Google’s new Gemini Intelligence feature was announced with a demo about calling the pizza place and asking them to add extra pepperoni. It’s small and it’s also the moment “AI takes your calls” stopped being enterprise sales-tool material and started showing up in the average Android drawer. The interesting thing is that the pieces around Gemini’s new call-for-me trick have been building for a while: Google Phone’s Call Screen and Hold for Me. Samsung’s Live Translate on Bixby. Truecaller’s AI Assistant. Otter transcribing the whole call afterwards.
We rounded up seven Android apps that automate part of the phone call, from placing the call to summarising it after. Every one of them is live and installable today.
What to look for in an AI phone call app
Not every “AI phone call” app does the same thing. Pick by the job:
- Screening incoming calls so an AI answers, asks what the caller wants, and hands off only if it’s worth your time.
- Blocking spam and scam calls using a shared reputation database plus on-device heuristics.
- Placing outbound calls on your behalf to a business (a restaurant, a salon, the DMV) and negotiating the small stuff.
- Live-translating a call across languages in real time.
- Transcribing and summarising calls after the fact so you don’t have to take notes.
- Running voice conversations with an AI as a replacement for placing calls at all.
The right app depends on which of those matters most for you. A power user ends up with two or three of these installed side by side.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Paid | On-device or cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phone by Google | Screening spam and holding on-hold for you | Yes | N/A | On-device transcription |
| Google Gemini | Placing calls for you via Gemini Intelligence | Yes | Google One AI Premium unlocks more | Cloud |
| Voice search and Assistant flows | Yes | N/A | Mostly cloud, some on-device | |
| Samsung Bixby | Real-time call translation on Galaxy phones | Yes | Free with Galaxy device | On-device (Galaxy S24 and later) |
| Perplexity | Voice-mode search and quick call prep | Yes | Pro $20/mo | Cloud |
| Truecaller | Spam ID, AI Assistant call screening | Yes | Premium from ~$3/mo | Cloud |
| Otter Voice Notes | Recording and transcribing calls | Yes | Pro from $8.33/mo | Cloud |
| ChatGPT | Voice-mode conversations that replace calls | Yes | Plus $20/mo | Cloud |
The apps
1. Phone by Google – Best for spam screening and hold-for-me
Phone by Google is the dialer that ships on Pixels and is a free install on most Android phones. Two features earn it the top spot: Call Screen (Google Assistant answers unknown numbers, asks who’s calling and why, and shows you a transcript in real time) and Hold for Me (the Assistant sits on hold with a business and pings you when a human picks up). Direct My Call goes further, showing menu options as tappable buttons for supported businesses.
Where it falls short: Best-in-class features are Pixel-first. Non-Pixel devices get spam ID and caller ID but not Call Screen everywhere. English-dominant.
Pricing:
- Free
- No paid tier
Platforms: Android (Pixel-tier features gated by device).
Download: Google Play · Aptoide
Bottom line: Install it first on any Pixel. On other Androids, install it for the caller ID even if you can’t get Call Screen.
2. Google Gemini – Best for placing calls on your behalf
Google Gemini is the app the pizza demo used. Gemini Intelligence, its experimental agent layer, can look up a business, dial the number, wait through the phone tree, negotiate a small task, and read the outcome back to you. In practice: reservations, refill requests, appointment confirmations, and quick order tweaks work today; anything nuanced still needs you.
Where it falls short: The agent is experimental and rolls out feature-flag style. Not every locale is included. Businesses can flag automated calls out.
Pricing:
- Free tier with rate limits
- Google One AI Premium ($19.99/mo) removes them and adds Gemini across other Google apps
Platforms: Android (also iOS, Web).
Download: Google Play · Aptoide
Bottom line: Install Gemini for the ask-it-to-call flow. Keep expectations modest for the first six months.
3. Google – Best for voice search and quick dictation
Google (the search app) still handles the older Assistant behaviours: dictation, alarms, timers, quick unit conversion, and “call [contact]” over voice. Google announced Gemini would replace Assistant starting September 2026, and the two apps now share the same “hold to talk” surface. For flows that already worked in Assistant, they still work here.
Where it falls short: Not the agent flavour of Gemini. Won’t place a call to a business and negotiate for you.
Pricing:
- Free
Platforms: Android (and iOS).
Download: Google Play · Aptoide
Bottom line: Keep it installed for the voice-command surface. Let Gemini take over the harder AI work.
4. Samsung Bixby – Best for real-time call translation on Galaxy phones
Samsung Bixby on modern Galaxy phones is where Live Translate lives, and Live Translate is the reason a lot of Bixby holdouts still open the app. On a Galaxy S24 or later, the phone can translate a call in real time between supported languages using on-device models. That means the audio and transcript stay on the phone.
