The ability to record calls before smartphones was something only businesses and government could afford. While there is debate about the privacy implications of recording a call in a personal context, it can prove useful to be able to record a call.
As such, many developers have released some sort of call recording app over the years, but in May, they may all disappear from the Google Play Store.
This was highlighted by makers of the Call Record – ACR app for Android, NLL on Reddit earlier this week.
“Google have been working to stop call recording on Android for some time. They have blocked access to real call recording on Android 6 and completely blocked call recording over the microphone on Android 10. In response, apps started using Accessibility Service to record calls on Android 10 and above,” the account which purports to be from NLL reports.
But this loophole will now be closed thanks to an update in the Google Play policy for its Accessibility API.
Apps that are meant to improve accessibility will still be able to make use of the IsAccessibility Tool, but Google expressly highlights call recording apps in its update.
“The Accessibility API is not designed and cannot be requested for remote call audio recording. The use of the Accessibility API must be documented in the Google Play listing,” the firm said in its update.
NLL says that by banning call recorders from existing on Android, those who need them will likely seek out apps from unknown or untrusted sources, and we can see this happening.
The ability to record a call is useful and sure, there can be arguments made about the legality of secretly recording calls but last we checked, Google was not a lawmaker and evidence can be thrown out of legal matters if it was improperly obtained.
We’re not sure what Google’s play is here aside from making phone calls harder to record for ordinary citizens. That having been said, NLL appears to be setting up its own independent shop to offer this functionality without Google’s help and we suspect more call recording devs will follow.
