Google Expands AI Features to Older Pixel Phones

tech360.tv
Aug 29, 2025
2 min read

Google announced that its new AI-powered Take A Message tool will be available to millions of older Pixel phone users, not just Pixel 10 owners. This feature was initially presumed to be exclusive to the latest Pixel device.

Dark image of a sleek gray phone with a camera bar, next to "Pixel 10" text. Minimalistic and futuristic setting. — Credit: GOOGLE

Take A Message allows Pixel owners to record and transcribe caller messages in real time if a call is missed or declined. The recording and transcript can be viewed in the phone app, and users can join the call at any point during the recording.

This feature will be available on Pixel 4 models and higher. It will also function on Pixel Watch 2, 3, and 4 if the wearable is paired with a Pixel 6 or a newer model. To activate Take A Message, users should navigate to the phone app, tap More, then Settings, then Take A Message, and turn it on.

The feature may not operate in all situations, such as when a phone is off, out of network, roaming, or if a call is declined using Bluetooth earbuds.

Credit: GOOGLE

Another new tool, Next Steps, also appears to be available on the Pixel 9 series, despite earlier assumptions of it being a Pixel 10 exclusive. Next Steps is part of Call Notes, which transcribes phone calls and provides a summary of discussions.

Next Steps provides an action item from a phone call, such as "send an email to the venue about pricing." Call Notes itself is exclusive to Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 handsets, meaning Next Steps may not extend to phones released before 2024.

Google aims to integrate AI tools like Gemini into as many devices as possible. However, the company's approach to delivering new AI features to older handsets has been inconsistent.

Three smartphones display different wallpapers: left shows a woman, center shows two people close, right shows a man. Backgrounds in beige, purple, green. — Credit: GOOGLE

For example, the Pixel 8 series received Auto Frame and Reimagine from the Pixel 9, but Pixel screenshots and Add Me were not extended. This inconsistency may be due to varying technical abilities of the phones or a business strategy to retain certain flagship tools for newer hardware.

Google's new AI feature, Take A Message, will be available on Pixel 4 and newer models.
Take A Message records and transcribes missed or declined calls in real time.
The Next Steps feature, part of Call Notes, appears to be available on the Pixel 9 series.

Source: FORBES