From May 11, Google bans call recording apps

Google Play's support page has just issued a new notice, saying: "The Accessibility API is not designed for, and cannot be requested for, remote call recording." This ban from Google will take effect on May 11, the first day of the Google I/O event.

And since these APIs are used as a workaround to enable remote call recording, apps that use them will no longer be listed on the Play Store. Of course, these policy changes only affect third-party apps on the Play Store. Many default dialer apps like Google Phone, Mi Dialer, etc. have their own built-in call recording functionality on specific devices like Pixel and Xiaomi smartphones that will not be affected.

Google did not provide a clear reason for the new ban. Many jurisdictions require consent from one or more call participants to begin recording, but if consent is granted, recording is perfectly legal and useful.

So, in essence, this means that if you can record calls using the dialer app that comes pre-installed on your device, there will be no problem changing it. However, if you are using an app downloaded from the Google Play Store, it may not be able to record calls in the future.

Android's accessibility APIs are incredibly powerful and allow all sorts of control over the Android operating system. Google has previously said that it would prefer that accessibility APIs be used only by apps for people with disabilities. But that doesn't mean that many power user apps still plug into accessibility APIs.

Google tried to remove apps from the Accessibility API by supporting a few specific use cases with an official API, but that plan was eventually abandoned. Now, the tech giant has banned all call recording apps from the Play Store, a simple and effective solution.

According to Science and Technology