Where it falls short: Galaxy-only. Best features gated by the S24 generation and later. Bixby’s non-translation flows have been eaten by Gemini’s rollout.
Pricing:
- Free with a Galaxy device
Platforms: Android (Samsung Galaxy).
Download: Aptoide (Galaxy Store on device)
Bottom line: Install if you own a Galaxy S24 or later and translate calls even occasionally. Skip on other Androids.
5. Perplexity – Best for voice-mode research before or during a call
Perplexity in voice mode is quietly excellent for the seconds before you place a call. Ask what the business hours are, what number to call, or “explain this insurance term to me quickly” and it answers in a normal-sounding voice with citations. It doesn’t place the call for you, but it saves the “let me look this up first” round trip.
Where it falls short: Doesn’t place or handle calls directly. Free tier caps on advanced queries.
Pricing:
- Free tier
- Pro at $20/month unlocks GPT-5 and Claude models
Platforms: Android (also iOS, Web).
Download: Google Play · Aptoide
Bottom line: Keep it in a Quick Settings tile as the “get me an answer before a call” app.
6. Truecaller – Best for spam ID and its own AI call screening
Truecaller has 400M+ MAUs mostly for its shared spam database. Newer releases layer an AI Assistant on top: it can screen incoming calls by voice, ask what the caller wants, and give you a written summary so you decide whether to pick up. Works on any Android and doesn’t require Pixel-tier hardware.
Where it falls short: Privacy trade-off in the shared contact database is real. Premium is aggressive about upsell.
Pricing:
- Free tier with ads
- Premium from around $3/month drops ads and unlocks the AI Assistant heavier features
Platforms: Android (also iOS).
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: Best pick on a non-Pixel Android for spam ID plus AI screening in one install.
7. Otter Voice Notes – Best for recording and summarising calls
Otter Voice Notes is the pick when the call happened and you wish you had notes. It records, transcribes with speaker labels, and generates a summary with action items. Pair it with a call-recorder app or run it on speaker on a second device. The Otter Assistant integration also joins Zoom and Google Meet calls directly.
Where it falls short: Free tier caps monthly minutes. Direct capture of phone calls needs a workaround because Android restricts in-call audio for third-party apps.
Pricing:
- Free with 300 monthly transcription minutes
- Pro at $8.33/month billed annually removes most limits
Platforms: Android (also iOS, Web, Chrome extension).
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: Best pick for a real transcript with action items after any call.
8. ChatGPT – Best for voice-mode conversations that replace calls
ChatGPT in voice mode is the surprising member of this list because it’s the app people use to skip calls entirely. Draft a script for a difficult conversation. Rehearse a doctor’s appointment. Get a plain-English translation of a bill you don’t understand. Voice mode makes those flows feel like calls and often removes the need to place a real one.
Where it falls short: Doesn’t place phone calls. Free tier limits advanced voice.
Pricing:
- Free tier with limits
- Plus at $20/month unlocks advanced voice and higher rate limits
Platforms: Android (also iOS, Web).
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: Install for the reframed use case: rehearse or replace the call rather than automate it.
How to pick the right one
If you’re on a Pixel: install Phone by Google first, add Google Gemini for the ask-it-to-call flow, and layer Otter when a call needs a transcript.
If you’re on a Samsung Galaxy: keep Bixby for Live Translate, install Google Gemini as the primary AI, and Truecaller for spam ID.
If you’re on any other Android: Truecaller for spam ID and screening, Google Gemini for the AI agent flows, Perplexity for pre-call research.
If you spend more time avoiding calls than making them: ChatGPT in voice mode is the surprise pick that ends up saving the most calls per week.
FAQ
Can Google Gemini really place calls for you?
Yes, through Gemini Intelligence. The current supported tasks are small (reservations, availability checks, order tweaks). Complex negotiations still hand back to a person.
Does Phone by Google Call Screen work on non-Pixel phones?
Basic caller ID and spam blocking, yes. The full Call Screen assistant flow is Pixel-first. Some Motorola and Samsung devices get partial support.
What is the best free AI call app?
Phone by Google for spam and Hold for Me on Pixel, Truecaller everywhere else. Google Gemini and ChatGPT both have real free tiers for the voice conversations.
Can Android record phone calls with these apps?
Android restricts in-call audio access, so most third-party apps cannot record directly. Otter and similar tools work either on speakerphone with a second device or through Zoom or Meet integrations.
Which one does live call translation?
Samsung’s Bixby Live Translate on Galaxy S24 and later handles it end-to-end and on-device. Google Pixels also have a similar feature via the Pixel Live Translate integration. Third-party apps generally cannot hook into the call audio directly.
