Come May, Google will update its policy that will ban third-party call recording apps from getting listed on the Play Store.
The new and updated Google Play Store Policy will come into effect from May 11. Under the new policy, reported earlier by Ars Technica, call recording will not be allowed using Google’s accessibility APIs. This is part of the tech giant’s efforts to crack down on apps that use Android’s accessibility APIs for non-accessibility reasons. For third party apps, the accessibility APIs are the only way to record calls on Android.
Google had designed the accessibility APIs to help people with disabilities using its devices and software and not for call-recording purposes, the tech giant told CNET in a statement. Google had earlier said it wanted to consider “responsible and innovative uses of accessibility services.”
Users will, however, continue to have access to them although call-recording apps will be banned from Google’s app store. This is because the Android operating system is an open one that lets its users access apps from other stores as well, unlike Apple’s iOS. Known as sideloading, the practice is, however, unsafe for consumers as it opens them to potential security and privacy risks, believe experts.
Meanwhile, Samsung and Xiaomi smartphones that offer built-in call recording functionalities will be able to continue with the services. This means if the customer is using a Samsung or Xiaomi phone with their own custom diallers, he will be able to still record the same way as earlier.
Clearing the air at a recent developer webinar, Google had said the policy will not affect apps with native call recording functionality.
“Many default dialer apps like the Google Phone, Mi Dialer, and more have native call recording functionality built in on specific devices. Those default dialer apps on devices such as Pixel and Xiaomi smartphones will not be affected by the change,” 9to5Google reported.
