Google's Pixel phones have great hardware, but they set themselves apart with their software. By creating great software features consistent across flagship and budget phones, Google's A-series of phones is a perennial member of our list of the best budget Android phones. One of the best Pixel software features is Call Screen, which automatically answers phone calls on your behalf, saving you time and frustration. This guide discusses what the Call Screen feature is and how to use it so that you'll never answer a spam call again.
What is Call Screen?
Call Screen is a feature that can answer phone calls on your behalf and gives you features and options to deal with calls. It was first announced alongside the Pixel 3 in 2018 and is now available on all Pixel devices. Call Screen works without Wi-Fi or a mobile data connection and runs locally on the device. Before the phone rings, the feature analyzes phone numbers to determine if they're spam and declines them for you if they suspect it's a robocall or a telemarketer. The robocall and spam screening feature is much more robust than Google's normal spam database.
However, if there's a voice on the other end, it asks them to explain the reason for calling and shows you a real-time transcript of their response. Depending on the answer, you can have Google Assistant ask clarifying questions, such as if the call is urgent, tell them you'll call them later, or send them to voicemail. If you determine it's not a spam call, you can pick up the call and continue the conversation.
Once a call has been screened or answered, you can see a transcript of Google Assistant's conversation with the caller. Open the phone app, go to the call in your recent calls list, and tap the More button to see the transcript. None of this information is saved to your Google Account. It is saved locally.
Which Google Pixel phones work with Call Screen?
The Call Screen feature is available exclusively on Google's Pixel smartphones, from the original Google Pixel to the Pixel 7 Pro, the budget Google Pixel 7a, and the mid-range Google Pixel 7.
Automatic call screening is only available on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series.
While all Pixels support the feature, Google rolled out Call Screen in a handful of countries:
- Australia
- Canada
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Spain
- The U.K.
- The U.S.
Manual Call Screen is only available on some selected non-Pixel Android devices in the U.S. and Canada. However, the experience is not the same since it requires you to choose the Assistant's responses to the caller.
Call Screen is only available for contacts not saved in your phone book. If you don't want the Assistant to screen a call, save it as a contact on your phone.
How to use Call Screen on your Pixel phone
Call screening is primarily aimed at spam calls and robocalls, but its usefulness extends beyond that. It's also handy to deal with calls from unknown numbers when you're otherwise engaged, such as when you're in a meeting or class.
Instead of missing the call, you can manually screen the call (it appears as a third option alongside Answer and Decline) and read the transcribed conversation to know who is calling and why. If the call is legitimate, you can get Google Assistant to talk on your behalf by choosing from a few on-screen prompts, such as "I'll call you back" or "Tell me more." The transcript and audio of all screened calls are saved locally on your device, and you can access them later from the call logs in the Phone app.
Incoming calls from contacts saved on your phone are not screened, so those contacts don't face delays or annoying messages when they call you.
How to access Call Screen settings
Call screening offers a few settings that give you a certain degree of control over how Google Assistant handles unknown calls. Here's how to access them:
- Launch the Google Phone app.
- Tap the three dots in the upper-right corner.
- Tap Settings.
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Go to the Spam and Call Screen option.
- Enable See caller and spam ID.
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Open Call Screen to access the settings.
Here, you can tweak several settings to customize the experience to your needs and ensure you don't miss important calls.
- Save Call Screen audio: To save the audio of all the calls the Assistant answers, turn on this setting. The audio recordings are accessible from the Phone app's call logs.
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Choose which calls to screen: Not all unknown calls are the same. While some can be spam calls, others can be from new connections whose numbers you haven't saved. Google acknowledges this and lets you choose which kinds of calls to screen. It splits unknown calls into four categories: Spam, Possibly faked numbers, First-time callers, and Private or hidden. Automatic call screening is only available on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series.
If you don't want to use automatic call screening on a certain category of calls, choose Ring phone (default). When you turn off automatic screening, you can still manually screen an unknown incoming call by selecting the Screen Call option.
- Change Assistant voice: Google provides two Assistant voices for call screening that you can sample. The choice isn't elaborate, but if you care whether a masculine or a feminine voice represents you on calls, you have control over that.
Some Call Screen options are region restricted and might not be available in your country or region.
How to automatically screen or decline spam calls on the Google Pixel 6 or Pixel 7
On the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series of phones, Call Screen automatically screens all incoming calls from unknown numbers. There's also an option to screen and decline robocalls or silently decline spam calls. This feature relies on Google's spam database to work, so any number in the database is automatically screened or silently declined, depending on your selection. On older Pixel phones, you'll manually trigger call screening for each call.
- Open the Google Phone app.
- Select the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner.
- Tap Settings.
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Tap Spam and Call Screen under the Assistive section.
- Open Call Screen to access the settings.
- Under Unknown Call Settings, select Spam.
- Depending on your preference, select the Automatically screen, Decline robocalls, or Silently decline option.
You can similarly set up automatic call screening for private or hidden numbers and first-time callers on your Pixel 6 or Pixel 7.
More Google Pixel tips and tricks that make your phone magical
Google's Call Screen is an effective way to deal with spam calls and, since its inception in 2018, has only become better and more robust. Call Screen isn't the only trick Assistant on the Pixel has up its sleeve. Pixel Call Assist can hold calls, check call wait times, and navigate slow-moving audio menus, which all go beyond caller ID. Additionally, some Samsung Galaxy phones have a similar feature to Call Screen called Bixby Text Call.
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Google Pixel 7
Google did not reinvent the wheel with the Pixel 7, but there was no need to. With improved cameras, the next-gen Tensor G2 chipset, and Google's wonderfully feature-filled software, the Pixel 7 earns its price tag again this year.
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Google Pixel 7 Pro
Google's Pixel 7 Pro refines the Pixel experience after the 6 Pro's initial stumbles last year, improving stability and taking the camera prowess to new levels with image fusing and 4K60fps video on all cameras. 30W fast charging and Pixel's addictive features like automatic Call screening and Pixel recorder help make the Pixel 7 Pro an alluring phone even as an iterative update.
