What you need to know
- Google is bringing its Automatic Call Screening feature to all Pixels.
- Call screening was previously exclusive to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 4.
- The feature lets you avoid robocalls, by having Google Assistant answer the call for you.
Among the most useful features Google has released for its Pixel lineup — and the most enviable, since the feature has so far been exclusive to Pixels only — is automatic call screening. This allows Google Assistant to answer calls for you, and automatically determine if a call is worth your time or just a robocall.
Till now, the feature was exclusive to the Pixel 3 and, following the company's first feature drop, the Pixel 4. However, owners of older Pixel devices, as well as those who own a midrange Pixel 3a, are in for some good news, as the Mountain View giant has finally fulfilled its promise of bringing the feature to older devices.
Reddit users have already begun reporting the rollout of the feature. Unfortunately, however, the company's support pages have not been updated, and still claim that automatic call screening is exclusive to only the Pixel 4:
You can screen calls automatically in English, in the US, on Pixel 4 phones. You can also screen calls manually in the US and Canada on all Pixel phones and select Android phones.
With manual screening, once you get a call that Google believes is spam, you'll have the option to "screen call" on your phone. Select it, and the Google Assistant will screen the call for you.
The change here is that now you don't even need to press the button, and can automate the process. Once the call's done, you can either see a transcript of what transpired or, with the latest update to the feature, even get recorded audio of the call. If it was an important call, after all, and Google Assistant misidentified it, you'll still have a record of it.
