Google has beentrying to have its AI assistant make phone calls on your behalf for almost 10 years. RememberDuplex? It enabled the now-defunctGoogle Assistanttocall restaurants and book tables. That service was shuttered a few years ago, but now comes round two, powered by modernlarge language models.
On Thursday, Google announced Call for Me, an experimental beta feature exclusive to its latestPixel 11 smartphonesin the US (and in English). Pixel 11 owners need aGemini subscriptionand have to be enrolled in thePhone by Googleapp’s public beta. Google has instructions onhow to participate here.
These calls are designed to reach businesses. Gemini can call your local hardware store to ask if they stock a specific tool, or chat with a barber to schedule a haircut. Just tell Gemini to make the call—it may ask you follow-up questions for more context—and the chatbot will introduce itself and can have a back-and-forth conversation to ensure your request is handled. If it runs into an automated phone menu, it can navigate it and even wait on hold. On your end, you can view a live transcript on the Pixel and take over at any point.
Google says it works best with businesses, but there are some establishments Gemini won't call, like emergency services. That said, you can ask Gemini to call specific numbers. For example, if your tattoo artist doesn't have much of a web presence, “Gemini will try to search for a phone number, but you may provide one as well,” a Google spokesperson tells WIRED. During these calls, the assistant's voice will be the same one used inGemini Live interactions, even if your preferred Gemini voice has an accent.
Call for Me expands on Google’ssuite of smart calling featureson Pixels andAndroid. The Phone app can already screen incoming calls and block robocalls and telemarketers.Hold for Melets the assistant listen for when the hold music ends and a live person is on the other end; it alerts you to pick up the phone when it’s finally your cue.Direct My Callcan display the different choices in an automated phone menu before they’re spoken, so you can tap nine to reach a live person and skip the recorded voice reading out the whole list. It even hasreal-time Scam Detection,alerting youwhen it thinks the person on the other end is scamming you.
