How to Prevent the New Pixel Bug From Leaking Audio on Incoming Calls
If you own a Pixel, you might want to update your Google phone settings. 9to5Google reports that several users have encountered a bug in the “Receive Message” feature, which records and sends audio to callers when they leave a voice message.
The “Accept Message” feature is a newly introduced feature in the Phone app that activates when a caller is unavailable to answer (or declines an incoming call). The caller hears, “The person you called is unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone.” If you, the caller, tap the “Accept Message” notification on your device, you can see a real-time transcript of the audio recording and tap “Answer” if you wish to respond. (The “Accept Message” feature also detects spam calls and flags them with a warning.)
Some users have reported that the “Accept Message” feature is activated, allowing callers to hear background audio while leaving a message. It’s important to note that this isn’t a widespread issue, and most reports come from owners of older Pixel devices that no longer receive OS updates. According to 9to5Google, Google is investigating these reports.
Again, while this bug doesn’t appear to affect most Pixel users, you may want to disable the “Accept Message” feature if you’re concerned about privacy, especially when communicating with unknown callers.
How to Disable the ‘Accept Message’ Feature on Your Pixel
Open the Phone app on your device and tap the icon in the upper-left corner to open Settings . Under Call Assistance, select Receive Messages and turn it off.