Starting next month, May 11, 2022, the Google Play Store will start killing “remote” call recording apps. Remote refers to the fact that the person on the other end of the call does not know that you are recording the conversation. Obviously, the implications of this are far-reaching when you consider each state’s or country’s policy regarding the consent of one or two people for recordings like this, as they vary.
If an app that records conversations is the default on the phone because it was preloaded by the manufacturer, it will still be allowed to work, as those companies have presumably gone through the channels to implement them, with the understanding that those features will be available at all levels for their users.
However, third-party apps from the Play Store that perform this feature are not used by everyone by default, so the understanding that one might be recorded while speaking is not assumed. When asked if this update will affect all apps or just those targeting Android 12, a developer seen in the video below then clarified that it would be the first.
This change was first posted to Android Subreddit by user NLL-APPS and later reported by Android Authority. Google removed APIs that let users record others without their consent in recent versions of Android, but now it’s going to be tough.
At this time, we don’t know if the company will start removing or hiding apps that violate this new rule when the time comes, or if it will strongly encourage developers to comply first, but one thing is. safe. , and it’s the fact that Google is determined to clean up its Store with these changes because it’s been something of a Wild West for too long, just like the Chrome Web Store!
Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever recorded your phone call without your consent, or ask every time you have a vital conversation with someone. The fact that apps like this have been around for so long and have gone unchecked baffles me, but I’m glad to see changes in the works that will radically uproot them. At the same time, I don’t want carriers or big tech companies like Google to be the only ones who can have such features, because that creates a monopoly, and they’re generally not good at respecting user privacy either. , so we will see over time how it plays out.
