Google removes apps that record calls from Play Store

As of May 11, apps whose function is to record calls will no longer be allowed in the Google Play Store. The new policy announced by Google restricts the use of accessibility-oriented APIs, which were sometimes used as an alternative to enabling voice chat recording.

Original apps or apps developed by you The Google With the recording functionality it will not be restricted in any way after the implementation of the new policy. The problem, as explained by Google’s head of content operations, Moon Choi, was that conversations could be recorded without proper permission from the other person on the call, whereby adopting the Accessibility API allowed complete discretion.

“If the app is the default dialer on the phone and is also native, then the accessibility feature will not be necessary to access the incoming audio stream. Therefore, it will not violate the new rule. Since this is a clarification of an existing policy, the new rule will take effect for other apps. Effective May 11,” the executive explained.

So, if your default dialer app offers call recording tool, don’t worry, it won’t lose this feature. However, if the registration was done through an app you downloaded from the Play Store, it may not be available after the deadline.

bad for the consumer

On Reddit, users criticize Google’s arbitrary decision to limit call recording to its own apps only. “I think a blanket blocking approach in the name of user privacy is not good for the consumer. Call recording is a valid need for many people and businesses,” one user said in a post.

Android allows sideloading – that is, installing apps outside the Google Store – so it wouldn’t be impossible to download and install recording apps on your phone. However, this puts users at risk of downloading from external sources, especially when the store’s restriction is known to criminals.

An interesting solution, but absent since Android 11, was the recording start sound. In the same Reddit post, the user recalled that the Android 11 beta would “beep” as soon as the call recording started, but the feature was not preserved in the latest version of the operating system.

source: redditAnd 9to5GoogleAnd The Google