It seems that Google is finally rolling out the call recording feature to the masses. Google Phone, which is the default dialer app on Google Pixel & Android One phones, is showing the recording ability. Several Android One users in India have started seeing the “Record” icon showing up in the in-call menu.
It is worth noting that not everybody has received the feature yet. It appears that Google is doing a phased rollout wherein the feature appears for some users and not for others. One thing that is common among the users receiving it is that they are using the latest beta version (47.0.305350684-publicbeta) of the “Google Phone” app available at the Play Store. However, the latest stable version also carries the same version number (47.0.305350684), suggesting that the beta version might not be needed if Google has enabled the feature for the particular device.
Info: To comply with legal requirements, the app will play a short disclaimer “This call is being recorded” to the other side before starting the recording. Similarly, they will be notified when the recording is stopped.
Some users suggested that using a VPN to the US enables the functionality, but that isn’t the case. I have tried on a Nokia 7.2, with and without a VPN; however, the feature did not appear. Hence, the rollout is certainly phased and not available to everybody. So far, users of Nokia phones, including Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 7.2 and Nokia 8.1 have seen the feature while on Android 10.
Update: The feature rollout has also reached my device (Nokia 7.2) with the stable version of Google Phone app. Now, the button to record calls is enabled!
Sources: Nokia Community, TechPakya, Telegram
