Older Pixel Devices Can Now Record Calls Directly in the Phone App

Good news, Android users: It no longer matters whether or not you have one of Google's latest and greatest devices—at least when it comes to recording calls with Google's Phone app. As spotted by 9to5Google, Google just opened up call recording in its app to Pixel 6 and newer. You won't get access to the Phone app's latest AI features, but if all you want is a reliable way to record phone calls, you'll be set.

Google announced this new rollout back in September, calling the ability to record calls a "fundamentally useful feature," even without transcription or automatic note taking. That's certainly true: While the idea of recording phone calls might strike some as nefarious, there are many legitimate applications for recording phone calls, from journalists seeking a record of an phone interview, to patients calling their healthcare providers to make sure they keep track of all medical advice and instruction.

Call recording on Android—especially on Google's Pixel devices—has had a turbulent past. While there was once a time you could download a third-party call recorder app without issue, Google started slowly taking away key functions from developers, like blocking access to recordings from microphones. In 2022, the company announced that was blocking access to Android's Accessibility API, the main workaround developers used for their apps—effectively killing the third-party call recorder market. If your phone's manufacturer supported call recording in their primary app, that was still OK, but if not, you basically lost this functionality.

With Pixel 9 and Pixel 10, Google offers a feature called Call Notes, which transcribes and summarizes your calls using Gemini. In addition to these AI enhancements, however, you still receive a recording of the phone call, making these two Pixel series the only ones with the capability. That's why this call recording expansion is so necessary.

Call recording on Pixel isn't perfect

There are two key caveats to keep in mind with this feature, however. First, don't expect to record a call without the other party's permission. Even if you live in a region with one-party consent—meaning you don't need both parties to agree to the recording—Google's call recorder will announce that it is about to record the call. Unless the other party isn't paying attention, they will know you're recording—and could choose to hang up the line if they feel uncomfortable.

Second, this feature won't be available to all Pixel users, even if you have the proper Pixel device. This feature will only work in regions where call recording is legal, and Google says it is rolling out the functionality to all countries that support it throughout the rest of this year. It seems as of this article, the United States and Canada have the feature, but many other countries do not. If you live somewhere where call recording is legal, but don't see this feature yet, sit tight: It's likely rolling out soon.

How to set up call recording on Pixel

To start, make sure you're using a Pixel 6 or newer, running at least Android 14, or a non-Pixel device running at least Android 9. Next, update your Phone app to the latest version.

Now, open the Phone app's Settings, then head to Call Assist > Call Recording. Here, you can turn on the toggle next to "Turn on Call Recording." You can also toggle on "Automatically record calls with non-contacts," if you want the app to start recording whenever someone outside your contacts list calls, or "Automatically record calls with these numbers" to manually select contacts you'd like the Phone app to record conversations for. You can choose to automatically delete these recordings after seven, 14, or 30 days, or let them stay on your phone forever.

You can skip those latter two options, however, if you'd rather make recordings a case-by-case basis. If so, whenever you're in a call, you can choose the Call Assist button to select "Call Recording." (If this is your first recording, you'll need to download some audio files before you're able to record calls.) When you do, the Phone app will ask if you'd like to record the call, which you can agree to. There is then a short countdown before the system alerts everyone on the call that it will begin recording. You can stop the recording at any time from the Call Assist menu. You'll find your new recording in the Home tab.

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