The Google Pixel 9 could get one of Apple Intelligence's coolest features before any iPhone

The Google Pixel 9 Pro on an orange background

(Image credit: Google / Future)

Google looks set to unveil the Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold at its upcoming Made by Google launch event, and we’re now hearing that all four phones could launch with an iOS 18-style software feature.

According to Google tipster Dylan Roussel (via X), the Pixel 9 series will introduce Call Notes, a new AI-powered tool that lets you record and transcribe phone calls. Roussel makes no mention of call summarization in his X post, but given that the Pixel 8 Pro can already record, transcribe and provide summaries of real-life conversations via the Recorder app, we think it’s likely that Call Notes will bring the same three options to phone calls.

Interestingly, iOS 18 is set to bring similar functionality to compatible iPhones later this year, though Apple has confirmed that AI-powered call summarization will be limited to the best iPhones – namely the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 series – as part of the company’s Apple Intelligence suite.

Like Add Me? Wait until you hear about AI Call Notes (with call recording and transcription), redesigned Panorama mode, and other upcoming Pixel features 📞🌃July 27, 2024

In other words, Pixel 9 owners could benefit from a key Apple Intelligence feature before any iPhone users have had the chance to try it out. What’s more, with Apple Intelligence now reportedly delayed until iOS 18.1, the Pixel 9 and its siblings could continue to boast phone call transcription and summarization as exclusive features even after the initial launch of the iPhone 16 series.

Incidentally, owners of the best Samsung phones have had access to a built-in phone call recording tool since Android 9, but there’s still no native method for transcribing and summarizing phone calls on Galaxy devices.

As for whether Google will bring this rumored Call Notes feature to previous-generation Pixel devices, we think it’s likely to do so, but only after the Pixel 9 series has enjoyed Call Notes as a timed exclusive tool.

Thankfully, we don’t have too long to wait until all is revealed. The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold are set to be unveiled on August 14, and we’ll be on the ground at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California to bring you the latest Pixel-related announcements as they happen.

Axel is TechRadar's UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site's Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion. Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.