The days of call recording apps on Android are numbered. Due to Google’s blockade, third-party apps that record calls will have a difficult time starting May 11.
With recent changes, Google is focusing more and more on the privacy of users — Android 13 is more aggressive than ever with permissions, and the current version 12 is also focused on privacy improvements. Now Google is removing any apps that request permission to record phone calls from the Play Store as Google intends to close the final loophole used by developers to create such applications.
Google stated in a developer webinar that a new Play Store policy that prohibits apps from using the Accessibility API for call recording would be implemented soon.
Google has disabled APIs that allow for call recording beginning with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. As a result, developers began to use workarounds, and some of them were blocked in Android 9 Pie, and this option was completely blocked in Android 10. As a result, developers were forced to rely on Android’s Accessibility API. And now, this loophole will be closed soon as well. The change will go into effect on May 11 of this year.
Google has also stated that this change will have no effect on the native call recording features built into smartphones from companies such as Xiaomi, Samsung, and OnePlus. Of course, Google’s restrictions apply only to apps downloaded from Google Play. It will continue to work if we download the APK from an external source.
