Gemini can now call businesses for you so you don’t have to wait on hold

Google is introducing a feature on the Pixel 11 that allows its Gemini AI to place and conduct phone calls to local businesses on a user's behalf. The capability is being released as an "early experiment," according to the company. It is aimed at errands such as making a reservation, checking whether a product is in stock, or rescheduling an appointment.

With the feature, a user does not have to dial the business at all. Through the Gemini app on the Pixel, the user instructs Gemini to make the call instead. Gemini then contacts the business, identifies itself, works through automated phone menus, waits on hold, and carries on the conversation with the person who answers on the other end.

Google says the user stays in control throughout the process. A live transcript view lets the user follow what is being said, and the user can take over the conversation at any point. That means the call can be reclaimed from Gemini mid-conversation if the user chooses.

The announcement points to a growing push by Google to put its AI assistant in charge of routine, time-consuming tasks that would otherwise require a person to stay on the line. Waiting on hold and navigating automated phone menus are among the most common frustrations for consumers contacting businesses. By handling those steps, Gemini is positioned as a way to complete everyday errands without the user's direct involvement.

The feature is tied to the Pixel 11 hardware and to the Gemini app on that device, rather than being described as a general release across other phones or platforms. Google's description of the capability as an early experiment suggests it is being tested with users rather than offered as a finished product. No broader availability details were provided.

For US consumers, the feature reflects the widening role of AI assistants in routine commercial interactions, including calls to local businesses. It also raises practical questions about how businesses will respond to an AI voice on the line, though Google's description focuses on the mechanics of the call and the controls available to the user. The company did not say when the experiment would expand or how many users would receive it.

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