If you are an Android user and use third party apps for call recording, then this will not happen from tomorrow. Google has made some changes in the policy of Play Store and these changes will be applicable from tomorrow i.e. 11th May. One of the important changes is to close the call recording apps on the Android platform.
A Reddit user named NLL Apps was the first to notice that this policy change will affect the use of the Accessibility API by app developers. Google said, ‘The Accessibility API is not designed and cannot be requested for remote call recording’. The company had recently clarified the policy in a developer webinar as well.
Google is gradually removing those APIs with the help of which call recording is enabled on different Android versions. The company has cited privacy and security for its decision. Apart from this, due to different rules and regulations for call recording in different countries, this is also being done.
With the new policy of Google coming into effect from May 11, call recording apps will stop working completely. But phones that come pre-installed with call recording apps will not be affected. The company is also implementing the new policy for older Android versions. In Android 10, Google blocked call recording by default. To avoid these restrictions, apps started using the Accessibility API to record calls. But after the implementation of Google’s new policy, this method will also not work.
With the new change in Google’s policy, only third-party call recording apps on the Play Store will stop working. But the call recording feature found in Google Pixel, Xiaomi and other phones will not be affected. As per the update in Google Play policy, if the app on the phone is default dir and comes pre-loaded then accessibility will not be required to access the incoming audio stream. Nor would it be a violation of any kind.
Now it is to be seen whether the developers implement the new policy before the May 11 deadline. Or Google will remove these apps from the Google Play Store due to non-compliance with the terms.