Google has moved swiftly to disable specific Phone application functionalities on older Pixel 4 and Pixel 5 models following reports of an audio leakage bug. The issue centered on the 'Take a Message' feature, which automatically answers and transcribes voicemails, inadvertently exposing ambient room audio to the person calling.
Community manager Siri Tejaswini confirmed the investigation on a support page, stating the issue affects a 'very small subset of Pixel 4 and 5 devices under very specific and rare circumstances.' Out of an abundance of caution, the company decided to suspend both the automated transcription feature and next-gen Call Screen capabilities.
Reports surfaced, notably on platforms like Reddit, detailing instances where callers did not hear the standard voicemail greeting. Instead, they reportedly heard the device owner's environment, indicated by the microphone privacy indicator activating unexpectedly post-missed call.
One affected user described the experience as the phone passively recording and sending audio to the caller, even though the user had not physically interacted with the device. This suggests a deeper activation of the microphone hardware tied to the software feature's execution path.
Xiandai has inquired with Google whether this disabling is a permanent removal or a temporary measure pending a software patch. For the interim, impacted Pixel owners retain access to manual Call Screening or standard carrier voicemail services.
This action underscores the security challenges inherent in integrating advanced software features, such as automated transcription and call handling, directly into core operating system functions. Maintaining strict privacy boundaries around the microphone is paramount for user trust in mobile operating systems.
While the feature set is restricted for now, the swift response demonstrates Google's prioritization of user privacy over feature availability in this instance. The technology firm will likely issue an update detailing the root cause and the timeline for restoring the features.
