Android has never had the best reputation when it comes to its apps’ security, but Google is trying hard to get rid of the bad apples in its Play Store basket. One particular type of app that it’s been trying to stamp out are call recording apps, which due to privacy and security reasons are understandably being targeted by Google.
In Google’s latest developer program policy update, they write that with regards to their Accessibility API, it is not designed and cannot be used by apps for remote call audio recording. Google further clarifies that the use of the Accessibility API must be on display in the app’s Google Play listing and that the API was designed to support users with disabilities, not use it over other APIs and permissions that may be more fitting. This comes as despite Google having officially blocked call recording functionalities in Android 10 and newer, many call recording apps on the Play Store bypassed this restriction by using the Accessibility API instead.
Google’s new policy on the Accessibility API will take effect from the 11th of May onwards, and developers will have until the 6th of May to comply with their changes. A webinar for developers by Google later touched on the topic too, explaining that the new policy will specifically target apps that record calls without explicitly making it known to the other person on the line; apps may still be able to maintain call recording function if they add a disclaimer and get consent from all parties in a call before recording.
It should be noted though that this will likely not affect system apps that come with your smartphone manufacturer’s Android skin. For instance, Xiaomi devices running MIUI versions that ship with its Xiaomi phone dialer will have an option to record your call, while even the Phone by Google app on the Play Store advertises the ability to record your call still.
“If the app is the default dialer on the phone and also pre-loaded, accessibility capability is is not required to get access to the incoming audio stream, and hence, will not be in violation,” – Google Play developers webinar
We did a quick test of the in-built call recording functions with a Xiaomi Mi 9 and a Redmi 10, where the former still uses the old Xiaomi dialer while the latter uses the Phone by Google dialer instead. As it turns out, both dialers still allow you to record calls, but the Phone by Google dialer will give you a prompt stating that if you choose to record, it will need to let the other person know. If you hit okay, it then gives out an audio warning to both participants that the call is now being recorded. The Mi 9 using the Xiaomi dialer meanwhile doesn’t prompt a warning, simply letting you hit a button to record the call immediately.
Despite the security and privacy issues that come with call recording functionalities, I do want to say that as a writer/journalist who’s had to make a bunch of calls and interviews over the phone, the call recording function has come in pretty handy many times. It will be frustrating to not have a handy feature if you’re using a phone without a native call recording function in its phone dialer, but for legal and privacy-focused reasons I can still understand Google’s reasoning here.
