Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
Google’s “Take a Message” feature on Pixel phones is not functioning as intended.
Instead of recording the caller’s message as a voicemail, it may allow them to hear you in the background.
The bug appears to affect all supported Pixel phones, starting with the Pixel 4.
If you have no time to go through all your voicemails, Google’s “Take a Message” feature for Pixel devices can be really useful. If you miss or decline a call, Take a Message can automatically spin into action, informing the caller that you’re unavailable and asking them to record a message. While it sounds like voicemail, the feature uses AI to transcribe the message and automatically store it in your Pixel’s call history, where you can revisit it later. While Take a Message was initially launched with the Pixel 10 series, Google promptly made it available on older devices as well. While very useful in theory, it has reportedly been malfunctioning, letting callers hear you instead of recording their message.
Several users have highlighted this issue with Take a Message on their Pixel phones over the last few months. These reports, spotted by 9to5Google, are not limited to any specific model and plague a range of devices, from the oldest supported Pixel 4 series to the newest Pixel 10. One of the oldest reports about the issue on the Pixel 5 dates back several months. Here, the poster noted how their family could hear their wife even while the voicemail was supposedly being recorded. While they did not immediately suspect Take a Message, a few replies to the post suggest it is a possibility.
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In another, more recent post, the owner of a Pixel 4a describes the “wildest glitch” with the voicemail feature. After missing several calls, the caller reported hearing them in the background. The call did not go to the usual voicemail but to another automated message, which is a telltale sign of Take a Message taking over (although Google is working to make these messages customizable). The user also confirmed by recreating the scenario and spotted the mic indicator show up, suggesting their device was actually recording.
The user also reported that the recordings captured only half of the caller’s message, effectively negating the feature’s purpose.
If you’re facing something similar, the easiest fix, for now, is to turn the feature off. You can do that by opening the Phone app on your Pixel. Inside the app, tap the hamburger menu button (three bars on top left), and then Settings > Take a Message. Inside, you can toggle the feature off.
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