Older Pixel Devices Can Now Record Calls Directly in the Phone App

Good news, Android users: It doesn’t matter whether or not you own one of Google’s latest and greatest devices, at least when it comes to recording calls with Google’s Phone app. As spotted by 9to5Google, Google has just opened call recording in its app for Pixel 6 and later. You won’t have access to the Phone app’s latest AI features, but if all you want is a reliable way to record phone calls, you’ll be all set.

Google announced the new rollout in September, calling the ability to record calls a “fundamentally useful feature” even without automatic transcription or note-taking. That’s certainly true: While the idea of ​​recording phone calls may seem nefarious to some, there are plenty of legitimate apps for recording phone calls, from journalists seeking a recording of a phone interview to patients calling their healthcare providers to make sure they’re keeping track of all medical advice and instructions.

Call recording on Android, especially on Google’s Pixel devices, has had a checkered past. Although there was a time when you could download a third-party call recording app without issue, Google has slowly started removing key developer features, like blocking access to microphone recordings. In 2022, the company announced that it was blocking access to Android’s Accessibility API, the primary workaround developers use for their apps, effectively killing the third-party call recorder market. If your phone manufacturer supported call recording in its main app, that was still OK, but otherwise you essentially lost that feature.

With the Pixel 9 and Pixel 10, Google offers a feature called Call Notes, which transcribes and summarizes your calls using Gemini. In addition to these AI improvements, you still receive a recording of the phone call, making these two Pixel series the only ones to have this. That’s why this call recording expansion is so necessary.

Call recording on Pixel is not perfect

There are, however, two key caveats to keep in mind regarding this feature. First, don’t expect to record a call without permission from the other party. Even if you live in an area with only one party’s consent (meaning you don’t need both parties to agree to the recording), Google’s call recorder will announce that it’s about to record the call. Unless the other party is not paying attention, they will know you are recording and may choose to hang up if they feel uncomfortable.

Second, this feature won’t be available to all Pixel users, even if you have the appropriate Pixel device. This feature will only work in regions where call recording is legal, and Google says it will roll out the feature to all countries that support it for the rest of this year. It appears that as of the date of this article, the United States and Canada have this feature, but many other countries do not. If you live in a place where call recording is legal, but you don’t see this feature yet, rest assured: it will probably be rolling out soon.

How to Set Up Call Recording on Pixel

To get started, make sure you’re using a Pixel 6 or newer, running at least Android 14, or a non-Pixel device running at least Android 9. Next, update your Phone app to the latest version.

Now, open the Phone app settings and then head to Call assistance > Call recording. Here you can enable the toggle next to “Enable call recording”. You can also enable “Auto-record calls with non-contacts” if you want the app to start recording whenever someone outside of your contact list calls, or “Auto-record calls with these numbers” to manually select which contacts you want the Phone app to record conversations for. You can choose to automatically delete these recordings after seven, 14, or 30 days, or let them stay on your phone permanently.

However, you can ignore these last two options if you prefer to make recordings on a case-by-case basis. If so, whenever you are on a call, you can choose the Call Assist button to select “Call Recording”. (If this is your first time recording, you’ll need to upload audio files before you can record calls.) When you do, the Phone app will ask you if you want to record the call, which you can accept. There is then a short countdown before the system alerts everyone on the call that it will begin recording. You can stop recording at any time from the Call Assist menu. You will find your new recording in the Home tab.