Cell phone experts - important question

[Flaxbee]

Can a skilled technical person download and listen to phone conversations from the cell phone's memory?

I know texts are available, but what about actual verbal conversations?

[Paulie]

1. No, voice conversations are not stored on the phone

The metadata is there: time, number called, duration of call.

The cell company could record them as they would need to under wiretap laws.

Someone with the right equipment could capture and decrypt the digital calls, that's a bit more effort and if I remember correctly requires them to become the cell tower near by with their own repeater.

Easier to put a recorder in the same room as the caller.

[Jenoch]

2. Back when cellular telephone service was analog

it was possible to eavesdrop on cell phone conversations as long as the person on the phone was staytionary. With digitial cellular service the equipment is much more comicated and not generally available.