BERLIN: Google’s phone app is rolling out a controversial new feature for many Android users: the ability to record ongoing calls. This feature is currently available in the beta version of the app for compatible devices and is gradually being rolled out to more users.
It is not yet known when the new function will be rolled out to all users, however smartphone industry media have already been analysing the new feature and its implications.
Users of the phone app can activate recording during a call via a button. In the settings, they can also specify that certain calls are always recorded.
Recorded calls are accessible via the Home tab in the app, where they can be played back. According to Google, calls are recorded locally on the smartphone and are not uploaded to the cloud.
The duration of time that recordings are saved can be set so frequent callers do not run out of storage.
For now, the beta version of the Phone app is available to all Android users with compatible devices. On Google's Pixel phones, usually the first to get new Android features, at least Android 14 must be installed (the current Android version is Android 16). If you use a device from another manufacturer rather than a Pixel, you must have at least Android 9 installed.
Recording calls: Is it even allowed?
Recording phone calls is highly dependent on local laws. In many countries, recording someone without their explicit consent is illegal.
Previously, recording functions in chat apps with record functions like Zoom have announced to all parties when the conversation or meeting is being recorded.
However Google says it is not enough for the software to audibly announce that the conversation is being recorded, as this does not replace consent.
Without an explicit "Yes, I agree to the recording of the conversation" from the other party, you are on very shaky legal ground.
Many possible scenarios – for example recording arguments with landlords or authorities without permission – are therefore a bad idea. Anyone who does it anyway could run into legal trouble.
It may also be illegal to record a telephone conversation and share it with other people.
In Germany, which has some of the strictest privacy laws in the world, people who break laws against sharing illicit recordings can receive a sentence of up to three years of imprisonment. Even an attempt to break this law is punishable.
In the US and Australia, the laws vary by state, and in some places not all participants on the call need to give their consent. In Canada, you only need to be an active participant on a call to be able to record it.
What about iPhones?
As Google does not offer its own phone app for the iPhone, the ball is now in Apple’s court. Apple has so far been more cautious about giving customers a function that may be legally sensitive.
It is possible to record calls with iPhones, but only in countries where that is permitted. The list of countries where it does not work is correspondingly long and includes the entire European Union. – dpa
