Pixel phones flaunt a feature called Call Screen that handles calls on your behalf. While it has gotten smarter over the years, it's still limited in its communication capabilities, but an update may allow it to carry conversations with aplomb.
The Call Screen feature speaks to callers on your behalf to find out who is calling and why. A transcription of the call is displayed on the screen and based on the caller's responses, you can decide if you want to report a call as spam, have your phone fire up generic responses such as "Cancel appointment," "Can you say more," or Call me back later," hop onto the call, or hang up.
While the feature is great for weeding out spam calls or making sense of generic requests, it's limited in its ability to keep up with the caller. A future update may make it better at managing conversations.
Call Screen can handle calls on your behalf. | Image Credit - 9to5Google
According to code-digging done by 9to5Google, the Pixel Phone app may get a new setting called "AI Replies." The feature will apparently be fueled by large language models and generate replies according to a caller's Call Screen responses.
The current Call Screen feature is called "dobby," and its souped-up, AI-powered version is referred to as "dobby_AI," and "dobby_LLM," in the updated Pixel Phone app. To enable it, users will need to "Turn on AI replies." This setting is not currently available.
The feature will apparently be able to step in for you in more situations than before and respond more smartly. It can potentially change the way you interact with callers but you will have to accept the risk of it making things up, which is a common problem with all things AI.
To avoid confusion, the following message will be displayed to callers: "This information is AI generated and could be inaccurate. It is derived from the call and doesn\u2019t represent Google\u2019s views."
As is the case with other unofficial features that are hinted at by code strings, the feature is not guaranteed to ship.
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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.
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