Google call-only ads deprecated: move to call assets before Feb 2027

Summary. Google's help notice, dated 3 October 2025, set two dates. In February 2026 every option to create a new call-only ad would be removed, and in February 2027 all existing call-only ads stop receiving impressions. Both dates are still on Google's help pages on 1 November 2026, with no extension. The replacement is a responsive search ad (RSA) with a call asset attached. In the Google Ads API, version 23 removed the call ad fields in January 2026, and version 22 reached its sunset date on 7 October 2026. The switch is not like for like. Call assets do not show with every impression, a tap on the call button costs the same as a headline click, and the call-only style button appears only when the campaign uses RSAs, has an eligible call asset, bids towards a call conversion and uses Smart Bidding. Google forwarding numbers work in India, but caller numbers are not tracked, and call recording needs both phones in the US or Canada, so Indian accounts count call conversions by duration. Our verdict: build RSA replacements in December 2026, run them alongside the old ads in January, and finish by 31 January 2027.

About this article. For advertisers and agencies running call-only ads, especially Indian lead-generation accounts. Checked on 1 November 2026 against Google Ads Help, the Google Ads Developer Blog and the Google Ads API release notes. Google changes ad products often, so re-check before committing budget. The data protection point is general information, not legal advice; worked figures are illustrative; no vendor paid for inclusion. Researched with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team.

The dates Google has confirmed

Google's announcement sits on a Google Ads Help page posted by Sheetal Jain, Product Manager, Google Ads. It says call-only ads, also called call ads, are being deprecated and that advertisers must move to call assets within RSAs to keep generating phone leads. The table draws on that notice, the developer post and the API record.

The developer post says January 2026 for creation in all interfaces, while the help pages say February 2026. Either way, you cannot create one now. The About call ads page repeats the February 2027 date and strongly recommends migrating immediately so your ads stay eligible to show. Google has not published a specific day in February. Treat 31 January 2027 as the working deadline.

February 2027 is also when Search campaigns with the Display Network on move to channel prioritisation, covered in our Display Network guide, and when Dynamic Search Ads campaigns start upgrading to AI Max, covered in our DSA-to-AI Max guide. If your account is hit by all three, migrate the call ads first, because they are the only change that switches delivery off completely.

What changes when a call-only ad becomes an RSA with a call asset

A call-only ad was built around one action: dialling your number. An RSA with a call asset is a text ad that can also show a call button. That difference drives most migration problems. The table combines the call ads and call assets pages.

First, Google says it is normal for call assets to appear on only a subset of impressions, so expect fewer call taps unless you steer the campaign towards calls. Second, the asset can serve in a button format similar to a call ad when four conditions hold: the campaign uses RSAs, it has a call asset eligible to serve, it optimises bids towards a call conversion, and it uses a Smart Bidding strategy such as Target CPA or Maximize Conversions. Change any one and the button format stops.

Step-by-step migration

Google's transition guide has three steps: prepare the account, create or modify RSAs, then remove the old ads.

Step 1: Prepare the account

• Add your business name in account or campaign settings, the first step Google lists.

• Format every number in E.164. Google warns that ads are disapproved as unverified unless the number strictly follows E.164, meaning a plus sign, the country code and the number with no spaces. For India that means +91 followed by the number.

• Make the number verifiable. The exact E.164 number must appear in your website's source code, or your domain must be verified. Sites using dynamic number insertion (DNI) or third-party call tracking should link Google Search Console to Google Ads (detection can take up to 24 hours) or place the Google tag directly in the page HTML. A tag deployed through Google Tag Manager does not count.

• Use an acceptable number. Vanity, premium and fax numbers are not accepted for call assets.

• Turn on call reporting in Account settings if you want calls tracked through Google forwarding numbers. Creating a call asset also means agreeing to the Call Ads Supplemental Terms.

Step 2: Build or edit the RSA

• Work in the same ad group as the call-only ad, so keywords, bids and history stay together.

• Add the call asset through the More Asset Types option when you create or edit the RSA, or from the Assets page.

• Choose the asset level deliberately. Call assets can sit at account, campaign or ad group level, and the most specific one wins. If each call-only ad group used a different branch number, put each number at ad group level.

• Reuse your proven copy. Move the call-only ad's headlines and descriptions into the RSA, then add more. Write headlines that also work for a website click.

• Schedule the asset to business hours so the number shows only when someone will answer.

• Check location assets. Ads featuring a location may send calls to that location's number instead of the call asset's number.

