Google has previously not been in favor of allowing its Pixel handsets record phone calls. This reservation on the part of Google seems to be undergoing a sea change. A week and a half ago, Google updated its support page. Previously, the company had made it clear that you could not use a Pixel handset to record a phone call. Now, the support page says that Pixel 6 phones and later running Android 14 and later can record phone calls, but users must follow the following requirements:
This feature is not available in all markets
The Phone by Google app on the phone must be the latest version available from the Play Store and can be installed from the Android app storefront by tapping on this link. And the most important requirement is this: “You must be in a country or region where call recording is supported. Call Recording is widely available, but not in all countries or regions. Features vary based on your country or region.”
Your Pixel phone can be set to always record calls from unknown numbers, always record calls from selected contacts, or record an individual call. Google lets you know on the support page that only certain devices and carriers support recording calls. Keep in mind that some laws require all people on a call to consent to being recorded. Before the call begins, call participants are notified that the call is being recorded. Recordings are stored locally on the device and can be set to be deleted automatically after a set time has passed. When the recording has stopped, both parties receive a notification stating that the call is no longer being recorded.
How you can find the directions to run Call Recording
A call in progress cannot be recorded until the call has been answered, if the call is on hold, or when you create a conference call. So far, the only market where the Call Recording feature has been seen is India on a Pixel running beta version 193.0.809761572-publicbeta of the Phone by Google app. That happens to be the same version of the app on my Pixel 6 Pro but Call Recording is found nowhere on my device which is in the U.S.
So far there is photographic proof that the Call Recording feature has been seen on some Pixel 8 Pro models in India. It reportedly was discovered on some Pixel units in Canada, and on a Pixel handset running Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3.1 in the U.S.
To avoid accidentally removing the recording of a call that you need, keep in mind that if you delete a call log, the recording of the call is also deleted. If you do find the Call Recording feature on your Pixel 6 or later, check out this Google Support page to see the various directions explaining how to use it. You can automatically record calls to and from unknown numbers and numbers in your contacts list. You’ll find the directions to do this and more in the aforementioned Support page.
To start a recording from a call, open the phone app, make or receive a call. To record your call, tap Call Assist and then Call Recording. To stop recording, tap Call Assist and then Stop.
Make sure you get the necessary permissions before recording your calls
You don’t want to end up in legal hot water by recording your calls without getting the required consent. Each state has different rules. In 38 states and Washington D.C., you can legally record a phone call if you are one of the parties to the call, or if you received permission to record it from one of the parties to the call. You do not have to notify any of the other participants.
In the other states, every person involved in a phone call must be notified and give consent. This is known as “two-party consent,” even though it might involve more than two people. To obtain consent, you need to:
- Make a verbal announcement at the beginning of the call (“This call may be recorded…”) followed by the other party continuing the conversation.
- Play an audible “beep tone” repeated at regular intervals.
- Have a direct, explicit verbal or written agreement.
If you are in a state that needs just one person to consent and you’re calling someone in a “two-consent state,” follow the stricter two-consent rule.
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