Good news for Android users: It no longer matters if you have one of Google's latest and greatest devices—at least when it comes to recording calls using the Google Phone app. As noted by 9to5GoogleGoogle has just opened up call recording in its app for Pixel 6 and newer. You won't get 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 ready.
Google announced this new release back in Septembercalling the ability to record conversations a “fundamentally useful feature,” even without transcription or automated note-taking. This is certainly true: While the idea of recording phone conversations may seem nefarious to some, there are plenty of legitimate phone recording apps out there, from journalists wanting to record 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 Pixel devices, has a turbulent past. While you were once able to easily download a third-party call recording app, Google has slowly started taking away key features from developers, such as blocking access to microphone recordings. In 2022The company announced that it was blocking access to the Android Accessibility API, a major workaround that developers used for their apps, effectively wiping out the market for third-party call recorders. If your phone manufacturer supported call recording in their main app, that's still fine, but if not, you've pretty much lost that functionality.
On the Pixel 9 and Pixel 10, Google offers a Call Notes feature that transcribes and summarizes your calls using Gemini. However, in addition to these AI improvements, you still get phone call recording, making these two Pixel series the only ones to have this capability. That's why this call recording extension is so necessary.
Call recording on Pixel isn't perfect
However, there are two key caveats to consider when using this feature. First, don't expect to record a conversation without the other person's permission. Even if you live in a one-way consent region (meaning you don't need both parties to consent to recording), Google's call recorder will announce that it's about to record the call. If the other person isn't paying attention, they'll know you're recording and may hang up if they feel uncomfortable.
Second, this feature won't be available to all Pixel users, even if you have an eligible Pixel device. The feature will only work in regions where call recording is legal, and Google says it will expand the feature to all countries that support it by the end of this year. According to this article, the US and Canada have this feature, but many other countries do not. If you live somewhere where call recording is legal but don't see this feature yet, sit tight: it's probably coming soon.
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How to set up call recording on Pixel
First, make sure you're using a Pixel 6 or later running Android 14 at a minimum, or a third-party device running Android 9 at a minimum. Then update the Phone app to the latest version.
Now open the Phone app settings, then go to Call for help > Call recording. Here you can turn on the toggle next to “Enable Call Recording.” You can also turn on “Automatically record calls with people without contacts” if you want the app to start recording whenever someone outside your contact list calls, or “Automatically record calls with these numbers” to manually select the contacts for whom you want the Phone app to record conversations. You can automatically delete these entries after seven, 14, or 30 days, or keep them on your phone forever.
However, you can skip these last two options if you prefer to take notes on a case-by-case basis. In this case, whenever you are on a call, you can click the Call Assist button and select Call Recording. (If this is your first recording, you'll need to download some audio files before you can record calls.) When you do, the Phone app will ask if you want to record the call, which you can agree to do. There is then a short countdown before the system alerts everyone on the call that recording has begun. You can stop recording at any time from the Call Assist menu. You'll find the new entry in the Home tab.
