Google is testing an outbound calling feature called Call for Me on Pixel 11 devices, letting the Gemini assistant handle phone calls, wait on hold, and speak with businesses on behalf of users starting September 24.
Voice assistants have long screened unknown callers, but handing them the responsibility of dialing out is a distinct shift. Google is testing a new tool called Call for Me that allows the Gemini assistant to phone businesses for users on a user’s behalf. The capability extends the device’s utility beyond passive call screening into active conversations, joining existing Phone by Google tools such as Hold for Me, Call Screening, and Direct My Call.
Requirements and Rollout for Pixel 11 Users
The early preview rollout began on September 24, targeting a specific group of users in the United States. To access the feature, participants must meet a strict set of hardware and software criteria set by the company.
- An eligible Pixel 11-series phone, including the Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL, and 11 Pro Fold.
- A US carrier SIM and a paid Gemini plan.
- Enrollment in the public beta program for the Phone by Google app.
- Users must be at least 18 years old, with calls restricted to US numbers and operated only in English.
Google limits the number of calls a user can place each day through the service, a safeguard presumably to prevent the feature from being used to generate spam or harass others. The company also notes on its support page that the tool is not meant to handle emergency calls, verbal payments, telemarketing, or conversations involving sensitive details like credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, or health information.
How Gemini Handles Conversations and Live Transcripts
When activated, Gemini will introduce itself as an AI assistant to the person on the other end of the line and handle the conversation. The system can navigate irritating automated phone menus and wait on hold before an employee eventually picks up. Examples of intended use cases include checking a product’s availability, reserving a restaurant table or patio seating, checking if a hardware store has a specific part in stock, moving a haircut appointment to next Thursday, rescheduling an appointment, or placing an item on hold.
Users maintain oversight by following the interaction through a live transcript on their screen, and they can take over the conversation at any time. Google emphasizes that these interactions are meant to represent real customers conducting real transactions while respecting the time of neighborhood shops and front-desk staff answering the phone.
The system faces natural uncertainties, such as how the assistant will handle unpredictable calls where the person on the other end may hang up assuming it’s just another spam call, or whether Gemini will understand a person’s accent all that well without trapping a clerk in an endless loop of asking them to repeat themselves. Google acknowledges these variables in ongoing testing, noting that if the shop doesn’t have the tool you need or can’t accommodate your needs, Gemini is programmed to politely hang out or bow out gracefully.
“That is exactly what we want to continue testing. 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, Google
Expanding Automated Business Interactions
This early experiment—reminiscent of Google Duplex—arrives as businesses experiment with artificial-intelligence tools to interface with customers from the opposite direction. Local California pizza chain Pizza My Heart, for instance, lets customers text its Jimmy the Surfer chatbot to order pizza. Google’s rollout points toward a future where robots may take over these kinds of business phone calls altogether, leaving machines to talk to each other except they’re just debating whether you want the stuffed crust.
As the early preview continues across enrolled US devices, Google is starting small to refine how the assistant handles diverse real-world scenarios.