Key Takeaways

  • Google’s Pixel-exclusive Recorder app may soon prioritize speech in recordings.
  • The upcoming feature will reduce background noise and enhance dialogue quality in recordings.
  • Code found in the app’s latest build suggests that the feature will be called ‘Clear Voice,’ and it will be limited to mono audio with stereo and external mics not supported.



Google’s Pixel-exclusive Recorder app, which boasts AI-enabled functionality like summaries, transcriptions, and speaker labeling, might soon gain a key new feature that automatically prioritizes human speech during recordings.

The app, which works on Pixel 3 and later released Pixel devices, already allows users to edit recordings, search within transcripts and recordings, automatically detect languages (Pixel 6 and later), back up and view recordings on your Google account, and more.

Google Recorder on the web.

Related

Google Recorder has fixed its biggest ‘AI summaries’ problem, but there’s a catch

The fix is exclusive to the Pixel 9 series (for now)

Now, however, it looks like Google is finally using AI to improve the app’s fundamentals. As highlighted by Android Authority, the app’s latest build (Version 4.2.20241001.701169069) offers hints at an upcoming functionality, which, as its name suggests, will aim to enhance the quality of dialogue within recordings.


<string name=”hdmic_setting_summary”> Reduce background noise while recording for clearer speech playback. External mic and stereo are not supported.</string>

<string name=”hdmic_setting_title”> Clear voice</string>

string name=”hdmic_tooltip”>Keep human speech and remove background sounds</string>

string name=”hdmic_tooltip_with_learn_more”>Keep human speech and remove background sounds. Learn more in Settings.</string>

<string name=”not_mono_channel”>This action requires mono audio. Please change your audio channels to mono.</string>

<string name=”off_for_new_recordings”>Clear voice is off for new recordings</string>

<string name=”stereo_clear_voice_off”>Clear voice is turned off in stereo mode</string>

Strings found within the app clearly indicate that the feature would “reduce background noise while recording,” in addition to an option to “keep human speech and remove background sounds.” The former appears to be a feature that will run in the background every time you initiate a new recording, while the latter appears to be a post-recording trick to further refine dialogue and reduce background noise — akin to Audio Magic Eraser within Google Photos.

It’s worth noting that the feature appears to be limited to mono audio, with stereo and external mics not supported. Also worth noting is that the feature has only been spotted in code, and it remains inaccessible in the app’s latest build — so there might be some tied features that we’re currently missing. Regardless, this should be a solid update for users that rely on the app for taking notes, recording interviews, and summarizing/transcribing dialogue in general.