Google’s Pixel 4 and 5 Accidentally Spy on Your Callers, Disables Mic Features
KEY POINTS
- •Google acknowledged a bug affecting 'Take a Message,' a voicemail feature on Pixel 4 and 5 phones released last year.
- •This glitch causes microphones to activate unintentionally when callers leave voicemails, reported by a small subset of users.
- •Community manager Siri Tejaswini confirmed the issue is rare and specific, leading Google to disable affected features.
In a deeply reassuring move, Google confessed that its beloved Pixel 4 and Pixel 5 smartphones can accidentally turn on microphones during voicemail transcriptions—because who doesn’t want their phones eavesdropping on a 'rare subset' of users? The glitch, inked to the 2020 'Take a Message' feature designed to automatically answer and transcribe missed calls, caused some owners to find their mics activating while callers left messages—not exactly the privacy boost anyone hoped for. Google community manager Siri Tejaswini delicately announced that this bug impacts just a 'very small subset' under 'very specific and rare circumstances,' which is almost as comforting as tuning in to a spy thriller directed by your own phone.
Share the Story
Google’s Pixel 4 and 5 decided to redefine voicemail by secretly live-streaming your calls. Privacy’s new MVP: ‘Take a Message’ accidentally taking it all.
Congratulations to Pixel 4 and 5 users enjoying surprise podcasts of their callers, recorded straight from your own microphones!
When Google said 'Take a Message,' Pixel phones took it literally—why just transcribe when you can broadcast?
Source: Theverge | Published: 1/29/2026 | Author: Jess Weatherbed
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