How to Use Voice Calling on Google Home

Google Home and Nest speakers and displays can place voice calls when you speak a command, but the feature depends on your region, account and device. This guide covers how to prepare your speaker, place a call, confirm it worked and fix the problems people run into most often.

Before you start

Calling from a Google Home device is not a local function. The speaker sends your request to Google's servers, and the call is connected through Google's calling service. The device needs a working internet connection, and the feature is only offered in some countries and on some account types. Google has also been retiring or changing Assistant features as it moves to newer assistants, so check what your device currently supports rather than assuming a feature you used before is still available.

• A Google Home, Nest speaker or Nest display that is set up and linked to your Google Account
• The Google Home app, updated to its current version, on a phone signed in to the same account
• Voice Match set up for each person who wants to call their own contacts
• Contacts saved in your Google Account, or permission for the app to sync contacts from your phone
• A region where calling from smart speakers is offered for your account

Do not rely on a smart speaker for emergency calls. Google's documentation has stated that emergency numbers cannot be dialled this way, so keep a phone within reach for that purpose and check the current terms for your country.

Step-by-step instructions

The names and locations of settings change between Google Home app versions, so the steps below describe what to look for rather than an exact menu path.

• 1. Open the Google Home app and confirm the speaker is listed under your home and signed in to your account.
• 2. Make sure Voice Match is on and that personal results are allowed on the speaker. Without this, the device may not access your contacts or may refuse personal requests.
• 3. Find the calling settings in the app, which usually sit with the Assistant or communication options. If the app offers to sync device contacts, allow it so the speaker can find people saved only on your phone.
• 4. If the app offers an outgoing caller ID option, choose whether calls show your own phone number or appear as unlisted. Linking your own number usually requires a verification code sent to that phone.
• 5. Say the wake word, then ask to call a contact by name, or say the full phone number digit by digit. If a contact has several numbers, name the type, such as mobile or work.
• 6. During the call, adjust volume by voice or with the device controls. To end it, ask the Assistant to hang up or use the controls on your device.

Each setting can be undone. You can switch your caller ID back to unlisted, unlink your number, turn off contact syncing or disable personal results from the same part of the app. Review what contact data is synced and how call history is stored in your Google Account settings; treat these privacy details as things to confirm, not assume.

Check the output

To confirm everything works, call a phone you have with you, such as your own mobile or a family member's phone. Check that the call connects, that the receiving phone shows the caller ID you chose, and that both sides can hear each other clearly.

Call quality depends on your Wi-Fi connection, the speaker's position and background noise in the room. Smart speakers are built to pick up voices across a room, but a person far from the device or near a loud appliance may sound quieter to the other side. These are voice calls only; a speaker without a screen cannot show video, and features available on a display may differ from those on a speaker.

Common problems and next steps

The Assistant says it cannot make calls. The feature may not be offered in your country, on your account type or on that device. Check the calling settings in the Google Home app; if no calling option appears, the feature is likely unavailable to you. Work or school accounts often have it turned off.

The speaker cannot find a contact. Confirm the contact is saved in the Google Account linked to your voice profile, not only in another account on your phone. Make sure Voice Match recognizes you and personal results are on. If the name is unusual or shared by several people, try adding a nickname to the contact or saying the number instead.

The wrong person's contacts are used. In a home with several people, the speaker uses the contacts of whoever it recognizes by voice. Retrain Voice Match from the app if recognition is unreliable. A guest without Voice Match may only be able to dial numbers directly.

The recipient sees an unknown or private number. This is expected when caller ID is set to unlisted. Link and verify your own number in the calling settings if you want it shown, and note that some people silence calls from unknown numbers.

Incoming calls do not ring on the speaker. Calling your regular phone number does not ring a Google Home device. Whether a speaker can receive any incoming calls depends on the current feature set for your device and region, so check the calling settings rather than relying on older guides.

Calls drop or audio cuts out. Move the speaker closer to the router or improve Wi-Fi coverage, and restart the device from the app. If problems continue after updating the app and the speaker, contact Google support with the device model and a description of when the drop happens.