Gemini can now phone businesses for you, on a recorded line

Google has started letting Gemini make whole phone calls to businesses on a user’s behalf, in a feature called Call for Me [1][3]. Gemini dials, introduces itself, works through automated phone menus, waits on hold and talks to the person who answers, while you watch a live transcript and can take over at any time [3][4]. The call goes out from your own phone number, Gemini announces that it is an AI assistant from Google on a recorded line and states your name, and Google keeps the transcript on its servers [1][2]. For now it is an early preview on Pixel 11 phones in the US, for paid Gemini subscribers in the Phone by Google public beta [4][5].

What was announced

The feature is small in reach and specific in scope. Google’s help page lists the jobs it is built for: getting business hours, product availability, service quotes and other information, and booking, confirming and managing appointments and reservations [1]. TechCrunch adds moving an appointment to a different date and placing items on hold [3]. Wired’s examples are asking a hardware store whether it stocks a tool and booking a haircut [5].

Google’s requirements include a Google AI subscription, the public beta of the Phone by Google app, the latest Gemini app, and a device set to English [1]. Google says it is making the feature available gradually, so an eligible user may not see it yet [1]. Gemini can only call US phone numbers for now [1]. There are daily limits on how many calls Gemini will make for you; once you reach the limit you wait until the next day [1]. The size of that limit is not public.

The flow is set out in the help page. You open the Gemini app on a Pixel and ask it to make a call, or include “@Call for me” in the prompt [1]. Google advises being specific and including dates, times, preferences and alternatives [1]. Gemini may ask follow-up questions for context, according to Wired [5]. Before it dials, Gemini shows a summary of the task, including the number it will call and the details it will share, such as your name and contact information, and you can ask it to change the task [1]. When the call ends you get a notification and a summary in the Gemini app; the full transcript and the recording sit in your Phone app’s call history [1].

During the call your microphone is muted by default [1]. You can follow the live transcript, turn the audio on to listen, or tap Take over, at which point Gemini announces that you are taking over and leaves the call [1]. The Verge notes that Google’s earlier version of this idea, which called businesses to ask about products, did not let users take over mid-call [4]. Wired reports that Gemini uses the same voice as Gemini Live, and that Google says Gemini will “politely” hang up if the business cannot help [5].

Google is clear that this is an experiment. TechCrunch reports the company is starting at a small scale because “real-world conversations are nuanced” [3]. A Google spokesperson told Wired the company wants users to test “a variety of cases” so it can improve the feature “across accents and noisy environments” [5].

What changed, and for whom

The real change is that an AI agent now speaks for you, to a third party, using your identity. That makes the data terms the part to read first. Google’s privacy hub says Gemini confirms the information it plans to share before a call, which may include your name, email address, phone number or other details needed for the task, and that you must review and agree before it dials [2]. It says Gemini will not share sensitive personal information such as credit card numbers, passwords or health information during a call [2]. The help page goes further: Gemini cannot make payments or complete financial transactions, cannot relay social security numbers or health information, cannot call emergency services such as 911, and cannot be used for telemarketing [1].

On storage, Google says transcripts are sent to and stored on its servers and are used to generate call summaries and show your past calling activity in the Gemini app [2]. It says it does not store audio recordings on its servers, and that it does not use the audio recordings or transcripts to train its AI models [2]. A copy of the transcript and the audio recording is saved on your phone, in the Phone by Google app’s call history [2]. Your calling activity also appears in Gemini Apps Activity, where you can delete it, and you can delete call history, transcripts and recordings in the Phone app [2].

There are costs outside Google’s terms too. The call uses your mobile network and your number, and Google says standard carrier rates apply [1]. Because the call comes from your number, the business sees you as the caller. And because Gemini states that the line is recorded, the person answering is told they are being recorded by an AI on your behalf [1].

For businesses, the change is that some callers will now be Gemini. Google’s help page lets people opt out of receiving automated calls from other Gemini users, and opt back in later [1]. Wired points out the practical risk on the other end: callers may be hung up on as spam, and it is not yet clear how well Gemini copes with accents or noisy lines [5]. The Verge notes that Meta is working on a similar calling feature for its Muse agent, although those calls reportedly might be made by a human behind the scenes [4]. TechCrunch notes that Meta’s Muse and Instinct can already place calls [3].

Who it is for — and not

It is for people who already have the hardware and the plan, and who lose time on routine calls: checking stock, booking a table, moving an appointment, getting a quote [1][3]. For them it removes hold time and phone menus, and the transcript and recording give a record of what was agreed [1]. The take-over button makes it usable even when a call goes off script [1].

It is not for anything involving money, health or identity numbers, because Gemini will not handle those [1]. It is not for calls outside the US, calls in languages other than English, or anyone without a Pixel 11 [1][4]. And it is not yet something to depend on. Google calls it an experiment, there is a daily cap of unknown size, and the company says it still needs to improve handling of accents and noise [1][5].

It is also worth thinking about before you use it for someone else. Gemini states your name on every call and shares the details you approve [1]. If you ask it to book something for a colleague or a client, their details travel on a recorded line from your number, and the transcript sits in your Google account [1][2]. That is fine for a table for two; it is worth a pause for anything more sensitive.

For small businesses, the questions are practical. Staff will hear “an AI assistant from Google calling on a recorded line” and a customer’s name [1]. A short script for AI callers, the same as for any other booking, avoids hang-ups on genuine customers. If you would rather not take these calls, the opt-out exists, but it also means turning away customers who chose to call that way [1].

We will update this page if Google widens access beyond the Pixel 11 preview, publishes the daily call limit, or changes how call transcripts are stored or used.

∴ Gemini now speaks for you on recorded calls; check what it will share before you let it dial.