Google to ban all third-party call recording apps on Android from THIS date

New Delhi: Google's Play Store policy has been updated. Some of these modifications will take effect on May 11. The company is barring all third-party call recording apps on its platforms as part of these measures. This implies that, as of May 11, any call recording apps you have installed on your Android smartphone will stop operating.

However, it is unclear how Google intends to carry out this policy. It's unclear whether Google would ban all third-party call recording apps from the Play Store or if it will ask developers to remove their apps.

It should be noted that Google's Play Store Policy was initially disclosed last month. The company had said in a support page announcing the change, "The Accessibility API is not designed and cannot be requested for remote call audio recording."

Last month, the company held a YouTube webinar for all of its developers to help them comprehend the changes. "In this context, remote refers to call audio recording in which the person on the other end is ignorant of the recording. So, if the app is the phone's default dialer and comes pre-loaded, accessibility isn't required to access the incoming audio stream, and the app isn't in breach. The revised phrasing will apply to all apps starting May 11, as this is a clarification to an existing guideline," Google explained in the webinar.

Notably, while Google's platform will prohibit call recording apps beginning May 11, not all call recording apps will be prohibited. This change will not effect any built-in call recording apps accessible as part of the user interface from firms like OnePlus, Xiaomi, or Samsung. This change will not affect Google's own call recording app, which is available on a limited number of smartphones.

Separately, Google requires "personal loan apps in India" to complete additional proof of eligibility requirements, including a copy of their RBI licence and a declaration that they are "not directly engaged in money lending activities and are only providing a platform to facilitate money lending by registered Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) or banks to users."