Google wants Gemini to sit on hold so you don't have to.
The feature is rolling out as an early experiment on the Pixel 11. Instead of dialing a local business yourself, you tell the Gemini app what you need - a restaurant reservation, a stock check, a rescheduled appointment - and Gemini places the call. It introduces itself, works through automated phone menus, waits on hold, and handles the conversation with whoever picks up. You can watch the exchange unfold in a live transcript and stay in control throughout, according to Google.
This is less about saving you a few minutes on hold and more about Google testing whether people will let an AI agent act as them in a live conversation with a stranger, not just answer questions in a chat window. That's a step past assistants that only respond to you - here Gemini is the one doing the talking, to someone who may not know they're speaking with software.
It's a narrow pilot on a single phone for now, but if it holds up, it's a preview of AI quietly taking over the small, tedious calls that businesses currently pay people to answer.