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Announcing General Availability of <Start><Recording> for Voice Recording

Time to read:

November 10, 2025
Written by
Jessica Rabin
Twilion
Reviewed by
Margot Hughan
Twilion
Michael Carpenter
Twilion
Paul Kamp
Twilion
AI generated summary
  • Start recording inbound/outbound calls instantly with the new TwiML <Start><Recording> verb.
  • Trigger <Start><Recording> at any point in the workflow to capture 100% of call audio.
  • Manage recordings programmatically and integrate Twilio's features like IVR and Conversational Intelligence.

This summary was generated by AI and reviewed by the Twilio team.

Announcing General Availability of for Voice Recording

We’re excited to announce new TwiML for Voice Call recording: <Start><Recording> !

Today, customers can initiate call recording using the Calls or Conference Participants resource or the <Dial> and <Conference> TwiML verbs. Additionally, customers implementing a leave-a-message or voicemail function can record the inbound audio call using the <Record> TwiML verb; however, as a synchronous verb, no other TwiML can be executed while <Record> is taking place. This meant that the only way to start a recording on an in-progress call and continue to programmatically manage that call was by using the Recordings resource. Until now, that is!

With the launch of <Start><Recording>, you can trigger recording at any point during a TwiML workflow – including as the very first TwiML instruction – to capture 100% of the call audio you want in your recording. Now, customers can start recording inbound or outbound calls immediately using TwiML instead of waiting for a callback from the Recordings resource to initiate recording.

How It works

<Recording>, a new TwiML noun, contains the same parameters (attributes) as the Recordings resource. When <Recording> is triggered by the <Start> verb, it provides the ability to create an asynchronous recording using TwiML. Whether your application is receiving or making a call, <Start><Recording> gives the instruction to initiate a recording and will flow onto the next TwiML verb.

Example <Start><Recordings> usage

In this section, I’ll share some examples of how <Start><Recording> can be used in Voice workflows to capture audio and downstream services in one place.

The following TwiML instruction uses <Start><Recording> to begin a dual-channel call recording that includes the <Say> instruction:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Response>
    <Start>
        <Recording channels="dual" recordingStatusCallback = 
"https://example.com/your-callback-url" />
    </Start>
    <Say> The recording has started.</Say>
</Response>

Next, I’ll show how to use <Start><Recording> to begin a dual-channel call recording that includes <Gather> and <Say> instructions to identify why someone is calling, and route them accordingly: 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Response>
   <Start>
      <Recording channels="dual" recordingStatusCallback = 
"https://example.com/your-callback-url" />
    </Start>
          <Gather input="speech input" finishOnKey="#" timeout="5">
             <Say>Welcome to Twilio, please tell us why you're calling or press #0 to be routed to an agent.</Say>
          </Gather>
         <Say>We didn't receive any input. Goodbye!</Say>
</Response>

The following TwiML instruction uses <Start><Recording> that flows to the <Connect> verb with <ConversationRelay> nested within to record and analyze a call using Twilio’s Conversational Intelligence services:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Response>
  <Start>
     <Recording channels="dual" recordingStatusCallback = 
"https://example.com/your-callback-url" />
 </Start>
   <Connect>
     <ConversationRelay url="wss://mywebsocketserver.com/websocket" welcomeGreeting = "Hello, how can I direct your call?" intelligenceService = "GAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa">
     </ConversationRelay>
  </Connect>
</Response>

Once a recording is started using <Start><Recording>, you can stop, pause, or resume the recording by posting to the Recordings resource.

Pricing

Since <Start><Recording> offers the same capabilities as the other Call recording methods, it is priced at the same rate. See details here.

Unlock the power of <Start><Recording>!

Now that there is dedicated TwiML for Voice recording, customers can record their call and use additional Twilio features like <Gather> to record your IVR, or Conversational Intelligence for regulatory recording requirements and QAing transcriptions. To get started, visit the <Recording> documentation for an overview. We can’t wait to see what you build!

Jessica Rabin is a Product Manager at Twilio leading the Voice Recordings product suite. Outside of work, Jessica enjoys practicing balance by staying active and indulging her sweet tooth. Her email address is jrabin [at] twilio.com

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