APK teardown reveals the Pixel 4's Google Phone app getting native call recording support

Even though stock Android does not expose call recording abilities to the user, many custom OEM ROMs and several third-party dialers offer this feature. Owners of stock Android phones such as the Pixel lineup have no option but to root their devices in order to enable call recording via third-party apps. Now, it looks like Google will bring native call recording to the Google Phone app albeit limiting it to select Pixel devices, such as the Pixel 4. 

XDA Developers could confirm that the call recording feature exists in version 44 of the Google Phone app. Although strings indicating call recording could be found in an APK teardown of version 43, the latest version actually enables most of the functionality.

Once the feature is activated, the Phone app will show a Record button that can be used to initiate or terminate a recording when a call is in progress. Upon pressing the Record button for the first time, users will see a message stating, "When using the call recording feature, you are responsible for complying with applicable laws related to the recording of calls. Please be aware that many jurisdictions require the consent of both parties for such recording". Apart from this, the Phone app also plays a pre-recorded message to both the parties whenever you tap the Record button. The message states, "This call is now being recorded" when recording is initiated, and "Call recording has now ended" when recording is stopped. 

Recorded calls can be played back directly from the call log and can be exported as a .wav file for sharing. The feature also allows for viewing transcripts of the call, but it looks like the feature isn't working yet at the time of reporting.

Google will be rolling out an update to the Google Phone app to all users in the coming days. However, there is a possibility the call recording feature may be initially limited only to select Pixel and European Xiaomi devices. 

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