Step 3: Make calls the goal

Google's recommended checklist for call assets is short:

1. Enable call reporting for the campaign.

1. Mark the conversion action mapped to your call asset as primary. By default it sits under the Phone call lead goal.

1. If the campaign exists only for phone leads, remove all other goals from its settings.

1. If the campaign has several goals, use Maximize Conversion Value and set values that reflect a good lead.

1. Add at least two images to the RSA.

1. Link your Google Business Profile, if you have one. Our Business Profile playbook covers the setup.

1. Add business hours to the call asset.

Points 2 to 4, plus Smart Bidding, line up with the conditions for the button format that behaves most like the old call-only ad.

Step 4: Run both, then remove the call-only ad

Google says to remove the old call ad after the new RSA is approved and begins performing. Call-only ads keep serving until February 2027, so run both in the same ad group for two to four weeks, compare total qualified leads, then pause the call-only ad before the deadline.

Call conversion tracking after the switch

The default action. Once call reporting is on, Google counts new calls with the default conversion action Calls from ads, and that action is automatically included in the Conversions column. You can create your own under Goals, then Summary, then the option to create a conversion action, choosing conversions from phone calls and the Phone call lead category.

How a call becomes a conversion. Google describes three tiers:

1. Call recording. If recording is on, Google AI evaluates the call and only qualified calls count. Recording is currently available only when both numbers are in the US or Canada.

1. Call duration. If a call cannot be recorded, it counts when it lasts longer than the minimum you set.

1. Ad interaction. In the rare case that no Google forwarding number is available, conversions are classified from ad interaction data.

For US and Canadian calls, recording is on by default unless you turned it off or Google identified the business as healthcare or financial services.

Requirements. You need at least one call asset or location asset with a verified number, call reporting enabled, and a phone number whose country code is on Google's eligible list.

Calls that start on your website. Many RSA clicks land on your site rather than dialling. Track them with a Calls from website visits action, either by showing a Google forwarding number on the site or by counting clicks on the number there.

Reporting: keep your call numbers comparable

Before you change anything, export the last 90 days of call data from each call-only ad group. Then use the same columns after the switch. Definitions come from Google's analysis and call campaign pages; the last column is our note.

The date mismatch catches people out. Google's example has someone seeing a call ad on 5 August and calling the forwarding number on 7 August: one phone call on 7 August, one phone call conversion on 5 August. Treat that as an illustration of the dates only, because the forwarding number page says a first call must come within about 30 minutes of viewing the ad, or up to about 2 hours in certain markets, to be routed. Daily calls and daily conversions will rarely line up, so compare by week.

Call reporting in India

For Indian lead-generation accounts that depend on calls, such as clinics, coaching institutes and home services, Google's call tooling differs in four ways.

Forwarding numbers are available. India appears in Google's list of countries with forwarding numbers. Google tries to match your area code or prefix, and shows a toll-free number if no local one is available.

Caller details are thinner. Google says call reporting tracks the caller phone number for calls over 15 seconds, except in India. It also says caller ID still works through forwarding numbers except for some calls in India and Japan, and flags India among markets where caller ID may show a Google number. In practice, your front desk cannot rely on caller ID to call back a dropped lead. Train staff to capture the number during the call and log the enquiry source.

AI-qualified call leads do not apply. Call recording needs both numbers in the US or Canada, so Indian calls fall back to the duration rule. Choose that threshold from your own data. If most booked appointments come from calls longer than 90 seconds, a 30-second rule will overstate conversions and teach Smart Bidding to chase short calls.

Watch the phone system. Google says early-media phone tree systems are incompatible with call tracking and may cause missed calls to be reported. If your main line plays an IVR greeting before the call is answered, test a few calls through the forwarding number before launch and check that they appear as received.

One rule applies everywhere: forwarding numbers belong to Google and can be reassigned, so never print them elsewhere. A caller who saved one can still get through for 60 days after their first call, with the window resetting on each call.

If you use a third-party call-tracking platform, turn off Google's call reporting so your own number shows, verify your domain for the call asset, and bring qualified outcomes back as imported conversions. The call details report goes away, and Google then classifies conversions from ad interaction data. Caller numbers are personal data, so handle call-detail exports and recordings within your data protection processes; our DPDP Act engineering playbook covers the engineering side.

If you manage ads through the Google Ads API

Google's 9 October 2025 post said existing call-only ads would stay manageable through the API until February 2027, with support removed progressively. Version 23, dated 28 January 2026, removed CallAd and CallAdInfo, and version 22's sunset date was 7 October 2026. In the v26 reference, CALL_AD remains an ad type value, but the Ad message has no call ad field.

