If you ask a Pixel user what features stop them from switching to a different device, one of the most common answers will be Call Screening. Being able to send nuisance callers to Assistant rather than dealing with them yourself can save a lot of time and hassle. But if I’m honest, I always thought the feature was over-hyped. I’ve never had much trouble with unwanted callers, so I couldn’t see how a feature like this could be a big deal. Recently, though, that changed.
One of the big reasons I wasn’t overly bothered by Call Screening is that I never got to use it. I stopped using a Pixel as a daily driver in 2019, and Call Screening was US only until the end of 2021 when it finally reached the UK. I’ve also been lucky and never had many unwanted calls to deal with. Saldy, that changed when my phone number was leaked in a data breach toward the beginning of this year, and the “we understand you’ve been in an accident” calls haven’t stopped since.
Samsung’s version of call screening, Bixby Text Call, was released in the US in February this year and finally made it to the UK in May. Since then, I’ve been using it to screen all unknown numbers, and it’s been invaluable. I could block unrecognized callers outright, but many of the NHS departments I contact have to use private numbers, so that option doesn’t work for me. Being able to throw a call over to Bixby and see a transcript to decide if I need to take the call is excellent. Most spammers hang up immediately, but genuine callers converse with it just fine.
Getting set up is easy. Open the phone app, dive into settings, and you’ll find the Bixby Text Call menu. Open it up and select the language that you want to use. You can also edit the quick phrases that the phone will suggest to you from here. If you live in the US and you’re using the One UI 6 beta, you can evencreate a model of your voice.
With that done, you’ll get a Bixby Text Call button in between the usual accept or decline keys. Once tapped, you’ll need to confirm you want to accept the call with a swipe from the new button. Now, you’ll see a transcript of the conversation from both sides. You can type a response, tap on custom replies, or take over the call at any time.
Now that I’ve experienced what I’ve been missing out on all these years, I realize that perhaps I’m too dismissive of the smart features Pixels have to offer. Even in the areas discussed today, Google is still ahead. Assistant can navigate complex phone menus and stay on hold for you, something that’s only recently arrived in the UK. Bixby can’t do any of that, although I wouldn’t be surprised if it were added eventually.
While those differences aren’t enough on their own to make me switch back to a Pixel, I know that I’ll pay more attention to them in the future, and I look forward to seeing what Google can pack into its phones next.
