In recent months, Google has rolled out several improvements to the Google Phone app, including a Material 3 Expressive redesign, a new incoming call screen, Calling Cards, and Pixel 10-exclusive features like Magic Cue and Voice Translate. Now, the company is making its Phone app for Pixels even better by expanding Call Screen and Call Notes to Android Auto. More importantly, it is making call recording available in more countries.
On Pixels, Google’s Phone app is more than just a regular dialer app, packing several cutting-edge features. Unfortunately, most of them are limited to the US and selected other parts of the world, limiting their usefulness. With its latest update, Google is addressing this problem in a big way.
In its announcement, Google highlights the international expansion of Call Screen and Scam Detection. They will be available to Pixel users in Australia, Canada, and Ireland. Additionally, Pixel 10 users in India will get access to Manual Call Screen, with support for both English and Hindi. Plus, Google is “helping users in India who do not speak the same language as the caller, by providing the ability to translate what is said to Call Screen to the user’s language.”
As for Scam Detection, its availability is expanding to Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, and India.
Going forward, Call Notes on your Pixel will provide calendar events, tasks, and reminder suggestions after you end a call. Plus, you can now enable Call Notes for every call. A 3-second timer will appear first, giving you the option to disable Call Notes for that call if you don’t need it.
Call Notes will roll out to Pixel users in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and India later this year as a “beta preview.”
Besides the international expansion, Call Screen and Call Notes will work with the Phone app on Android Auto. This ensures you only pick up important calls and don’t have to struggle to jot down key details while driving. The latter feature will roll out “later this year.”
Call Recording is going worldwide on Pixel phones
One of the biggest drawbacks of the Google Phone app on Pixels has been the missing call recording support.
Google is finally changing its stance on call recording and rolling out the option globally in all countries where Pixel is supported. As long as you have a Pixel 6 or newer, you can record calls. For privacy reasons, the app will play a message announcing ‘this call is being recorded’ before the recording begins.
The expansion will take some time and “roll out through the rest of the year.”
