Google disables Take a Message on older Pixel phones amid audio leak bug

Google is disabling immoderate Phone app features connected older Pixel devices aft acknowledging a bug that inadvertently leaked audio to callers. The rumor has specifically been linked to the Take a Message characteristic released past year, which automatically answers and transcribes voicemails erstwhile you miss a call, pinch a fistful of Pixel 4 and 5 owners reporting that their microphones were activating erstwhile callers were leaving messages.

“We’ve investigated this issue, which we’ve confirmed affects a very mini subset of Pixel 4 and 5 devices nether very circumstantial and uncommon circumstances,” said Google organization head Siri Tejaswini connected a support page. “Out of an abundance of caution, we’re disabling Take a Message and next-gen Call Screen features from these devices.”

One Reddit user who knowledgeable the bug said that callers did not perceive their accustomed voicemail greeting, and that they “could perceive me/room sounds while they were leaving a message.” The personification describes really the microphone privateness parameter astatine the top-right area of their telephone show was triggered aft missing a telephone and Take a Message activated. “It was arsenic though I picked up the phone, isolated from I had done nothing. It conscionable passively started signaling maine and sending audio to the caller.”

We person asked Google if these features are being permanently removed from Pixel 4 and 5 handsets, aliases if they will beryllium restored successful the future. For now, Tejaswini says that impacted Pixel owners “will still beryllium capable to usage manual and automatic Call Screening aliases their bearer voicemail instead.”