Google Phone App Gains Support for Caller ID Announcement

 

Google’s native Phone app gained many new features and functionalities over the past year. However, one of the basic features the Google Phone app lacked is the ability to announce caller IDs during an incoming call. So, the Mountain View giant has now finally added the support caller ID announcement in the native dialler app of Android.

The “Announce caller ID” feature is rolling out to users after being in development for months. It was initially discovered in an APK teardown last year. Now, Google has finally added it to the native dialer app on most Android devices. It works just as it sounds and announces the name or number of an incoming call on a user’s device.

This is a nifty addition for those who prefer to know who is calling them without glancing at the call screen. Moreover, the feature is pretty important for those with physical disabilities such as eyesight issues. So, all in all, the feature aims to help users avoid unwanted calls without picking them up.

Now, the new “caller ID Announcement” functionality resides inside the Settings options of the Google Phone app. However, it is turned off by default. Nonetheless, you can open the Google Phone app, go to Settings and turn it on with a couple of taps.

There are three options to choose from, including “Always”, “Only when using a headset”, and “Never”. Selecting the “Always” option will announce caller IDs and numbers for all calls whether using a headset or not, while the second and third options are pretty self-explanatory.

So, if you are someone who would like to know who is calling you without looking at your Android phone, you might want to update the Google Phone app (link) from Google Play Store right now.