Do we have the right to record the calls we make? Google thinks not freely, and therefore disables all call recording apps in the Android Play store from next May 11, although the truth is that the date has already been postponed and warns developers of the upcoming change.
The reason the company took this measure is privacy and it can’t be more contradictory, given that Google is one of the biggest black holes when it comes to privacy on the Internet. It’s also weird because it will be easier to maintain text and voice conversations through certain applications than through mobile calls.
However, if Google’s new policy is inconsistent, it’s because its dialing and calling application, Google Phone, will enable this feature … with nuances, as it initially focuses only on the optional recording of calls received from unknown numbers, and in any case all participants will always be notified.
How will it be restrictions on using a third-party Accessibility API, created to develop features for people with disabilities, but “abused” by Google to facilitate secret call recording. “The Accessibility API is not designed to record the sound of remote calls and cannot be required for this purpose,” the company explains on the appropriate help page.
But all this will definitely change from next month, although Google’s efforts to limit call recording capacity are coming from afar. With the release of Android 6, various features related to this functionality were disabled, and Android 10 eliminated the use of a microphone to record calls. All that remained was to cover the gap provided by the Accessibility API.
However, the API will not disappear because it will continue to be used by applications that need it, and fortunately android is not ios and installing applications from third-party stores – always with a little caution, just in case – is available to everyone, so if you don’t take any additional action, you can skip the above restriction.
However, the question is why Google is so hypocritical when it comes to privacy. It’s nice that you care about your users, and no one violates the other person’s privacy, but you could set a little example for a change.
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