Gemini's Call for Me Could Deliver on a Promise Google Made in 2018

Back in 2018, Google showcased a feature that wowed its audience during its I/O event and this was way before most companies started pushing out AI chatbots or agents.

It was an AI-assisted calling feature called Duplex, which allowed people to call businesses and make reservations without any human intervention.

Fast-forward to 2026, and Google has now announced a new feature called Call for Me, which works almost identically to Duplex. While Duplex on the Web was eventually shut down, Call for Me allows Gemini to make and handle a phone call on your behalf, from start to finish.

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How Call for Me works

Call for Me can call businesses, introduce itself, navigate automated phone menus, wait on hold and handle the conversation. It can also ask if a product is in stock, make a restaurant reservation or reschedule an appointment.

You open the Gemini app and ask it to make the call. You can also explicitly use Call for Me in your prompt.

Google recommends being specific. You can give it the business, what you want, preferred dates and times, alternatives it can accept, and any other relevant information.

For example: “Call [restaurant] and book a table for two at 7pm tomorrow. If 7pm isn't available, ask for 7:30pm.”

Users can watch a live transcript and intervene at any time. The feature is rolling out to Pixel 11 owners with a Gemini subscription in the US. Google is also being cautious. The feature is launching as a beta because, as the company puts it, “real-world conversations are nuanced.”

Why Google could be releasing this feature now

Google isn't launching this feature in a vacuum. Recently, Meta has been testing a calling feature for its Muse agent. Considering this, Google's move could be a competitive response.

But the two features aren't exactly the same. Internal posts seen by Reuters reveal that Meta has been testing a “human concierge” feature, with human contractors quietly handling some of the calls placed through Muse.

The key difference is that Google's feature is fully automated. Gemini makes the call. Meta's feature, at least in testing, sometimes uses humans to handle calls made through Muse.

Google has released many AI-powered call features in the past

Ever since experimenting with Duplex in 2018, Google has released a slew of AI-powered calling features, such as Ask for Me, Hold for Me and other tools.