Is it the generic message that most people hear when they call someone that's unavailable, or was it a custom message created specifically for that phone ?.

I can't see any of your replies to whether you checked if said phone had (or not) a (3.5mm) headphone jack ?. But seeing as you have said that you were unable to locate the file on the phone (which it wouldn't be anyway), there isn't really any point venturing down this route.

It's a custom message. I don't know about the 3.5mm, because I haven't even looked at the phone (it's not mine), but it's an iPhone, and a relatively old version I think (like 6 or something). Why wouldn't there be any point to it though? I was under the impression that this is the port I'd need to use if I want to make the phone seem like a microphone to the PC, so that I can record through it, if I understand correctly.

You need any phone that allows for recording phone calls, then you need to call the number with message you want, record it and you'll have it in file. This message is not stored anywhere in phone memory, as was already stated at very beginning of this thread.

Depending on what is actually the point of this whole operation, it could be actually easier to just record the new identical/similar message.

That's what I thought, but unfortunately, it would be impossible to reproduce the file, so I need the original.

I also learned that supposedly there's an app that can record sound in the phone (though I'm not sure whether it just records the sound that the phone plays, or records ambient sound in the environment), so I wonder if it might be easier to just use that to record it, and then get some storage device to save the file and put it on a PC, but I'm not sure what kind of device that would be. Would this be a better or worse way to do it, and does anyone know what kind of storage device to use?

Can't you use a USB OTG adapter and then just use a flash drive?

Or have apple locked down that functionality too? (given their history, it seems like the type of thing they would do)

This some storage device is the phone you use for recording from which you transfer files to PC. It doesn't need to be iPhone if you have access to anything else and using iTunes is too complicated.

I divided my suggestion in 2 parts. I wish it helps you.

Part 1 — Master your recorder.
— Choose a recorder. Another smartphone, a tablet, a pc, a journalist recorder. Consider your options.
— Identify the location of its microphone.
— Familiarize with its recording process, settings, volume. Practice doing some recording tests of your own voice. Find the sweet spot.
— Important, identify where the recordings are saved.

Part 2 — Recording.
— Find a quiet place.
— Ask a friend with a quality cell to call the number and activate its speaker while ringing. Consider adjusting its volume once the speaker is activated.
— Approach the speaker to the microphone of the recorder you prepared. Consider the feedback noise if the speaker and microphone get closer.
— Start recording. Stop it when the message finishes.
— Listen the recording.
— Repeat the part 2 steps doing adjustments until you get a satisfying recording to your ears.
— Invite to your good friend to lunch to celebrate the victory.

I changed to Android long time ago. The main reason, how restrictive Apple is, and here we have an example. The iPhone used to save the files by app and every app being responsible to provide you ways to pull those files. As you can imagine, not every app provided ways, and if they existed, they could be different in many cases. Images and texts were kind of easy to share by email, messages, even using the clipboard or Bluetooth. Videos and sounds, not so much.

And the last reason to my suggestion. It is not strange the greetings voice messages are stored by your phone network operator.

Apple discussions always perplex me. Its like going to the mafia and paying them to violate you and strip you of your freedom and dignity. Then act surprised it happened.

It's stand for 'On The Go', and is a cable (with a full-sized USB female connector at one end) that attaches to a devices USB/Lightning port and allows the user to attach standard supported USB peripherals, such as hard drives, memory sticks, mice, keyboards etc.

Can you not record it using you own phone or PC, and then email it to the iPhone owners email account ?.

And most that don't own one, know all to well, and can see why... ;)

I don't think I could record using my phone, because I have a land line and a flip phone which may not even be able to do that, and if it could, I'd have no idea how to get the file onto a PC. As for recording directly into a PC, there's an idea, but then wouldn't I have to call the phone using the PC? I've never done that before; it's possible, right?

Ah!, had no idea you only owned a dumb feature phone ?, well, scratch that idea then.

Would it not be better if the iPhone owner found someone more competent and technically equipped (hardware wise) to help them with their issue, considering the issue happens to be pretty niche ?.

No, more than likely you want a 3.5mm to 3.5mm jack. For phones and headsets you'd have up to 3 connections (stereo plus mic) but some are just stereo or even mono.

Anyways, all sound SHOULD go through the line; plug that into your computer under 'mic', do a test to see if you can play music or sounds and the computer pick it up, then put it on record, call up to your voice mail (or whatever you're getting) and play the message(s). Once done clip apart to individual files and save.

Alright, that sounds like probably the best way. Thanks.