Android: Google will stop all call recording apps

Google is stopping the ability of third-party apps to record incoming calls. As the developers of the Android mobile operating system recently announced, the specifications for apps from the Play Store are changing in terms of accessibility features.

As the Reddit user NLL apps noted, Google recently changed the Play Store rules for apps that affect the scope of the so-called Accessibility API by app developers. The new specifications state that the Accessibility API is not intended to record audio from incoming calls and can therefore no longer be used for this purpose.

Only the dialers supplied by the manufacturer may continue to record

Anyway, Google has reduced call recording capabilities in recent versions of Android. In Android 10, the so-called “call recording” was initially generally blocked, after which some developers of apps from the Play Store withdrew the Accessibility API to restore the functionality of their recording apps. If the new regulations come into effect on May 11, 2022, this alternative option will no longer apply. The apps that work with this method then lose their functionality.

However, the change does not mean that it will definitely no longer be possible under Android to record conversations. There is one more exception. The included dialer apps can continue to record calls on compatible smartphones. If the app is the default dialer on the affected device and shipped from the factory, access to the accessibility interfaces is not necessary to access the incoming audio stream, Google said in a webinar on the changed Play Store policy.