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Alongside a handful of surprise discount codes, Google's Pixel 10 predictably landed with several new AI-powered, device-exclusive features. However, it turns out that one of those new tools, Take A Message, will be available to millions of Pixel phone users and not just Pixel 10 owners.
Take A Message is Google's latest effort to hand over parts of the phone call experience to AI. Here's how it works: if a Pixel owner is about to miss a call or declines it, the new tool will then record the caller's message and transcribe it in real time. This recording and transcript can be viewed in the phone app, and the call can be joined at any time during the recording.
This was initially assumed to be a Pixel 10 exclusive, but an updated Google support page (spotted by Android Authority) clearly states that Take A Message will be available on the Pixel 4 and higher. It's also available on the Pixel Watch 2, 3 and 4 if the wearable is paired with the Pixel 6 and beyond.
To try it out, head to the phone app, tap More > Settings >Take A Message and turn it on. The feature won't function in every scenario, however. If your phone is off, out of network, roaming, or if a call is declined using Bluetooth earbuds, the feature may not work.
The new "Next Steps" feature in the Call Notes, which was initially presumed to be a Pixel 10 exclusive, also appears to be available on the Pixel 9 series, according to Android Authority. Call Notes transcribes phone calls and provides a summary of the discussion. The Next Steps feature provides an action item from that phone call, for example, 'send an email to the venue about pricing.' Call Notes itself is exclusive to the Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 handsets, so Next Steps may not make it to phones released before 2024.
Hopefully, Take A Message and the Next Steps feature in Call Notes are the first of other AI-powered tools making their way down the Pixel hierarchy. Google obviously wants to get Gemini, or something powered by it, in as many hands as possible. These tools do that. As does Circle to Search, which Google continues to squeeze more AI tools into because it's available on almost all Android phones.
But Google doesn't always bless older handsets with the latest device's AI features. The strategy can be inconsistent. For example, the Pixel 8 series got Auto Frame and Reimagine from the Pixel 9, but Pixel screenshots and Add Me didn't make the same trip. Part of that may be down to the different technical abilities of the phones, but in reality, it makes business sense to keep certain flagship tools exclusive to new hardware.