Here's how to use Google's Recorder app on most non-Pixel phones

Although Google’s hardware event back in October was all about the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, a seemingly minor app came up and stole the show: Google Recorder. This simple and intuitive voice recorder transcribes speech in real-time and allows you to save and share your transcripts.

Unfortunately, Google Recorder was exclusive to the Google Pixel 4 series at first. It then rolled out to some older Pixel devices but hasn’t moved on to other, non-Pixel devices yet. At least, not in an official capacity.

Thanks to the folks over at XDA Developers, though, there is now an unofficial method to getting the latest version of the app onto most non-Pixel devices. The process for getting the app on your phone is very straightforward: simply install this APK and you’re good to go!

Related: Google’s Recorder app is like magic, but here’s how it works

However, there is some fine print. First off, Google Recorder will only work on devices running Android 9 Pie or Android 10. Secondly, and this is a big one, it will only work on devices where the OEM didn’t modify TextView features. As of now, according to XDA, devices from Google, HUAWEI, HONOR, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony all should work without issue.

Phones made by ASUS, OPPO, and OnePlus, unfortunately, will only work in a limited capacity. When you save a transcript on these devices the file doesn’t save properly so you can’t see it, which is a pretty big limitation.

Finally, phones made by Xiaomi won’t work at all — the app simply crashes on startup.

If you have a phone from ASUS, OPPO, OnePlus, or Xiaomi, fret not for you can still use an older version of Google Recorder. It is missing the latest features and tweaks, but it will still have the basic functionality you’re looking for. You can download that APK here.

For more info on Google Recorder, read our full explainer here. For more info on what XDA did to get this to work on non-Pixel phones, click here.