Pixel phones might finally be getting this highly requested feature in India (APK teardown)

Android Authority

10 hours ago

Andy Walker / Android Authority
Pixel 8a
TL;DR Google might be getting ready to introduce Call Screening on Pixel phones in India.
The feature lets users identify callers and their reasons for calling before answering the phone, helping thwart spam calls.
India might get the manual version of Call Screening instead of the automatic version available in the US.
India has over a billion cellphone users and is one of the most affected countries in the world when it comes to spam calls. Hundreds of millions of spam calls are reported daily in the country, yet Pixel phones don't offer Call Screening as an option for Indian users. Pixel enthusiasts in the country have been requesting the feature for years, and it looks like their pleas may soon be answered.
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An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
Google introduced Call Screening on Pixel phones in 2018. While India now receives all of Google's flagships, this feature, along with other useful functions like Spam Detection, has been missing from the Pixel lineup in the country.
When I previously spoke to Mike Abary, Vice President of Devices & Services Business, APAC at Google, he acknowledged this gap and told Android Authority that the company is actively working to bring these features to India.
'It is not lost on us that we need to make sure that we bring this capability to India, and we have plans to do that. The delay is less about technical challenges and more about policy-related hurdles, which we are working to address,' Abary had said at the time.
Call Screening finally ready for its Indian debut?
While digging through a recent version of the Phone by Google app, we discovered internal files that strongly indicate Pixel's Call Screening feature is in development for the Indian market. Call Screening allows users to identify callers and their reasons for calling before answering the phone. It also uses AI to provide smart replies during calls, allowing users to quickly respond to common questions without speaking.
Buried within the Phone by Google app's internal data folders, we found several resources related to Call Screening and its smart replies feature, including a batch of audio files in Hindi. This suggests that Google is preparing localized support for the feature, an important first step toward an Indian rollout.
Unlike in the US, where users can opt for automatic Call Screening, the Indian version of the feature appears to rely on a manual screening method. This would allow users to initiate the screening process by tapping a 'Screen call' button when they receive a call, instead of the phone automatically screening calls.
That said, these are just initial findings. Google may just be testing the waters while it awaits regulatory approvals to launch the feature in India. Given that the country has over 22 officially recognized languages, Google has its work cut out for it.
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