What it does
Google has started testing a feature called Call for Me, which lets Gemini place a phone call to a business on a user’s behalf and conduct the conversation, TechCrunch reported on Thursday.
The assistant dials from the user’s own number, introduces itself as an AI calling on that person’s behalf, works through automated menus, waits on hold and talks to whoever answers. A live transcript runs on screen while it happens, and the user can take the call over at any point.
The tasks Google names are ordinary errands: asking a shop whether something is in stock, booking a restaurant table, moving an appointment to a different date, putting an item on hold. One of the company’s own examples is calling a pizza place to add a pizza to an existing order and remind them about utensils.
Who can use it
The gate is narrow. Call for Me is limited to the Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL and 11 Pro Fold in the United States, and requires both a paid Gemini subscription and enrolment in the Phone by Google public beta.
Google describes it as an early experiment and says it is starting at a small scale because real-world conversations are nuanced. “Asking AI to speak on your behalf is a big step that requires genuine trust,” the company said. “That’s why we built this experience around user control.”
Where it sits in a longer line
Google has been building towards this for years. Hold for Me waited on hold so the user did not have to; Ask for Me, introduced in 2025, called businesses to ask set questions about price and availability. Call for Me is the version that holds an open-ended conversation and shares information the user has approved.
That last part is the meaningful change. A feature that reads out a scripted question is a convenience. An assistant that can supply your details, agree to a time and commit you to something is acting on your behalf, which is why the live transcript and the take-over button are the parts worth examining.
What to watch
The obvious open questions are on the other end of the line. Businesses receive these calls without having agreed to anything, and the effect of a widely deployed version on small restaurants and shops is not something a beta on one handset in one country will reveal.
The things to watch are whether Google widens it beyond Pixel 11 and the United States, whether the feature stays behind a paid subscription, and whether any of the companies fielding these calls start refusing them.
