The dialer app on Android phones will soon get a call recording feature, that will allow users to record all calls from pre-selected numbers. According to a tweet by YouTuber Harshit Bhatia, the company has already enabled the feature for some users. Bhatia shared screenshots of the feature, though we didn’t find it when we downloaded the app on a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. It’s possible that the feature is being rolled out via a phased update process, something Google follows for updates that will go out to Android users at large. The Google Dialer app, usually known as Phone by Google, is usually available on smartphones with stock Android operating systems.
Automatic Call Recording now available on Google Dailer.
if your device has Call Recording you can enable automatic Call Recording
but Google will still tell call is being recorded. pic.twitter.com/yG6coZJAF7
— Harshit Bhatia (@harshitbhatia81) April 9, 2021
How to enable automatic call recording on Google Dialer
It’s unclear whether Google will make the call recorded an automatic feature, though it’s unlikely that it will do so. Enabling is pretty simple though. Just follow the following steps.
- Open the dialer on your phone.
- Navigate to settings from the three dot menu on the top right.
- The screenshots shared in the tweet suggest that the call recording option will be available in settings and can be turned on from there.
- It also seems like you will have to pre-select numbers for which calls should be recorded automatically.
What to remember while recording calls
Call recording apps on Android have been rendered more or less useless over the past few iterations of the operating system. That’s because call recording is often illegal in some countries, or have specific regulatory hurdles. In fact, Google’s new feature will inform you off the same when you turn the feature on. Depending on where you are in the world, call recording may require consent from the person on the other line as well. It’s unclear how Google will enforce this, though the company does tell users to use the feature “responsibly”. But we know how such warnings always work out, don’t we?
Having the ability to record calls can be useful for many users though. For instance, many journalists choose their phones based on this feature. Companies like Samsung etc. do have the feature built into their default dialer apps as well, so Google may just be playing catch up in a way.
