iOS AutoReply for phone calls

Recently, I’ve been spending more time on the phone for work. This is largely because I’m working closely with a few people on projects with many moving parts. Unlike many people in and around my age group, I don’t mind hopping on the phone to hash something out. In fact, at times I enjoy it. You lose something when trying to communicate purely via text.

However, some people fall on the opposite end of the spectrum. It’s been a long time since I had to try to get off the phone with someone actively, but it has happened to me. I am typically an assertive person, so it’s not a problem for me to wrap up a conversation. My peers who take less initiative are a different story.

If you find yourself on a long phone call (especially a boring one), it’s hard to stay engaged. What if, rather than forcing it, one could clone their voice with AI and automate responses on a call? You can imagine the Apple-branded version of this feature "AutoReply” finding a way into the wall of buttons you see during a call.

For the initiator, this feature could be a lifesaver. For the unsuspecting recipient of AutoReply, this would be a mix of depressing and infuriating. Knowing someone opted to automate replies instead of listening would be… disheartening to say the least. This is one of many reasons why I don’t see this going live any time soon.

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