Glonce

Google's Gemini can now call businesses for you on Pixel 11

agentsThe Glonce editorsWired🔥70Glonce rating70Impact65Novelty55Relevance95Surprise45Players85Credibility85
Google's Gemini can now call businesses for you on Pixel 11

On Thursday, Google announced Call for Me, an experimental beta feature exclusive to its new Pixel 11 phones in the US, in English. To use it, Pixel 11 owners need a Gemini subscription and must be enrolled in the Phone by Google app's public beta. The feature lets Gemini place phone calls to businesses on a user's behalf, for example calling a local hardware store to check if it stocks a specific tool, or a barber to schedule a haircut. The user tells Gemini to make the call, Gemini may ask follow-up questions for context, then it introduces itself to the business and holds a back-and-forth conversation to get the request handled. If it hits an automated phone menu, Gemini can navigate it and wait on hold; the user can watch a live transcript on the Pixel and take over the call at any point. A Google spokesperson told WIRED that Gemini will try to search for a phone number itself, but users can also supply one directly, useful for businesses without much of a web presence. During these calls the assistant speaks in the same voice used for Gemini Live, regardless of which Gemini voice, including an accented one, the user normally prefers. Google says the feature works best with businesses, and there are some establishments Gemini will not call, such as emergency services. If a business cannot accommodate the request, Google says Gemini will hang up "politely" rather than just cutting the line. Call for Me joins other smart-calling tools already on Pixel and Android: the Phone app can screen incoming calls and block robocalls and telemarketers; Hold for Me listens for hold music to end and alerts the user when a live person picks up; Direct My Call shows the options in an automated phone menu as text before they are spoken, letting users tap nine to skip straight to a live person; and real-time Scam Detection warns users when it suspects the caller is running a scam. This is Google's second attempt at AI phone calling, after Google Assistant's Duplex, which could call restaurants to book tables, was shut down a few years ago; Call for Me is powered by modern large language models instead. A Google spokesperson said open questions, such as how the feature handles accents and noisy environments, are exactly what the beta is meant to test, adding that Google wants users to try a variety of cases so it can keep improving. Businesses are experimenting on their end too: the article cites local California pizza chain Pizza My Heart, which lets customers text its Jimmy the Surfer chatbot to order pizza, pointing toward a future where AI systems on both ends of a call could end up talking to each other.

Key facts

  • Google announced Call for Me on Thursday, an experimental beta exclusive to Pixel 11 phones in the US and in English, requiring a Gemini subscription and enrollment in the Phone by Google app's public beta.
  • Gemini can call businesses to ask questions like stock availability or book appointments, navigate automated phone menus, wait on hold, and let the user watch a live transcript and take over at any time.
  • Gemini will not call some establishments, like emergency services, and Google says it will hang up "politely" if a business cannot accommodate the request.
  • The feature follows Google Assistant's Duplex, which made similar calls to book restaurant tables but was shut down a few years ago; Google has pursued AI phone calling for almost 10 years.
  • Call for Me joins existing Pixel tools including Hold for Me, Direct My Call (tap nine to reach a live person), call screening, and real-time Scam Detection.

Why it matters

Call for Me marks Google's second attempt at having its AI assistant conduct real phone conversations on a user's behalf, this time built on modern large language models rather than the Google Assistant tech that powered Duplex. It shows a consumer AI agent moving from text and scheduling tasks into live, unscripted voice interactions with businesses, including handling automated menus and holding.

Who it affects

Pixel 11 owners in the US who have a Gemini subscription and are enrolled in the Phone by Google app's public beta; on the receiving end, businesses that field calls placed by Gemini rather than a human customer.

How to use it

Users tell Gemini to make a call; it may ask follow-up questions first, then introduces itself to the business and carries the conversation. Gemini will try to find a phone number itself, but users can supply one directly. A live transcript appears on the phone and the user can take over the call at any point. Some categories, such as emergency services, are excluded, and the feature currently requires a Gemini subscription and beta enrollment.

How solid is it

The account comes from Google's own announcement and a Google spokesperson's on-record comments to WIRED, describing how the beta is meant to work; it does not include independent user testing or reviewer accounts of an actual call.

Risks and caveats

The article raises open questions Google itself says it still wants to test: whether Gemini will understand different accents and cope with noisy environments, whether a person on the other end might hang up assuming it is a spam call, and whether Gemini can end a call gracefully if a business cannot help rather than simply cutting the line. Google says it wants users to test a range of cases so it can keep improving handling of accents and noise.

“With this experiment, we look forward to users testing a variety of cases, so that we can continue to improve the feature across accents and noisy environments.”

— Google spokesperson, to WIRED