This Bug in Pixel Was Causing the Audio Stream to Leak to Subscribers, and Google’s Proposed Solution May Not Be Sufficient.
A new Google Pixel feature reportedly turns on the microphone when it shouldn’t, and Google has finally acknowledged the bug. Reports of the issue surfaced back in September of last year and spread last week , and Google has now removed the feature from some older phone models.
A feature called “Take a Message” was released last year and was supposed to automatically transcribe incoming voice messages and detect and flag spam calls. Unfortunately, according to several users on Reddit (originally spotted by 9to5Google ), the feature has started turning on the microphone while recording voice messages, allowing the person leaving you a chance to hear you. Audio leakage is annoying under any circumstances, but it must be especially annoying when you’re trying to pretend you’re not there.
Users experiencing the issue have found that while the caller hears the voice of the person receiving the voice message, there is no indication on the recipient’s end that their voice is being heard, except perhaps the green microphone light turning on.
The issue is reported to affect Pixel devices from the Pixel 4 to the Pixel 10 , and Google finally acknowledged its existence on a recent support page . However, the company’s actions may not be enough, depending on how cautious you want to be.
According to Community Manager Siri Tejaswini, the company “investigated this issue” and confirmed that it “affects a very small subset of Pixel 4 and 5 devices under very specific and rare circumstances.” The post doesn’t specify how or why the diagnosis was made, but it does say that Google is now disabling the “Receive Message” feature and “next-generation call display features” on these devices.
Next-Gen Call Screening is a separate feature that allows Google’s artificial intelligence to prompt callers for their name and the purpose of the call before accepting a message. No bugs have been reported with this feature, but Google says it’s disabling both features “out of an abundance of caution.” While this should prevent the issue from affecting users of these phones, it’s a rather drastic decision. I’ve contacted Google to clarify whether the “Accept Message” feature is being temporarily removed while the company fixes the bug, or whether it will be permanently removed. In the meantime, Tejaswini says that Pixel 4 and 5 owners will still be able to use manual and automatic call screening , which provide basic spam protection. The post also states that affected users can rely on any call screening features provided by their carriers.
How to disable the “Receive Message” feature on a Pixel phone
While it’s encouraging that Google is taking action to address the “Accept Message” bug, the company appears to only acknowledge its presence on the Pixel 4 and Pixel 5 models, at least for now. I asked Google if owners of other Pixel models should be concerned, as user reviews are mixed . However, since some have reported the issue even on the most modern Pixel phones, if you want to err on the side of caution, it might be worth disabling the “Accept Message” feature on your device, regardless of model.
To do this, open the Phone app, then tap the three-line menu icon in the upper-left corner of the page. Go to Settings > Call Assistance > Receive Message and disable this feature.