With the “Overdue Gemini” setting you can finally make calls faster

One of the best features of a virtual assistant is its ability to perform tasks for you on the go, such as making calls and sending messages. Ideally, this doesn’t mean you have to stop and enter your passcode first. Continuing its campaign to make Gemini the new Google Assistant, Google has introduced a major new feature that allows you to reach contacts without unlocking your phone.

Gemini can finally talk on the phone comfortably

Finally, Google has started rolling out a setting for Android that lets you ask Gemini to make a call while your phone is still locked. To see if the setting has arrived on your phone, follow the steps below:

• Go to Gemini Settings > Gemini on the lock screen.
• Look for a header named Outgoing calls and messages.
• If you see an option to do so Make calls and send messages without unlocking the lockthen you have the setting.

Once you’ve enabled the setting, you can ask Gemini to make a call or send a message by starting with the same “Hey Google” command you would use with Google Assistant. When you request a call or message, Gemini will immediately resend it without asking you to unlock your phone.

If you don’t have the setting, your device may rely on Google Assistant or ask you to unlock your phone first.

Old tricks – new dog

The lock screen setting is another sign that Google is entrusting Gemini with features that used to belong to Google Assistant. In fact, the news closely follows the company’s launch of a Spotify extension that lets you play music using Gemini. Of course, playing music and making calls from the lock screen aren’t necessarily new to Android users who have already used Google Assistant for the same tasks. They are only new to Gemini.

While it seems like Gemini is just playing catch-up at the moment, we’ll likely see it overtake Google Assistant in the future. As a large language model (LLM), Gemini is intended to enable more efficient task completion thanks to its ability to understand context and learn over time. Ultimately, Gemini knows your preferences, saving you time and headaches. That’s the idea anyway.

Again, the feature itself isn’t earth-shattering, but it reminds us that we should probably get used to the new Gemini workflow. It’s pretty clear that Gemini will take over Google Assistant’s job. Hopefully more features will be added soon – like the ability to play music without unlocking the phone.