That’s what makes using Google Pixel such an easy call. When you’re trying to contact a business, Pixel helps you shortcut through automated phone systems and lets you know how long you might need to wait on hold – you can even let Google Assistant wait on hold for you. It’s great for receiving calls, too, with Google Assistant acting as your personal call screener. And whether you’re calling a business or a friend, Clear Calling ¹ on Pixel phones let you hear the other person more clearly by enhancing their voice and reducing background noise. So you’ll rarely have to say, “I can’t hear you.” 

When you make a call,  Wait Times on Pixel lets you know whether you’re likely to have to hold for long.² Wait Times does this by evaluating the average length of a call to a business. When you’ve finished the call, you can share information about its length, helping to make Wait Times even more accurate over time.

When you place a call, you may be greeted by an automated voice that offers options – often with lengthy descriptions you need to memorize or listen to closely.  

By contrast, when you use your Pixel to call a business with an automated menu, the  Direct My Call  feature displays the automated voice text on your screen, as well as the directory, with tappable number buttons to choose an option.² Direct My Call is powered by Duplex technology, powerful AI that transcribes the menu options. 

Of course, any drawn-out response time can be annoying, especially when crackly on-hold music is involved. 

If you want to skip the wait altogether, you can have Google Assistant wait for you. While some companies offer this option, Pixel offers it for other toll-free numbers you call with  Hold for Me . Select this option and Google Assistant will notify you with sound, vibration, and a prompt on your screen once someone is on the line and ready.

If you find yourself inundated with unsolicited spam calls or unknown numbers, Google Assistant can use  Call Screen  to screen them out for you in the background, without ever bothering you.³

This can be especially valuable when you use the same phone for work and personal purposes. 

Consider the case of Jacqui Podel, a nutrition consultant in New York City who uses her Pixel for both personal and business calls. She receives calls from friends and clients at all times of the day, as well as occasional spam calls. With every call, she’s deciding whether she wants to take a work call outside of business hours, or catch up with friends when she’s on the clock. 

“If I get a call and don’t recognize the number, Google Assistant will ask who it is for me,” Podel notes. Depending on the reply, which is transcribed and displayed on the screen, she takes the call, blocks the number, or directs the caller to leave a voicemail.⁴

Call Screening can also screen and decline robocalls automatically. This is especially handy for Podel during work hours, when she receives client calls from numbers she may not recognize: “I don’t have to waste my time screening calls that are spam,” she says. Less time contending with bots on her phone leaves her with more time to spend on her business – not to mention more peace of mind.