This Pixel Bug Leaked Audio to Incoming Callers, and Google’s Fix Might Not Be Enough

A recent Google Pixel feature allegedly turns on the microphone when it’s not supposed to, and Google finally admitted there was a bug. Reports started as early as last September and gained traction last week, and now Google has removed the feature on some older phones.

Called “Take a Message,” the buggy feature launched last year and is supposed to automatically transcribe voicemails as they come in, as well as detect and mark unwanted calls. Unfortunately, according to reports from several users on Reddit (as initially spotted by 9to5Google), the feature has started activating the microphone when receiving voicemails, allowing whoever leaves you a voicemail to hear you. Audio leaks are bad in any circumstance, but they must be especially annoying if you’re trying to pretend you’re not there.

Affected users have found that while the caller can hear the audio of the person receiving the voicemail, there is no indication on the recipient’s end that their audio can be heard, other than the green microphone light may illuminate.

The issue has been reported affecting Pixel devices ranging from Pixel 4 to Pixel 10, and on a recent support page, Google is finally acknowledging it. However, the company’s action might not be enough, depending on how careful you want to be.

According to community manager Siri Tejaswini, the company has “investigated this issue” and confirmed that it “affects a very small subset of Pixel 4 and 5 devices in very specific and rare circumstances.” The post doesn’t go further on the how and why of the diagnosis, but does say that Google is now disabling Take a Message and “next-gen call screen features” on these devices.

Next-generation call screen is a separate feature that allows Google’s AI to ask a caller their name and the purpose of their call before taking a message. No bugs have been reported, but Google says it disabled both features out of “an abundance of caution.”

While this should prevent the issue from appearing for users of these phones, it is a bit of a cumbersome solution. I contacted Google to check if Take a Message is only temporarily removed while the company fixes the bug, or if it will disappear permanently. In the meantime, Tejaswini says Pixel 4 and 5 owners will still be able to use manual and automatic call screening, which provide basic spam protection. The post also suggests that affected users can rely on all call screening features provided by their mobile carriers.

How to Disable Take a Message on Your Pixel Phone

While it’s encouraging that Google is taking action against the Take a Message bug, the company only seems to recognize it for the Pixel 4 and Pixel 5 models, at least for now. I asked Google if owners of other Pixel models should be concerned, as user reports seem mixed on this point. Still, as some have mentioned an issue with even the most recent Pixel phone, if you want to be on the safe side, it might be worth turning off Take Message on your device, regardless of its model number.

To do this, open your Phone application, then tap the icon three line menu icon at the top left of the page. Go to Settings > Call assistance > Take a messageand disable the feature.