Google's 'Call Message' Feature: AI-Powered Live Voicemail Coming to Pixel Phones

Android's own Live Voicemail is almost ready

The millennial aversion to phone calls is well known, and Google has been making that avoidance even easier recently with additions to the Pixel's call assist functions. Related 10 hidden AI features in Google's Pixel phones you're not using (but should be) You might have never even heard of some of these features Posts 3 Fresh off the addition of an auto-delete feature for Call Notes, it now looks as if the next call assist feature will be "Call Message". Functioning similarly to Apple's Live Voicemail feature, Call Message will essentially act as your personal secretary. Call Message is an improved voicemail It's never been so easy to ignore phone calls Voicemail has been due a big update, and Google's Call Message is certainly that. It's functionally quite similar to Live Voicemail, which has been a part of iOS since iOS 17. It's a simple idea: When you miss or decline a call, Call Message takes over, picking up the call and asking the caller to leave a message. The message will then be transcribed in real time, and you'll be able to see that script as the message unfolds. If it turns out it's a friend calling on a new number then you can interrupt the message and pick up the phone to chat. The aim is to help filter out nuisance callers, while still allowing you to pick up the call if it turns out to be important. If you don't pick it up, or you're not looking at your phone, then you can find the transcript of the message in your Phone app. It's not a complete replacement for a voicemail service. If your phone is off, or if you're outside of network coverage then the feature won't trigger, and your regular voicemail will be used instead. However, it does use all on-device processing to work, so it doesn't need an internet connection to function, which is always a nice addition. Since it uses AICore, the add-on included with Android since Android 14, it's hoped this feature will make its way to a number of older devices, though we don't expect it to venture outside of Google's Pixel phones for the moment. As a final amusing note, the feature is codenamed "Beesly", presumably a reference to Pam Beesly, the receptionist from The Office. Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Like Follow Followed Google Pixel 9 Pro SoC Google Tensor G4 Display type LTPO OLED, 1-120Hz Display dimensions 6.3" Display resolution 1280 x 2856 Google's new phone lineup is a stunner, and the Pixel 9 Pro is the lynchpin of it all. More advanced than the Pixel 9, but not as large as the Pixel 9 Pro XL, the Pixel 9 Pro is the camera powerhouse loaded with AI smarts. $999 at Amazon $999 at Best Buy $999 at Google Store Expand Collapse

Pixel Phone app preps 'Call Message' live voicemail capability

The latest Google Phone beta (version 184) reveals that "Call Message" is the next Pixel Call Assist feature. About APK Insight: In this "APK Insight" post, we've decompiled the latest version of an application that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we're able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect. We'll try to enable those that are closer to being finished, however, to show you how they'll look in case that they do ship. With that in mind, read on. "Call Message" will "Take messages and filter spam from missed or declined calls." This happens live, with the ability to "view real-time transcripts." If it's relevant, you can pick up the call while the person is still on. You will "Find transcripts and audio for all calls handled by Call Message in the Recents tab." That string dates itself as Recents will be replaced by the unified Home feed in the upcoming Material 3 Expressive redesign. This capability works like the iPhone's Live Voicemail feature introduced with iOS 17 in 2023. If your "phone is off or out of network" range, "carrier voicemail handles missed calls." According to strings, this is powered on-device via AI Core, with Google also noting how "Call Message won't use data or Wi-Fi, but standard calling charges may apply." <string name="beesly_transcript_disclaimer">Next steps are AI-generated and may summarize sensitive content.</string> Amusingly, this feature is codenamed "beesly" in what's presumably a reference to Pam Beesly's early receptionist role in The Office. In terms of availability, the presence of Call Message in the version of Phone by Google for the 2024 Pixel series suggests existing phones might get this capability.