Pixel Call Assist is one of Google’s signature phone features and the company is actively working on it beta testing New contact screen capabilities.
This beta has gone under the radar before today, as Google will announce it in mid-May. There are two aspects to this beta version of the call screen, starting with the Settings UI Update. At the end of that month, users started noticing the simplified call screen settings. New “protection level” options have been widely rolled out since then:
- Max: Unknown numbers screen and spam rejection
- Moderator: Screening suspicious calls and rejecting spam
- Basic: Reject only known spam
Simplicity seems to be Google’s intention behind this change, but some prefer the previous amount of detail.
Meanwhile, the big change to the Pixel Call Screen as part of this beta is “a more natural sound series of voice prompts to identify who’s calling and why.”
Google is testing this with some owners of Pixel 6 and later devices in the US. Obviously Tensor is required and this indicates that the AI on the device is being leveraged. The goal is to “enhance call screen capabilities and reduce robocalls, giving you time and peace of mind.”
What devices can receive the trial version?
Devices that may receive this beta will be Pixel 6 and up, within the US.
How do I check my call screen settings to enable/disable the feature?
You can check this out Useful article Steps to check call screen settings.
When will this become available to everyone?
We look forward to sharing more when the feature launches.
To provide feedback about your experience, please click the Help Us Improve Feedback button in your Phone by Google app whenever you see it in the Recent tab.
The company ends on how it “looks forward to sharing more about our work on this project in the coming months.”
It comes as Google in April teased about taking the Pixel Call Screen “further” this year with the help of “multi-step, multi-role conversational AI.”
…a future where you never have to be bothered at the thought of your phone ringing. There should always be a moment where you assume it’s something important or something fun. Nothing should bother you. At the same time, you should never feel ineffective or unproductive on any phone call.
We expected that this could involve large language models (LLMs), and be timed using the Pixel 8. However, from the beta formulation, it appears that older Tensor hardware will also benefit.
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