Due to changes to Google’s Accessibility API policy, the company plans not only to severely restrict app sideloading in Android 13 but also affect third-party call recording apps on Google Play. Reddit user NLL-Apps pointed out that Google’s newly revised Play Store policy will take effect from tomorrow (May 11), when all call recording apps will be ruthlessly removed from the shelves.
In a recent developer webinar, Google explained some of this, that the Accessibility/Accessibility API was not designed for this purpose. The reasons given are due to privacy and security considerations (the legal requirements vary in different market regions) and have been quietly removing the call recording API on multiple Android system versions.
For example, on Android 10, Google blocked call recording by default. But in order to bypass this limitation, many third-party apps began to think of calling the Accessibility API to implement call recording. Unfortunately, Google’s stance on killing third-party call recording apps is quite firm, and it has set a deadline of May 11.
If you really need this function, please try to use the call recording function that comes with your phone (such as Google Pixel/ Xiaomi and other brand devices). The original words of the developer webinar host are:
“If the native dialer app has pre-provided call recording functionality, it does not require the Accessibility API to access incoming audio and is therefore not against Google Play’s new policy.”