Google Call-Only Ads in 2026: What Replaced Call Ads and How to Set Up Call Assets

Google call-only ads are on their way out. Google renamed them "call ads" a few years ago, removed the option to create new ones in February 2026, and says every existing call ad stops receiving impressions in February 2027. The replacement is a responsive search ad (RSA) with a call asset attached. If your business lives on phone leads, rebuild those campaigns before the old ads go dark. While you are in there, fix the other leak: paying for calls that nobody picks up.

Are call-only ads being deprecated?

Yes. Google's own help page, "Action Required: Transition from call ads to call assets," lists two dates:

Until then, any call ad you already had keeps running, but you cannot create a new one. Google strongly recommends replacing them now. Waiting has a cost too: the new RSAs collect no call data until they exist.

Two things to know about naming, because the help center mixes them:

• Call-only ads and call ads are the same format. Google renamed call-only ads to call ads; most advertisers still use the old name.
• Call extensions became call assets. Same idea (a phone number attached to a normal text ad), new name.

What were call-only ads, and why did people like them?

A call-only ad showed only on devices that can make phone calls. The whole ad was a call button. A tap dialed your business; there was no website visit in between.

For plumbers, locksmiths, towing, HVAC and garage door repair, that was close to ideal. Someone with water on the floor wants a person on the phone, and a call ad got them there in one tap. You paid for that tap.

The weakness was the same design. With no landing page behind the ad, a call that rang out or hit a full voicemail box cost you the click and left the customer with nowhere else to go.

Call-only ads vs call extensions (call assets): what is the difference?

Here is the comparison that matters for your account in 2026:

The biggest change is the extra choice. With a call asset, the searcher can call or click through to your site, so some of your phone leads will become web visits and form fills. A roofer whose page has a clear quote form loses little. One whose page buries the phone number in the footer has a problem.

Google notes that a call asset can still appear in a button format "similar to a call ad" in some conditions, for example when you use responsive search ads or optimize for call conversions.

How do you set up call assets in Google Ads?

Google's call asset help page gives this path. Menu labels shift a little between account versions, but this is the current route:

1. In Google Ads, open the Campaigns menu and go to Assets.
2. Click the plus button and choose Call.
3. Pick the level: Account, Campaign, or Ad group. Use campaign or ad group level if different services or locations use different numbers.
4. Choose Create new and enter your country and phone number.
5. Open Advanced options to set an asset schedule, so the number only shows during hours you can take calls (more on this below).
6. Turn on call reporting if it is not already on. It is an account setting and it is what gives you Google forwarding numbers and call data.
7. Choose to count calls as conversions. Google creates a default conversion action called "Calls from ads"; you can create custom call conversions under your conversion settings.
8. Save. If this is your first call asset, Google asks you to accept the Call Ads Supplemental Terms.

Phone number rules that trip people up

Google rejects numbers that do not meet its policy. From the call asset help page:

• Vanity numbers, premium-rate numbers, and fax numbers are not accepted.
• The number must be in E.164 format and either appear in your website's source code or be verified through Google Search Console.
• If you use dynamic number insertion or a third-party call tracking number, Google requires domain verification.

Number verification requirements rolled out more widely in late 2025, so if your call asset sits in "under review" or gets disapproved, check that the exact number on your website matches the asset.

How do you move existing call-only ads to responsive search ads?

Google's transition guide is short. Here is the same process with the parts that usually go wrong filled in:

1. Add your business name in account or campaign settings. RSAs with call assets lean on it.
2. Add every number you use as a call asset, following the policy above. If each location has its own number, attach each one at the ad group or campaign level so the right number shows for the right area.
3. Build or edit an RSA in each ad group that currently runs a call ad. Write headlines that make calling the obvious action: "24/7 Emergency Plumber," "Call for a Same-Day Quote," "Licensed Electrician, Call Now." Pin a call-focused headline in position 1 if you want to control it.
4. Attach the call asset to the RSA ad group or campaign (in the ad editor it sits under "More asset types").
5. Point the final URL at a page built for phone conversions. One screen, your number at the top as a tap-to-call link, service area, a short trust line. Its job is to get the visitor to call.
6. Run both side by side until the new RSA is approved and getting calls.
7. Pause the old call ad once the RSA is performing. Do not wait for February 2027 to do it for you.

If you bid on conversions, give the new ads a few weeks of call conversion data before judging them. Smart bidding has to relearn which searches turn into calls once the format changes.

Should you schedule ads to the hours you can answer?

Yes, unless someone answers around the clock. Google Ads lets you schedule two things:

• The campaign ad schedule. Campaigns run "All day" by default. You can limit them to certain days and hours and set bid adjustments up or down for specific times.
• The call asset schedule. Under the call asset's Advanced options you can limit when the phone number appears, so the ad still runs at night but only shows the website path.

