Google Phone application, which typically comes pre-installed on the company’s Pixel series of smartphones, has now officially started rolling out more devices, although it is still limited to selected devices from Samsung and LG running the Android 9 Pie operating system and higher.
Compatible smartphones will now be able to download the application from the Google Play Store and be able to set it as a default calling app.
The app has a “Verified Calls” feature that gives more information when a business calls a customer. Compatible calls will show a company’s name, branding, a small badge to show that it’s verified, and a reason for its call.
The move is the latest one in an industry-wide effort by the federal government and private tech companies, including T-Mobile, Apple, and a cohort of wireless carriers to reduce automated, spam, and scam calls.
The Verified Calls feature complements Google’s attempt to control robocalling through a call-screening feature on Google Assistant to help identify calls.
As noted earlier, to make use of this feature, the user will need to download the Google Phone app on the smartphone and set it as a default dialer. The feature currently works in the US, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, and India to start but the company says that it will add more countries in the future.
