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What Gemini can do while your phone is locked
With the relevant setting enabled, you can ask Gemini to make a call or send a text without first unlocking your Android phone. “Locked” means the screen stays locked while Gemini carries out that permitted action; it does not give Gemini unrestricted access to everything on your phone.
Google’s current Gemini lock-screen help says requests involving personal content may still prompt you to unlock the device. Reading a calendar is one example.
How to enable calls and messages on the lock screen
- Open the Gemini app.
- Tap your profile picture, then select Settings.
- Tap Gemini on lock screen.
- Turn on Use Gemini without unlocking.
- Also turn on Make calls and send messages without unlocking. Google labels this option Allow calls and messages without unlocking on some help pages.
Both options matter: allowing Gemini on the lock screen does not necessarily enable calls and messages by itself. Google’s instructions are in its lock-screen settings guide.
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What you need for Gemini calls
Google’s calling requirements specify an Android phone or tablet, an active mobile phone plan, Gemini set as the mobile assistant, the Phone app, and permission for the Google app. To call someone by name, your contact information must also be synced so Gemini can identify the person.
Google has also described the Phone, Messages and WhatsApp extensions as ways for Gemini to make calls and draft, refine and send messages through default phone and messaging apps. Its March 3, 2025 Gemini update said those extensions became available in all Gemini languages. That announcement does not establish that WhatsApp behaves identically to the Phone app for every region or account.
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When you may still have to unlock
- Personal-content requests: Gemini can require an unlock for requests that access personal information; Google gives reading a calendar as an example.
- Requests outside the permitted actions: The lock-screen setting covers calls and messages, not unrestricted use of the phone.
- Account or age restrictions: Google says some features have age requirements and are unavailable for supervised accounts.
Google’s lock-screen guidance describes these limits. Google’s March 14, 2025 post on moving mobile Assistant experiences to Gemini also describes Gemini taking actions from the lock screen as part of that transition.
What the recipient hears when Gemini calls
For everyday calls, Google says Gemini begins by identifying itself as a Google AI assistant, saying the call is on a recorded line and placing it on your behalf, then stating your name. This disclosure is part of the call experience described in Google’s help for Gemini phone calls.
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What is not established
Google’s cited materials do not publish a usage, adoption or reliability statistic for locked-phone calls and messages. The documented device requirement is an Android phone or tablet; the materials do not justify a claim that the feature works on every Android device or that app behavior is uniform across regions and accounts.
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