Arc Search for iPhone, the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered mobile browsing platform, is getting a new feature that brings voice capabilities. The feature, dubbed Call Arc, is designed as a gamified experience that can only be turned on when users bring the phone close to their ears. It offers verbal responses to queries, eliminating the need to look at the screen and read it. The app also has a ‘Browse for me' feature that uses various AI models to create a web page about the search query.

How to Activate Call Arc feature

Call Arc is currently being rolled out, and most users worldwide should already have it or will get it in the next few days. To access the feature, they will have to update the Arc Search app via the App Store. The activation process of the feature is unique and quirky. The Browser Company has shipped the feature as a calling interface, which turns on when the user brings the iPhone (with the app open) to their ear.

Call Arc feature in Arc Search app

Once the feature is activated, users will see a call interface with an end call button at the bottom, a speaker button, and a button to read more about the responses. A large animated smiley emoticon is placed centrally with the word ‘Arc' written on top. There is also a call timer showing the duration of the call.

How the Call Arc feature works

Gadgets 360 was able to access the feature and found it to be working normally. There is a slight lag of about four seconds (which may differ based on internet connectivity), but it does not cause any major inconvenience. Once the query has been processed, it plays a call waiting tune until the response is prepared. After that, the AI verbally responds. Users can also see the text on the screen.

The feature is useful in scenarios when the user is outdoors or cannot read the screen to check the responses. For instance, if the user is cooking and wants to look up a recipe, they can use this feature to listen to the steps without having to leave everything midway. Notably, ChatGPT with GPT-4o can also access the internet and offer lag-free verbal responses. Google is yet to release the Gemini app on iOS, but its Android counterpart also has similar verbal response capabilities.