Google is preparing a feature within the phone app that will permit device owners to not only record but transcribe phone calls, according to 9to5Google. The feature appears as an option within the app and alerts call participants that call recording has begun and completed.
The way the recording functionality works seems to answer privacy concerns over the recording of calls themselves. Earlier versions of Android had an official call-recording API, but Google removed it in 2015, citing user privacy. Android users were still able to record calls through a backdoor that worked with third-party apps up until Android 8.1 though, but the company closed that loophole in Android 9.0 Pie in 2018.
With the discovery of the as-yet-unannounced feature earlier this month by Android beta testers, it does appear that the company is reconsidering its stance by at least allowing an official method to record calls.
When recording starts, a voice message plays stating that the call is being recorded, with another stating that the call is no longer being recorded when recording stops. This likely satisfies legal requirements for notification that exist in many countries, most notably the European Union’s GDPR regulations, some of the strongest privacy protections in the world.
The transcription functionality appears similar to what Google introduced with the Recorder app with the Pixel 4 smartphone. While testers have not been able to get the transcription feature to work, XDA Developers reported that code exists to enable such a feature in the future.
It is unclear when Google plans to release the feature, however phone manufacturer Xiaomi previously promised that such a feature would be “obtainable” sometime this year. Whether that means the uncovered functionality is intended to fulfill Xiaomi’s promised recording functionality or part of new planned functionality for all Android phones is not known.
The Google Phone app is currently the default dialer app on Google Pixel, Android One, and Xiaomi’s European smartphones, so it’s likely if we see the functionality go live, these devices would see it first. So far, Google has not confirmed that the functionality exists, nor its plans for implementation.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.