Google’s Gemini Call for Me Brings AI Business Calls to Pixel 11 Phones

Google is bringing agentic phone calls to the Pixel 11 series through a feature called Call for Me. The tool lets eligible users ask Gemini to contact businesses, handle routine questions, and return information such as prices, availability, or operating details. The initial rollout is limited to the United States, Pixel 11 owners, Gemini subscribers, and a beta version of Google’s Phone app.

The feature targets the small errands that often consume time: checking whether a service is available, asking about costs, or confirming business hours. Google has spent nearly a decade pursuing this idea, beginning with Duplex, which placed automated restaurant and appointment calls through Google Assistant. The new system reflects a shift from narrow scripted automation toward conversational agents powered by modern language models.

Call for Me handles the conversation with a business while the user waits for the result. Google’s earlier Search-based calling tool followed a similar pattern, allowing people to enter a service request and receive pricing or availability by text. That broader Search feature became available to users across the United States and covered categories including pet groomers, dry cleaners, and auto shops.

The Pixel 11 version places the capability inside the phone experience rather than limiting it to a Search query. TechCrunch described the feature as an experiment requiring the beta Phone app, while The Verge said Gemini can handle entire calls with businesses. Google’s own Search guidance also describes agentic calling for gathering local product information, discounts, and nearby availability, connecting the phone feature to a wider push across Search and shopping.

Google’s return to automated calling gives its earlier Duplex project a new technical foundation. Duplex was designed to book restaurants and appointments, but Google later shut down much of that service. Call for Me revives the core idea with Gemini and a broader focus on information gathering rather than completing every transaction.

The product arrives as other technology companies expand agentic assistants. TechCrunch pointed to Meta’s Muse and Instinct as examples of AI agents that can make calls for users. Google is also upgrading Search with Gemini 2.5 Pro and Deep Search for paying AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers, showing how phone calls fit into a larger effort to let AI conduct multi-step tasks. The business-calling rollout remains narrower than the surrounding Search ambitions because it is tied to specific devices, subscriptions, and a beta app.

Google’s calling agents shift part of the customer-service burden from people to software. A business may receive a polite, highly structured inquiry about opening hours, pricing, inventory, or appointment availability, then lose the chance to build a direct relationship with the customer if its information is unclear or its staff cannot recognize the call.

That pressure is especially relevant for small businesses that rely on phone leads. Branding Zombie Designs warned that unanswered or poorly handled calls can send an AI agent to another provider. The advice reflects a practical requirement: businesses need accurate listings, consistent phone coverage, and staff prepared to answer automated questions. Goodcall’s discussion of Gemini similarly frames conversational AI as a tool for routine customer interactions, though it offers a broader business-operations perspective rather than reporting details about Google’s rollout.

Call for Me’s first release has clear boundaries. It is restricted to Pixel 11 phones, United States users, Gemini subscribers, and the beta Phone app, according to TechCrunch. The feature is still an experiment, and the available descriptions center on business inquiries rather than sensitive negotiations, purchases, or appointments that require complex identity checks.

Automated calls also raise familiar questions about disclosure and consent. Businesses need to know whether they are speaking with a person or an AI system, while users need dependable summaries of what the agent heard and what the business actually confirmed. Google’s earlier calling efforts showed the technical appeal of natural conversations, but the shutdown of Duplex also demonstrates how difficult it is to turn convincing demonstrations into durable consumer services.

Google’s next step is likely to determine whether Call for Me stays a Pixel 11 experiment or becomes a standard Gemini capability across Android and Search. The company already operates related systems in Search, where users can request local information and receive updates without making a call themselves. Expanding the phone feature would connect those systems into a single agent that searches, calls, compares, and reports.

The broader rollout will depend on call quality, business acceptance, subscription economics, and the accuracy of the final summaries. Pixel 11 gives Google a controlled starting point, while Search provides a much larger distribution channel. For users, the immediate value is time saved on repetitive calls. For Google, the larger test is whether Gemini can become a reliable operator of everyday tasks rather than simply an assistant that answers questions.