Google Phone’s Expressive Calling allows urgent calls to override Do Not Disturb: How it works

Google is rolling out its new Expressive Calling feature to Phone by Google beta users, allowing calls to be marked as urgent with visual and haptic alerts. The feature can interrupt Do Not Disturb mode and highlights missed urgent calls in call history.

Updated15 Dec 2025, 08:52 AM IST
Following an announcement earlier this month, Google’s new Expressive Calling feature is now appearing for some users enrolled in the Phone by Google beta programme.
Following an announcement earlier this month, Google’s new Expressive Calling feature is now appearing for some users enrolled in the Phone by Google beta programme.(REUTERS)

By Govind Choudhary

Govind Choudhary is a Senior Content Producer for Mint with over 04 years of experience covering technology and automobiles. He holds a Master's diploma in Mass Communication and Journalism from IGNOU and a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Symbiosis International University. He has previously worked as a Correspondent for The Indian Express Group. He is also a passionate storyteller and an avid cinema enthusiast.

Google has reportedly begun rolling out a new set of features across its Phone and Gemini apps, introducing upgrades that focus on clearer communication and more advanced artificial intelligence reasoning for power users.

Expressive Calling starts reaching beta users

Following an announcement earlier this month, Google’s new Expressive Calling feature is now appearing for some users enrolled in the Phone by Google beta programme, reported 9To5Google. The feature is designed to make calls feel more urgent and noticeable through visual cues and haptic feedback.

Users can check availability by heading to Phone Settings, selecting General and scrolling down to Expressive Calling. The main toggle, which enhances calls with visual and vibration effects, is switched on by default. There is also an optional setting that allows urgent calls to break through Do Not Disturb mode.

How urgent calls work

At this early stage, Expressive Calling appears to work only when both the caller and the recipient are using the beta version of Phone by Google, reportedly version 203. When eligible, callers see a prompt asking whether they want to mark the call as urgent.

If selected, the recipient is shown a clear “It’s urgent!” message on the incoming call screen, accompanied by an animated siren emoji. Should the call go unanswered, it is later marked as urgent in the call history, making it easier to identify missed important calls.

Also Read | Google announces Emergency Live Video on Android to aid responders: How it works

Gemini 3 Deep Think unveiled for AI Ultra users

Meanwhile, Google officially introduced Gemini 3 Deep Think earlier this month, within the Gemini app. This new reasoning mode is available to subscribers on the Google AI Ultra plan and is positioned as the company’s most advanced AI thinking capability to date.

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Google has officially introduced Gemini 3 Deep Think in the Gemini app, giving Google AI Ultra subscribers access to its most advanced reasoning mode yet.
(GOOGLE)

The rollout is aimed at users who regularly deal with complex tasks, particularly in areas such as mathematics, science and logical reasoning.

A leap in reasoning performance

According to Google, Deep Think significantly improves how the AI tackles difficult problems by running multiple lines of reasoning at the same time. This parallel approach allows it to explore solutions more deeply and accurately than previous versions.

Also Read | Google launches Gemini 3 Deep Think with advanced reasoning: Who can use it

Google claims the new mode delivers standout results on demanding benchmarks. It reportedly achieves 41.0% on Humanity’s Last Exam without the use of tools, and 45.1% on the ARC-AGI-2 test when code execution is enabled. These results, shared via an official Google blog post, are described as setting a new bar for AI-driven reasoning.

Key Takeaways
  • Expressive Calling enhances the urgency of calls with visual and haptic feedback.
  • Urgent calls can bypass Do Not Disturb settings, ensuring important communication isn't missed.
  • The feature currently works only for users on the beta version of the Phone by Google.
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