Google rolls out helpful new features for Gemini and Phone calls

Google is bringing helpful new updates to some of its popular applications, focusing on making conversations easier, whether you are talking to its AI assistant, Gemini, or making a phone call to a friend.

Improved Conversations with Gemini Live

The company is making its live conversation feature, known as Gemini Live, much better when it comes to understanding what is happening.

When this feature first came out, if you used the captions option, you could only see the text of what the AI model said back to you. Now, Google has updated this so that when you tap the captions button, you can see what you said and what Gemini said, right on your screen.

This simple change is great because it lets you quickly check that the app heard your request correctly before the AI goes on to generate a long reply. This feature is now becoming available for everyone using the Gemini app on Android phones.

On a related note, starting a live search conversation is now quicker. Instead of digging for the option, you can now set up a shortcut right on your home screen search widget, making it much faster to jump into a “Search Live” session.

Making Urgent Calls Impossible to Miss

The Google Phone app is also getting a big upgrade with a feature called “Expressive Calling.” This new tool allows you to explain to the person you are calling why you are reaching out before they even answer the phone.

When you start a call, you will be able to choose a short message, or “Call Reason,” to send to the other person’s device. The available reasons include things like “Quick question,” “Catch up,” “News to share,” and the most important one: “It’s urgent!”

If you mark a call as urgent, and the person you are calling has this new feature turned on, your call can bypass their “Do Not Disturb” settings. This means that if you have a true emergency, you can ensure your phone call makes a sound and interrupts their silent mode. The feature will also let recipients know if they missed an urgent call.

To use this new Expressive Calling function, you will need to allow the Phone app to send SMS messages, as that is how the reason is sent to the other person. While this feature is still being prepared, it is expected to launch first for Pixel phone users.