We got our first look at Google’s Call Screen feature at I/O 2018 alongside Duplex. Call Screen’s can accept calls on your behalf when you can’t get to the phone. Although it might seem rude to pawn off your have the edge over to some robot, it helps a lot when it comes to dealing with spammers. The feature Google Assistant to ask callers about their objective of calling and transcribes their response in real-time. Call Screen also asks users follow-up questions from callers using Smart Replies. At the moment, Call Screen is a feature limited to the Google Pixel 3/3XL and older Pixel smartphones. But there is a possibility that it could soon be rolled out to Nokia and Motorola smartphones.
A Reddit user did some digging in the Google Phone app and found some interesting results. Android One-powered devices are the closest one can get to Stock Android, which is why they’re one of the first to receive some Pixel-only features such as Digital Wellbeing. Android One has a few takers in the high-end segment. Most devices that run it often fall under the mid-range to the upper mid-range segment. As Google is directly responsible for Android One updates, they are expected to be the earliest recipients of Call Screen if it ever makes its way outside of the Pixel ecosystem.
Call Screen’s availability is very limited. The feature is only available to some users in the US. A beta is ongoing in Canada as well, but that’s about it. The chances of it releasing outside of North America seems to be low, considering that the service is available only in English. It would be better if Google released it worldwide for all Pixel users first (whatever happened to Pixel exclusive) I’m fine with it either way, as long as more users get to use it.
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