Google reportedly goes down heavily on third parties call recording apps on Android smartphones. As of May 11, app developers will not be able to offer the call recording feature through third-party apps. The company has recently made some changes to its Google Toy store Politics and one of these aims to kill apps for recording calls on Android. Under the new policy, apps are no longer allowed to use the Accessibility API to record calls in the Play Store.
What this means for Android smartphone users
This means that Android smartphone users using a smartphone without a built-in call recorder will not be able to record calls after May 11th. However, the new policy changes, first discovered by a Reddit user NLL Apps, only affect third-party party recording apps. The built-in call recording function will still work as usual. So if a user’s smartphone has a built-in option to record calls, he / she can continue to use it. This means they can record calls, but not with a third-party app. The phones that offer call recording are Xiaomi, some Samsung and Google Pixel phones. This is because system apps can get any permission as they are pre-installed on the phone.
The search giant has been working to stop recording calls on Android devices for some time. It blocked access to real-time recording of calls on Android 6 and restricted further recording of calls over the microphone on Android 10. However, call recording apps started using the Accessibility Service to record calls on Android 10 and later versions. Google has also clarified the policy changes in its developer seminar. “If the app is the default caller on the phone and also preloaded, availability is not required to access the incoming audio stream and therefore will not be in conflict,” the presenter said during the webinar, explaining Google Play policy updates.
The changes were first discovered by a Reddit user NLL Apps. According to the amendment log, the ban includes:
* Two-way true call recording including Bluetooth / headphones
* Recording calls from microphone or speaker
* Silent sound recording
android: Google kills call recording apps: Android users will not be able to record calls after this day – Times of India
