Google seems to have flipped the switch on a feature Pixel fans have been asking for since the original Pixel launched back in 2016. While there hasn’t been an official announcement, Pixel users in various parts of the world are seeing call recording built into Google’s Phone app features for the first time, reports Android Authority.
The return of a long-awaited feature
If you’re able and allowed to use it
Evidence of call recording support in the settings menu and Call Assist card.
Users on Reddit first spotted the change earlier this week, with one Pixel 9a owner in India reporting that a Call Recording toggle had suddenly appeared in the app’s settings. Sure enough, Google’s own support pages have been updated to reflect the new reality; Pixel 6 and newer models running Android 14 or later can now record calls, provided you’re in a region where the practice is legal.
That last bit is important, and probably why this feature took so long to arrive. Call recording laws vary wildly from place to place. Some countries, like India, allow it as long as the other party is notified. Others — including many US states — require all-party consent, which makes things tricky for a company like Google. The Phone app plays an audible disclosure to both sides when a recording starts and again when it stops.
The new UI integrates neatly into the app’s existing Call Assist screen. Tap the Call Recording button during an active call, and the system will begin recording locally to your device. Recordings live in the Phone app’s Recents tab, where they can be played back, shared, or automatically deleted on a schedule you set. There’s even an option to automatically record calls from numbers not in your contacts, though Google notes that auto-recording is currently limited to India.
Interestingly, some users in North America claim they’re already seeing the feature on their Pixel 9 and 10 devices. One commenter reports that the Phone app even generates a transcript and AI summary alongside the audio file, processed locally on-device. It’s unclear whether this is a separate “Call Notes” feature Google has been testing or an early look at a broader rollout.
Either way, this is a big win for Pixel owners frustrated by Google’s long-standing stance against call recording. Whether it will ever come to markets with stricter privacy laws remains to be seen — but at least now we know Google is finally willing to bring the feature where it’s allowed.