A tap on your call button costs the same whether someone answers or not. If your phone is not covered from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., a call asset that shows all night is buying calls that ring out. Your options:

1. Hide the number after hours. Schedule the call asset to your covered hours and let the RSA keep sending web traffic overnight.
2. Lower bids after hours. Use ad schedule bid adjustments to spend less when you cannot respond fast.
3. Cover the phone and run all day. Many emergency searches happen at night and on weekends, when your competitors' phones are also off. If someone answers every call, those hours can be your best ones.

The real waste in call ads: paid calls nobody answers

Ad audits tend to focus on keywords, match types and negative lists. For a phone-first business, the most expensive leak is usually a good click that ends in a missed call. A typical evening:

1. Someone searches "emergency plumber near me" at 7:40 p.m.
2. They tap your call button. You pay for the click.
3. Your phone rings on a job site, in a truck, or on the kitchen table. Nobody picks up.
4. They hang up and tap the next ad on the page.

The ad did its job and the lead still went to a competitor. Google's reports count it as a phone call, so the campaign looks healthier than it is.

You can see this in your account. With call reporting on, Google shows each call's start and end time, whether it was missed or received, and the caller's area code. Add the Call Details columns to your campaign view (Columns, then Call Details), sort by time of day, and count the missed ones. Look hardest at evenings, weekends and the lunch hour.

For a deeper walk-through of measuring this, including call length thresholds and grading lead quality from transcripts, see our guide to Google Ads call tracking. If you also run Local Services Ads, missed calls hurt there too; see how missed calls affect your LSA ranking.

How to stop paying for missed calls from Google Ads

You have three realistic choices:

• Pay for coverage with people. A front desk or a live answering service works, but nights and weekends are hard to staff, and you pay for every call whether it is a job or a robocall.
• Cut ad hours to match your availability. Costs nothing, but you hand the evening and weekend searches to whoever is still answering.
• Put an AI receptionist behind your existing number. This is the option SkipCalls was built for. You keep your number (and Google's forwarding number keeps routing to it). When you do not pick up, the call forwards to your SkipCalls receptionist, which answers in your business name, 24/7. It asks the questions you would ask, books the job on your calendar, and texts you a summary with the caller's details and what they need. Setup takes about 5 minutes with standard call forwarding codes.

For ad campaigns there is a side benefit: every answered call gets a transcript and summary, so you can see which keywords bring jobs and which bring tire-kickers. About 9 million known spam numbers are stopped before your phone rings.

The full setup for paid traffic is on the Google Ads call answering page.

Google call-only ads checklist for 2026

Before you close the tab:

1. List every call-only ad still running and the ad group it lives in.
2. Add verified call assets at the right level for each number.
3. Build a call-focused RSA in each of those ad groups.
4. Turn on call reporting and confirm the "Calls from ads" conversion exists.
5. Pick a minimum call length for call conversions that matches a real conversation in your business.
6. Decide your after-hours plan: hide the number, lower bids, or answer every call.
7. Pull last month's Call Details and count missed calls by hour.
8. Pause old call ads once the RSAs are approved and getting calls.

FAQ

Are Google call-only ads still available in 2026?

Existing call-only ads (call ads) keep running until February 2027, but you cannot create new ones. Google removed the creation option in February 2026.

What replaced Google call ads?

Responsive search ads with call assets. You attach a phone number to an RSA, and Google can show it as a number or a call button next to a regular text ad.

Are call extensions the same as call assets?

Yes. Google renamed extensions to assets, so call extensions are now call assets. They work the same way: a phone number attached to a text ad.

Do I pay when someone calls from a call asset?

When someone taps the Google forwarding number in your ad, you pay the same cost per click as a click to your website. If they dial the number manually after seeing it, Google does not charge for that call.

Can I show my phone number only during business hours?

Yes. Set an asset schedule under the call asset's Advanced options. The ad can keep running after hours without the number, or you can use a campaign ad schedule to stop or lower bids at night.

Why is my call asset disapproved?

The most common reasons are a number that is not on your website or not verified in Search Console, a vanity or premium-rate number, or a call tracking number used without domain verification.

Do call assets work on desktop?

Yes. Unlike call-only ads, which showed only on phones, call assets can appear on desktop too. Desktop searchers usually click through to your site or dial the number by hand.

Make every paid call count

Moving from call-only ads to call assets is a one-time rebuild. Whether the calls those ads buy get answered decides your cost per job every month. If your phone goes unanswered in the evenings, on weekends, or while you are on a job, see current SkipCalls plans and put a receptionist behind your number.