Bot calls
When something needs you, a bot can ring your phone. What the lock screen shows, how to answer or decline, how often bots may call, and Calls off for today.
What a call looks like
The phone rings like any call. Outside the unlocked app, at every preview setting, the screen says Murage is calling and Answer to hear what it is. It never shows what the call is about, whoever is looking at the screen.
Every paired device rings at once, for about 45 seconds. Pick up on one and the others show Answered on your other device. You have three choices:
- Answer to talk to the bot.
- Not now to dismiss this call. The same rule waits about two hours before it tries you again.
- Text me instead to get the message as a card in the chat.
A call you miss or decline stays in the chat as a card, with Call back, Don't call me about this again and Why I called. After a missed call the phone shows a note that reads Murage has a message for you.
When a bot rings and when it messages
A bot rings for five kinds of event: a call you booked, a watch that changed, a webhook, a message from a sender you are watching, or a turn you asked to be told about. Problems with a routine, and requests that need you now, start as a message. The card reads I messaged first and would ring if you hadn't seen it in 10 minutes. and the bot rings only if you have not seen it in that time.
Before any ring, Murage runs the checks on this page: calls off for the bot or for today, a voice, a device that rings, whether you are already on a call, the hourly and daily limits, quiet hours and your calendar. If a check holds the call back, the bot leaves a card instead, and the card says which check stopped it. Why I called on the card lists every check that changed what happened. There is no screen for writing call rules by hand in this release.
Call me when this finishes
While a bot is working in a direct chat, a phone icon sits beside Stop. Press Call me when this finishes and the label changes to I'll call you when this finishes. The bot rings when the turn ends, so you can walk away from the screen. The computer itself has to stay awake, though.
- If calls are off for today, the button offers Turn calls back on.
- If the bot has already finished, it says so.
- If calls are off for that bot, turn them on in the bot's settings.
It works in direct conversations only.
Calls off for today
Step 1
Open the Calls card
Open SettingsGeneral and scroll to Notifications. The Calls card sits right under it.
You're done when: you can see the Calls card with its History list.
Step 2
Switch calls off
Turn on Calls off for today. The help line reads Back on at midnight. and, once on, Calls are off until 00:00. Midnight is your computer's clock. Switch it off there any time to get calls back sooner.
While it is on, bots leave a message card instead of ringing. A rule you marked as an Emergency can still ring, and the card says Emergency rule, so I rang although calls were off for today.
You're done when: the switch is on and the help line shows the time calls come back.
Quiet hours and your calendar
Bot calls follow the same Quiet hours as notifications, set in SettingsGeneral under Notifications. During quiet hours a bot leaves a message without a notification. An Emergency rule rings anyway.
A bot also checks your Google Calendar before it rings, through connected apps. If the calendar shows you busy, or the check cannot give a clear answer within a few seconds, the bot messages instead. Without a connected Google Calendar the check is skipped and the bot can ring, subject to everything else on this page.
How often bots may call
- One bot. At most 2 calls an hour and 6 a day.
- All bots together. At most 3 calls an hour and 10 a day.
- After a ring. The rule that rang waits 30 minutes before ringing again. After Not now, about two hours.
- Booked calls. A call you put on the calendar yourself is exempt from the hourly and daily caps.
These are built-in numbers in this release, not settings, and they may change.
Call history
The Calls card in SettingsGeneral has a History list. Each row says who called, when, and what happened: Sam tried to call you at 09:12, Sam messaged you at 09:12, or Sam would have called you at 09:12, while Murage wasn't running. Open a row to read why. History is kept for 90 days.
Stop one kind of call
On any call card, choose Don't call me about this again. That rule turns off, or drops to messages only, and the other rules carry on. To quiet everything until midnight, use Calls off for today.
Book a call with your bots
On the Routines calendar, choose New call. Name it, pick one or more bots, set the date and start time, and choose whether it happens once or repeats on the weekdays you tick. You can set how long it lasts and attach files or pictures for the bots to have ready. A call with more than one bot opens as a room, so a daily check-in can have the whole team on it. Booked calls still need the computer on and Murage running.
Why did my bot message me instead?
The reason is on the card. Open it, or choose Why I called. Then Call me now if you want the call after all.
You see
Calls were off for today, so I left a message.Do this
You switched Calls off for today on. Turn it off in SettingsGeneral under Calls, or wait for midnight.
You see
No voice is set up for calls, so I messaged instead.Do this
The bot has nothing to speak with. Add Flux Router or a voice provider in SettingsVoice, then give the bot a voice in its settings.
You see
No device rings for calls, so I messaged instead.Do this
No paired phone was available to ring. Check the phone app is paired and connected, and that notifications are on for Murage on the phone.
You see
Over the hourly limit (2), so I messaged instead.Do this
That bot already rang twice this hour. The daily version reads the same with the daily number. Wait, or choose Call me now on the card.
You see
Quiet hours, so I left a message without a notification.Do this
Your quiet hours cover this time. Change them in SettingsGeneral under Notifications.
You see
Calendar: busy, so I messaged instead.Do this
Your Google Calendar showed you in something. Couldn't check your calendar, so I messaged instead. means the check did not get a clear answer in time.
You see
You said Not now a short while ago, so I messaged instead.Do this
The same rule waits about two hours after a decline.
You see
Murage wasn't running at the time, so I messaged instead.Do this
Calls come from Murage on your computer, so it has to be on, awake and running. A closed laptop lid puts it to sleep. The card says the bot would have called you while Murage wasn't running.
You see
The call couldn't connect, so it ended. Try again in a moment.Do this
The line between the phone and your computer dropped while the call was being set up. Check both are on the same Tailscale network and try Call back.