Google’s Play Store policy has been updated. Some of the changes will go into effect today (May 11). As part of the update, the company prohibits all third-party call recording apps from being used on its platforms.
The new modifications implies that any call recording apps you have installed on your Android smartphone will stop operating.
However, it is unclear how Google intends to carry out this policy and whether Google would ban all third-party call recording apps from the Play Store or if it will ask developers to remove their apps.
Last month, the company held a YouTube webinar for all of its developers to help them comprehend the changes. “In this context, remote refers to call audio recording in which the person on the other end is ignorant of the recording. So, if the app is the phone’s default dialer and comes pre-loaded, accessibility isn’t required to access the incoming audio stream, and the app isn’t in breach. The revised phrasing will apply to all apps starting May 11, as this is a clarification to an existing guideline,” Google explained in the webinar.
Notably, while Google’s platform will prohibit call recording apps, this will not apply to all call recording apps. This change will not affect any built-in call recording apps from companies like OnePlus, Xiaomi, or Samsung that are accessible through the user interface.
This change will have no effect on Google’s call recording app, which is only available on a few smartphones.