According to the latest report, many brands of Android phones support a call recording function, which is also integrated into the phone application of Google Pixel mobile phones.
However, due to legal reasons in some regions, not all mobile phones support this feature, but even if the phone does not have this feature, users can install a third-party application from an app store such as google play store to achieve this feature. However, the upcoming Google Play policy changes will kill all third-party call recording apps once and for all.
For years, Google has been gradually killing call recording features on Android systems, and in Android 6.0, Google shut down the official call recording API, which allows developers to easily implant call recording features into their apps. Some app developers then looked for unofficial ways to enable call recording, and Google killed some of these workarounds in Android 9.0. In Android 10, Google completely blocked the recording of calls made through the microphone.
As a last resort, developers began using Android’s accessibility services, which provide call recording on devices running Android 10 and above. Google is now directly announcing that it will not allow third-party apps to record calls using accessibility APIs, which means the complete end of third-party call recording apps.
Google’s updated Play Store policy lists several upcoming changes to the Accessibility API. One of the changes, which will prevent third-party app developers from using the API to record calls, will take effect on May 11.
The Accessibility API is not designed for remote call recording, nor can it be required to record remote calls. At a recent developer webinar, Google clarified that the change would only affect third-party apps.
Don’t worry though, if your phone comes pre-installed with call recording, it will continue to work. This upcoming change will only apply to third-party apps on the Play Store that specifically use the Accessibility API to enable call recording, and Google Phone apps that provide built-in call recording are not affected by this change.
It’s unclear whether Google will kick out third-party apps that don’t meet the changes from the Play Store after the May deadline.