How I turned on automatic call recording on my European Samsung (no root, no data loss)

2026-11-01 #samsung#android

Tested in November 2026 on a recent Samsung Galaxy (One UI, Android 17, European multi-CSC firmware).

TL;DR: Use the free SamFw Tool to switch the region code (CSC) from EUX to ILO. The phone reboots, keeps your data, and the Phone app shows “Auto record calls”. If the USB-debugging prompt doesn’t appear, turn off Auto Blocker.

Samsung phones can record calls automatically, and the option is built right into the Phone app. But Samsung hides it depending on the phone’s CSC, the region code baked into the firmware. On European firmware (CSC EUX) the “Auto record calls” switch is simply missing.

Firmware for some regions keeps the feature. One of them is ILO (Israel), which ships inside the same European firmware package, so I switched my phone’s CSC from EUX to ILO. Ten minutes later I had automatic call recording, and nothing on the phone was erased.

Check your local law first. Call recording rules differ by country, and some places require the other party’s consent.

What you need

• A Samsung phone with a multi-CSC firmware that includes the region you want (more below).
• A Windows PC with the Samsung USB driver.
• SamFw Tool (free, from samfw.com). I used version 6.2.
• A full backup of the phone. My data survived, but there’s no guarantee.

Step 1: check that your firmware includes the target region

European Samsung phones usually ship with the “OXM” multi-CSC package, which contains dozens of region codes. With USB debugging on:

adb shell getprop ro.csc.sales_code          # your current region, e.g. EUX
adb shell ls /optics/configs/carriers/single/  # every region your firmware includes

If ILO (or another region with call recording) is in the list, you can switch without flashing anything.

Step 2: enable USB debugging (and the Auto Blocker trap)

Settings → About phone → Software information → tap Build number 7 times → Developer options → USB debugging ON.

Trap: I plugged in the phone and the “Allow USB debugging?” prompt never appeared. The cause was Auto Blocker, Samsung’s security feature that silently blocks USB commands. Fix:

1. Settings → Security and privacy → Auto Blocker → off (you can turn it back on later).
2. Developer options → Revoke USB debugging authorizations.
3. Turn USB debugging off and on, replug the cable, and tap Allow.

Step 3: change the CSC in SamFw

1. Open SamFw Tool and go to the MTP tab. The phone should show up as “SAMSUNG Mobile USB Modem (COMx)”.
2. Click Change CSC.
3. A dialog opens with a “Phone supported CSC” list and an “Or your choice” box. Type ILO (or pick it from the list) and click Change.
4. Stay away from the Factory Reset buttons on the same tab.
5. The phone reboots after about a minute.

When it’s back up, check:

adb shell getprop ro.csc.sales_code   # now ILO

All my apps, photos and settings were still there.

Step 4: turn on auto record

Phone app → ⋮ → Settings → Record calls → Auto record calls → All calls (or only selected numbers). Make a test call. The recording shows up under Record calls → Recorded calls.

Downsides worth knowing

• Samsung Health Monitor (ECG and blood pressure on the Galaxy Watch) isn’t supported on ILO.
• A future firmware update may switch the region back. Re-check after updates.
• Some users report Galaxy AI features acting up until the next update.
• SamFw is a third-party tool, not Samsung’s. Windows Defender may flag it, so download it only from the official site.

Why not root, Shizuku or a recorder app?

Android blocks third-party apps from recording the call audio itself. I tried an approach based on Shizuku (an app that gives other apps extra system permissions), and the phone simply didn’t provide the call audio. Rooting is no longer possible on recent Samsung firmware. The built-in recorder, switched on through the CSC, is the clean option.