Any app that uses the Accessibility API to record phone calls would be impacted by this flaw.
Is it possible to record phone calls using a third-party app? It’s soon to be too late for you. On May 11, Google is updating its developer regulations to delete all of these applications. Call recording applications have been using a workaround via the Accessibility API since Android 10 was released. Google has now made the decision to take action against this practise.
A recent policy change has been brought to our attention by Reddit member NLL Apps (via Android Authority). He elaborated on the present state of affairs. Google has been making it harder and harder to record phone calls for years, but with Android 10, the firm imposed a particularly irksome limitation on customers. It was for this reason that third-party applications began to use the Accessibility service workaround.
An ambiguous grey area exists in the recording of phone calls. States in the United States and countries throughout the globe have different laws governing it. Google’s tougher position on Android data privacy and security with Android 12 made it inevitable that this day would come. “The Accessibility API is not intended and cannot be requested for remote call audio recording,” it said clearly.
Since the wild west days of Android, the platform has become much more open than it was. You may not have known this, but iPhones do not support native call recording.
As a side note, some of the top Android phones will still be able to record phone calls since they don’t depend on the Accessibility API, but rather on pre-installed dialler apps.
It’s not illegal to use an app that’s set as the phone’s default dialler and pre-installed since accessibility capabilities aren’t needed to access the audio stream when a call comes in.
There is no way for us to tell whether or not this policy change is a good or negative one. In one sense, Android is known for its openness. It makes sense for Google to restrict call recording since it’s such a complex issue.
We don’t know how your experience will alter if you’re using a third-party call recording software on May 11. Developers may be given the opportunity to update their apps in conformity with the new rules, or Google may simply remove them from the Play Store on the 11th.