- Google is disabling Take a Message on some Pixel phones after reports that it could expose background audio during missed calls.
- The company says the issue affects a very small subset of Pixel 4 and Pixel 5 devices under rare conditions.
- Manual and automatic Call Screen still work, and callers can continue using standard carrier voicemail instead.
Most recent Pixel features have been welcome additions, but one meant to handle missed calls has instead caused a bit of a privacy snafu. Over the past few months, some users reported that callers could hear background audio during missed calls, rather than being cleanly prompted to leave a message. Google has now confirmed the issue and says it’s disabling Take a Message on the affected devices.
In a post on its support forums, Siri Tejaswini, a Google community manager, said the company investigated the reports and confirmed they affect “a very small subset” of Pixel 4 and Pixel 5 devices under “very specific and rare circumstances.” Out of caution, Google is disabling Take a Message and its next-generation Call Screen features on those phones.
