Need to record calls on my phone (forced update to Pie)

[Android Central Question]

I have a Galaxy S8+, unlocked, US version (so Snapdragon processor.) I had set it to not do forced updates, but I just learned the hard way that Samsung's Pie update overrides that setting.

I was using the ACR app from NLL to record calls. According to their support site, there is no Android Pie workaround for call recording.

I have, as far as I can see 2 options:
- root the phone and use a different Android version
- ditch the phone and get one that doesn't force an update to Pie

Rooting a S8 with Snapdragon results in the battery will only charge to 80%. Aside from that, this would be my first attempt to root any android device, and I might foul it up. (Also, I use another app frequently which will not work on a rooted phone, so there's another layer of difficulty).

As for my other option, I'm not sure which phones won't force me to update and will suit my needs.

I liked this phone well enough up until the forced update. It's a refurb, new to me, and has almost a year of warranty left. But I do need to use a call recording app.

What's my best option here?

 

[Rukbat]

I had set it to not do forced updates, but I just learned the hard way that Samsung's Pie update overrides that setting.

That's Android, not Samsung. Google doesn't want to maintain support for old versions that have the problem you need support for already fixed in the new version.

I have, as far as I can see 2 options:
- root the phone and use a different Android version

Which will soon update anyway (and you don't need root to flash a ROM). What you could use root for is to disable the ROM-updating app.

- ditch the phone and get one that doesn't force an update to Pie

That would be an older phone. It's the age of the phone that determines whether it updates to Pie, not the make or model.

Rooting a S8 with Snapdragon results in the battery will only charge to 80%.

Then you didn't root it correctly. Rooting only requires that the file su be in the bin or xbin directory (or any directory in the path). That has no effect on charging.

Aside from that, this would be my first attempt to root any android device, and I might foul it up.

That depends on what you use to root it. Something Chainfire developed? No. Something you find on XDA? Probably not. One of these "one-click root programs" from some Chinese "developer"? Most likely yes.

(Also, I use another app frequently which will not work on a rooted phone, so there's another layer of difficulty).

And you can't unlock the bootloader on a Samsung (it just brings up the downloader), so you probably can't use Magisk (which can hide itself from the apps you choose). But refusing to grant root when the app first runs (after rooting) will let some apps think that they're running in a non-rooted phone.

As for my other option, I'm not sure which phones won't force me to update and will suit my needs.

Any phone old enough that the manufacturer didn't make a Pie ROM for - the S7 probably will never see anything past Oreo.

What's my best option here?

You could try Call Recorder - one of the methods may work (there's a whole page full of methods - you'll have to try them one at a time).