Our reading: use the API to find and report on these ads, not to edit their content, and test any script first. Move ad creation to RSAs, with phone numbers as call assets. Google's projected sunset for v23 is also February 2027.

Decision table: which setup fits your business

Worked example: a Gurugram clinic's call-only ad group

Assume a clinic runs one call-only ad group with no Final URL, on a ₹1,500 daily budget at an average CPC of ₹50. Its duration rule is 60 seconds, and half of all calls pass it. These figures are illustrative assumptions for the arithmetic, not benchmarks.

Before (call-only ad). ₹1,500 ÷ ₹50 = 30 clicks a day. With no Final URL, every click is a call: 30 calls. Half pass the 60-second rule: 15 call conversions. Cost per conversion: ₹1,500 ÷ 15 = ₹100.

After, text-ad behaviour. Same budget and CPC, so still 30 clicks. Suppose 40% are call taps (12 calls) and 60% are site visits (18 visits). Calls: 12 × 50% = 6 conversions. On the site, assume 10% of visitors call the number shown there and 5% submit a form: 1.8 + 0.9 = 2.7 leads. Total: 8.7 conversions a day. Cost per conversion: ₹1,500 ÷ 8.7 ≈ ₹172.

After, button-format behaviour. With a Phone call lead goal and Smart Bidding, suppose call taps rise to 70% (21 calls) and site visits fall to 9. Calls: 21 × 50% = 10.5 conversions. Site: 9 × 15% = 1.35 leads. Total: 11.85 a day. Cost per conversion: ₹1,500 ÷ 11.85 ≈ ₹127.

Two lessons follow. An RSA rarely sends every click to the phone, so matching the old ₹100 figure needs a landing page that converts. And if you do not track website calls and forms, the after view under-reports leads (6 of 8.7 in the first case) and Smart Bidding learns from only part of the picture. Set up that tracking before you remove the call-only ad.

Migration checklist: November 2026 to February 2027

1. November: List every call-only ad with its ad group, number and spend. Export 90 days of phone impressions, calls, PTR and call conversions.

1. November: Check business name, E.164 formatting and number verification. Set your duration threshold from real booking data.

1. December: Build an RSA with an ad-group call asset in every call-only ad group, with business hours and at least two images.

1. December: Set up website call and form conversions, make the call conversion primary, and remove other goals in calls-only campaigns.

1. Early January 2027: Run RSA and call-only ad side by side. Test calls through the forwarding number, especially behind an IVR.

1. Mid-January 2027: Compare weekly qualified leads per ad group and fix bidding or landing pages where the RSA falls short.

1. By 31 January 2027: Pause the call-only ads and annotate the date in your reports.

1. February 2027: Confirm no call-only ads remain and recheck Google's help pages for changes.

How eCorpIT can help

eCorpIT is a Gurugram-based technology organisation, founded in 2021, assessed at CMMI Level 5 and MSME certified, with senior-led engineering teams working across AWS, Microsoft and Google platforms. Our performance marketing team migrates call-only ad groups to responsive search ads with call assets, rebuilds call conversion tracking, sets duration thresholds from booking data and connects call outcomes to CRM records. Talk to us at /contact-us/.

Last updated: 1 November 2026.

References

1. Action Required: Transition from call ads to call assets, 3 October 2025 — Google Ads Help

1. About call ads — Google Ads Help

1. Google Ads API release notes (v23, 28 January 2026) — Google for Developers

1. Google Ads API v22 sunset reminder, 2 September 2026 — Google Ads Developer Blog

1. About call assets — Google Ads Help

1. About call reporting — Google Ads Help

1. About AI-qualified call leads — Google Ads Help

1. Upgrade your Call-Only Ads to Responsive Search Ads with Call Assets in the Google Ads API, 9 October 2025 — Google Ads Developer Blog

1. How to transition from call ads to call assets — Google Ads Help

1. How to achieve optimal performance from call assets — Google Ads Help

1. Measure calls from ads — Google Ads Help

1. Analyze call reporting data — Google Ads Help

1. About call campaigns — Google Ads Help

1. Google forwarding number — Google Ads Help

1. AdTypeEnum.AdType, API v26 reference — Google for Developers

1. Ad, API v26 reference — Google for Developers

1. Google Ads API release and sunset schedules for 2026-2027, 12 October 2026 — Google Ads Developer Blog