Google Phone Can Now Announce Caller IDs

A helpful feature that many have been waiting for.


A helpful feature that many have been waiting for.

Many major phone manufacturers, from Apple to LG to Samsung, have certain united sensibilities in their designs. Some manufacturers, however, are a little behind the curve in certain departments. One of those manufacturers, surprisingly, is Google, and the department in question is accessibility features. As of today, though, that’s been remedied.

Thanks to a new update to the Google Phone app present on Google-manufactured smartphones like Pixel, caller ID can now be audibly announced. Most other major phone brands have had this feature for a while, which is why users of Google Phones have been requesting it for as long. The feature can be toggled in Google Phone app’s Settings menu. It’s disabled by default, but can be set to always announce the name on the caller ID from an incoming call, or to only do it when a headset is connected to the phone.

This can be a very potentially helpful accessibility feature, as it would allow those with some manner of visual impairments to know who’s calling them. It’s also a generally helpful feature for those who operate their phones primarily through headsets, or connect their phones to their cars via Bluetooth and can’t see the screen. If your Pixel doesn’t have the update already, you can update the Google Phone app from the Google Play Store.