Last year, the Pixel Phone app introduced “Take a Message” to automatically “handle your missed or declined calls.” A very small number of users have encountered an issue where “Take a Message” is sending their audio to the caller.
If you decline or miss a call, Take a Message kicks in to ask the caller what they want: “The person you have called is not available. Please leave a message after the tone.”
As this is happening, the Phone by Google app shows a “Taking a message” notification. Tapping opens a real-time transcription of their response, with the audio available after the fact. At any time, you can tap “Answer” to pick up.
The capability was announced with the Pixel 10 and then made available to the Pixel 4 and newer in the US, UK, Ireland, and Australia. The feature also flags spam in the call log.
Over the past few months, at least six reports have emerged about Take a Message activating and then sending the caller background audio. The person calling can hear what’s happening around your phone as they are leaving a message. It’s as if you answered the call but you cannot hear them.
The first report of this issue dates back to September 2025 on Reddit from a Pixel 5 owner. The first corroboration of this problem (on the same thread) was in mid-November from a Pixel 10 owner, with another report the next day. Later that month, another case from a Pixel 4a came in. They added that turning off Take a Message resolved the problem.
In the past day, two more reports from Pixel 4a owners appeared. The latest this evening describes how the microphone privacy indicator (green dot in the top-right corner) was triggered as the phone stopped ringing and Take a Message activated. After having this happen naturally to them, they were able to trigger this issue twice.
We could not replicate the issue on a Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 7 Pro, or Pixel 4a (running Android 13).
This does not appear to be a widespread bug, but it’s concerning nonetheless. (Instructions on how to disable are below if you’re concerned.) There’s only one report from a device that’s still receiving OS updates today, and the common element so far appears to be old phones that are no longer supported.
Google is looking into and investigating these reports:
“Our team is aware of these reports and is actively investigating.”
— Google spokesperson
How to disable Take a Message
- Tap the hamburger icon in the top-left corner of the Phone app for “Settings”
- Select “Take a Message” at the bottom of the Call Assist grouping.
- Press the on/off switch
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