Google Pixel's Call Screen Might Soon Start Screening Robocalls Automatically

The Call Screen feature on Pixel devices help recognising and dodging pesky automated machine calls from telemarketers and alike. The feature does it by answering calls and asking a series of questions to the caller. However, as of now, the entire thing is a manual process where users need to ask the dialer to screen the call as it arrives. But a new report suggests that it could soon become automated as a new automatic Call Screen feature is in the works. According to a beta version of the app discovered by XDA, strings of code have incorporated terms like ‘automatically screen’, ‘decline robocalls’ and ‘silently decline’, all hinting towards the possibility of the smartphone automatically declining the call without disturbing the user.

According to the report, following the automation, unknown and spam calls will be answered robotically by the Google Assistant on behalf of users and later declined without even letting the user know. Calls coming from unknown numbers will ring for few seconds following which the Google Assistant will save a transcript of that call if required in future. Numbers which are saved in the contact list of a user, will, however, won’t be screened. In case the Google Assistant fails to screen a call, users can manually do it by tapping on ‘manual Call Screen’, the report adds.