Pixel’s Google Assistant can now “Ask if urgent” when your contacts call you
“Should I pick that up or not? I don’t want to – but it could be urgent. If only there was a way to know if I have to answer the phone right now…”
Since there are fewer and fewer people who never ask themselves these questions and just answer all their incoming calls automatically, a new Google Assistant option comes in very handy for the rest – the ones who hesitate when someone calls them.
As was first announced at the Made by Google event on October 4, Pixel users can use the Google Assistant to ask if an incoming call from a contact is urgent (via 9to5Google).
The Screen Call option has spared Pixel owners countless hours of spam calls, allowing the Google Assistant to find out who the person (if human at all) on the other side of the line is and what they want. Almost all time, spam callers will hang up automatically.
It’s not as useful as when you know who’s calling. Of course, you get to decide if to use Google Assistant to screen the call on a known caller like a family member, but that can easily prove to be a terrible idea.
Now, the Google Assistant call screening has gained a new option that only appears for people who are on your contact list. Tapping the new “Ask if urgent” option gives your calling friend or family member a somewhat friendlier greeting from the Google Assistant: “Hi I’m a Google virtual assistant on a recorded line. The person you are trying to reach wanted me to check is it urgent?”
As before, Assistant transcribes and displays what the caller says in response, while the Phone app offers tappable options to ask for more information.
Right now, the new “Ask if urgent” option is available on Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, but some are confirming they’re getting it on their Pixel 7 Pro as well.
Since there are fewer and fewer people who never ask themselves these questions and just answer all their incoming calls automatically, a new Google Assistant option comes in very handy for the rest – the ones who hesitate when someone calls them.
The Screen Call option has spared Pixel owners countless hours of spam calls, allowing the Google Assistant to find out who the person (if human at all) on the other side of the line is and what they want. Almost all time, spam callers will hang up automatically.
Now, things are different
Now, the Google Assistant call screening has gained a new option that only appears for people who are on your contact list. Tapping the new “Ask if urgent” option gives your calling friend or family member a somewhat friendlier greeting from the Google Assistant: “Hi I’m a Google virtual assistant on a recorded line. The person you are trying to reach wanted me to check is it urgent?”
As before, Assistant transcribes and displays what the caller says in response, while the Phone app offers tappable options to ask for more information.
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