As of May 11, creating apps that enable call recording on Android will become impossible. Existing solutions will disappear from the Play Store.

The issue of call recording on Android is complicated, because Google itself seems to be very indecisive. Even before the release of Android 6 Marshmallow, the company was said to have seen users’ need, and visible proof of that was Then let the API. However, later, and more specifically since the release of Android 9 Pie, the consumer-friendly policies made a bit of a coup. First, the creation of alternative functions is blocked, and finally, with Android 10, third-party applications are completely blocked Access to the microphone during calls.

However, the developers have found a clever solution to the lock. More specifically, they used the functions available in the class AccessibilityService API, i.e. a small portal officially left with the needs of people with disabilities in mind. Unfortunately for those involved, these scams will soon cease to be effective. As Google announced, on May 11, new regulations for programmers will come into effect, which is categorical It is forbidden to bypass device settings, including privacy preferences, as well as changes to the user interface through the Accessibility Service. Applications do not comply with the guidelines they will disappearwith one exception.

Despite the announcement of Play Store cleaning, smartphone manufacturers It will still be able to exploit this vulnerability in pre-installed software. It must be understood that communication devices that enable call recording, which are used, for example, by Realme and Xiaomi, will still be in use. And of course they will be able to connect them to phones steadily.

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Google bans call recording – why?

Why did Google decide to fight call recording? – You will ask. we do not know. The company does not explain this, although looking at A liberal approach to factory applicationsOne can conclude. Specifically, it is possible that the company is afraid of GDPR and twinning laws, which are imposed if a conversation is recorded Read information About this fact by the parties concerned. Meanwhile, when the app is pre-installed and not downloaded from the Play Store, the device manufacturer is responsible for it, not Google. So in Mountain View, their hands are clean and you don’t have to worry about potential legal issues.

Anyway, the scenario that assumes there are legal problems is more credible as it is In beta versions of Android 11 class back ACCESS_CALL_AUDIO, which, as the name suggests, allows you to record calls. It unexpectedly disappeared from the final version. And not because of the mood swings in the company, but because of the intervention of the legal department.

Unfortunately, all this means – except for the factory connection cases – that the era of easy call recording on Android is coming to an end. You can of course install Apps outside the Play StoreBut it is indeed a form of risk. Especially in the context of giving them access to the microphone. You can also delve into purely artificial techniques, such as using hands-free mode and a voice recorder. However, let’s face it, nothing can replace the ease of downloading a single app.

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Text source: Google, editor. king