How to Record a Podcast on Your Phone (Solo and Two Voices)

The short version

Record in a small, soft room, with the fans and the fridge off.
For two people, put each phone or mic close to its own speaker, not one phone between you.
Record a few seconds of room tone before the episode starts, for cleanup later.
Keep the raw file and clean a copy.

The setup that matters most

Pick the quietest room you have and make it softer: a rug, curtains, a sofa, and clothes on a rail behind you. Sit at a table with the phone on a stand, about a hand’s width from your mouth and a little off to the side. A phone lying flat on a table picks up every knock and echo, so lift it.

Two people on two phones

One phone in the middle of a table records both voices, but the nearer person is always louder. Two phones, each close to its own speaker, give you two clean tracks. Record each phone on its own and line the two files up afterwards by the clap at the start: clap once, loudly, at the start of both recordings.

Settings

Use the highest quality the recorder offers, usually a lossless or high-bit-rate format. Turn on any "do not disturb" mode so a call does not cut into the take, and close background apps that use the microphone.

Before you hit record

Record ten seconds of silence with everyone quiet. This room tone is the sound a noise cleaner learns from. Then do a short test and listen back on headphones.

After the episode

Keep the raw recordings. Clean a copy with the phone cleanup steps, level the two voices, and export once at a loudness target. The budget podcast guide covers the rest of the chain.