At Google I/O 2017, the search-giant announced that hands-free calling capability will soon be rolled out to Google Home. The company has started rolling out this new feature using which you can make and receive hands-free calls on the Google Home. This feature is initially available to the users in U.S. and Canada. If you are located in either country, you can now call your Google contacts and businesses using your voice.
Google Home supports voice calling for multiple users and thus, anyone who has set up the device to recognize their particular voice can make calls directly from their individual contact list. Making calls on your Google Home is pretty easy and straight-forward, you can just say “Hey, Google, call …” and name a contact. You also have an option to call local businesses, for instance, if you need to call the nearest restaurant, you could say “call the nearest restaurant.” It’s damn easy, isn’t it?
As of now, the recipients will see Unknown or No Caller ID, though the company says that the issue is temporary and will be resolved by the year end. However, you have an advantage if you use Google Voice or Project Fi, as you can link those numbers to be identified by the recipients.
With this feature being rolled-out in the initial phase, it faces some shortcomings. To be specific, Google Home cannot call 911 along with international and premium rate numbers unless you link your Google Voice or Project Fi number.
It is a gradual roll-out process that could take up to a week or even more, if you didn’t see the update coming, you would need to wait for few more days. For an early access though, you can give Google Home Preview Program a try.
