Impossible to record phone calls for many Android smartphones

Recording phone calls is a privacy-sensitive function. Still, it may be necessary for some, such as journalists who want to make phone calls. Telephone salespeople also need this, but are subject to rules that state that the call is recorded.

Because it is a sensitive function, Google assured that it is not only possible to record conversations on Android. This is very secure so apps cannot record your phone calls unnoticed. Since Android version 10 Google has improved this protection and after that many call recorder apps no longer work.

However, there were some apps that still allowed call recordings using an accessibility option. To record a conversation, the app had to ask for explicit permission, different from normal permissions.

Although he did not specify why, Google announced that from May 11, it will ban apps that use this accessibility feature to record phone calls.

This makes it very difficult for Android users to record phone calls. On Samsung smartphones, such a function is built into the phone application. The phone app on Google Pixel smartphones can also do this, but this feature is only available in some countries. The Netherlands is not one of them. This issue is not a problem for iPhone users.

For non-Samsung smartphones with Android 10 or higher, it will no longer be possible to record phone calls from 11 May. Then via an app. A voice recorder can still record the conversation, provided you make the call through the speakerphone.