps such as FaceTime work differently. The call is sealed on your phone and only opened on the other person's, and Apple says it can't intercept FaceTime calls4.
Can my carrier or the police listen to my calls?
Your carrier can. In the US, for example, the law requires carriers to be able to intercept calls when a court orders it2. The same law says carriers don't have to unlock encryption you add yourself, only encryption they provide2.
In December 2024, the US cyber agency CISA said hackers linked to China's government had broken into phone networks, stolen call records and reached some people's private communications. It advised people likely to be targeted to use only end-to-end encrypted apps1.
How do I make a private phone call?
Call over an app that seals calls by default. CISA suggests an end-to-end encrypted app such as Signal, which also does voice and video calls1. FaceTime calls are end-to-end encrypted too, and Apple says it has no way to decrypt them4.
Both people need the app, and the call has to go through the app, not the normal phone dialer.
How Phone calls compares
Sorted by how many parts are sealed by default, then by how many can be. Ties go A to Z.
Sources
- Mobile Communications Best Practice Guidance, CISA. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- 47 U.S. Code § 1002, Assistance capability requirements, Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Call Me Maybe: Eavesdropping Encrypted LTE Calls With ReVoLTE, USENIX Security 2020 (Rupprecht, Kohls, Holz and Pöpper). Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Legal Process Guidelines: Government & Law Enforcement within the United States, Apple. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Record and transcribe a call on iPhone (Personal Safety User Guide), Apple. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
Changes to this answer
- First published.