Google is bringing one of Android’s smartest features to your car. The company is integrating Call Screening directly into Android Auto, giving drivers the ability to filter unwanted calls on the road with the help of Google Assistant.
Call Screening uses Google Assistant to answer incoming calls on your behalf. It determines whether a call is worth your attention—keeping scammers at bay while ensuring important calls still reach you.
How Call Screening Works
The feature can be set up from your phone’s Settings app. You can customize different levels of protection, such as automatically declining known spam calls or screening all unknown numbers. When connected to Android Auto, this same protection extends seamlessly to your car’s built-in screen—helping you stay focused while driving.
Most modern Android devices already include Android Auto, but if yours doesn’t, it can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store. Android Auto integrates navigation, calls, messages, and other important apps into a clean, driver-friendly interface.
Setting Up Call Screening with Android Auto
- Ensure the Android Auto app is installed on your phone.
- Connect your phone to your car via USB to enable Android Auto for the first time.
- Confirm that your vehicle supports Android Auto—over 400 car models currently do.
Activate Call Screening on your phone:
- Open the Phone app.
- Tap More > Settings.
- Go to Spam and Call Screen (or Call Screen).
- Select Automatically Screen Calls.
For Google Pixel phones (like the Pixel 10), Call Screening is available in most major regions, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
When an unknown call comes in, Call Assist answers automatically, and you’ll see a transcript of the exchange on your car’s screen.
Adjusting Your Level of Protection
You can tailor how aggressive you want Call Screening to be:
- Maximum Protection: Screens all unknown numbers and blocks spam automatically.
- Medium Protection: Screens suspicious calls and declines confirmed spam.
- Basic Protection: Only blocks identified spam calls.
These settings let you decide how much filtering is needed, depending on how often you receive unknown calls.
Why It Matters
Call Screening in Android Auto is more than a convenience—it’s a safety feature. By letting Google Assistant handle calls while you drive, you avoid reaching for your phone and stay focused on the road. It also shields you from scammers who use AI tools like the TerifAI chatbot to mimic voices or gather audio snippets for impersonation attempts.
If a caller turns out to be legitimate, Call Assist can politely inform them that you’ll call back later. For suspicious or spam calls, it can automatically hang up or request removal from their contact list—all visible on your car’s display.
With this integration, Android Auto is taking another step toward safer, smarter driving—giving you peace of mind and control over who gets through to you.
