Google Disables Take a Message Feature on Older Pixel Phones Due to Audio Leak Vulnerabilities

Google Disables Phone App Features on Older Pixel Devices Due to Audio Leak Bug

Google has taken action to disable certain features on older Pixel devices after uncovering a bug that led to unintended audio leakage to callers. The problem has been specifically tied to the Take a Message feature, introduced last year, which automatically answers and transcribes voicemails when a call is missed. Several Pixel 4 and 5 users have reported instances where their microphones were activated as callers were leaving messages.

According to Google community manager Siri Tejaswini, “We’ve investigated this issue, which we’ve confirmed affects a very small subset of Pixel 4 and 5 devices under very specific and rare circumstances. Out of an abundance of caution, we’re disabling Take a Message and next-gen Call Screen features from these devices.”

A Reddit user who encountered the bug mentioned that callers were unable to hear their usual voicemail greeting and could hear background sounds while leaving a message. The user noted that the microphone privacy indicator on their phone display was activated after missing a call and the Take a Message feature kicked in. They described the experience as if the phone had been picked up without any action, passively recording and transmitting audio to the caller.

Google has been queried about the permanent removal or potential restoration of these features on Pixel 4 and 5 devices. Tejaswini stated that affected Pixel owners can still utilize manual and automatic Call Screening or their carrier voicemail as alternatives for now.