Call-Only Ads End in 2027. How to Move Them. Call (562) 568-8305

The Short Version

Google stopped new call-only ads in February 2026, and the ones still running stop showing in February 2027. Move your numbers into call assets on responsive search ads now. Turn on call reporting, make the Calls from ads conversion primary and run the new ads beside the old ones until they record calls.

What Changed

Google's schedule removed every way to create a new call-only ad in February 2026.
Existing call-only ads stop getting impressions in February 2027.
The replacement is a responsive search ad with call assets attached.
Call reporting uses a Google forwarding number, and it has to be on before calls count as conversions.
A tap on a call asset costs the same as a click on the headline.

What Happened

For years a plumber or a locksmith could run an ad that did one thing. It showed a phone number, and a tap dialed the shop. That ad type is going away. Google's help page lays out two dates. In February 2026, all options to create new call ads were set to be removed. In February 2027, existing call ads stop receiving impressions. Google says it strongly recommends moving to call assets right away so your ads stay eligible to show.

The first date has passed. If you still have call-only ads running, they are living on borrowed time. You cannot build a new one to test a fresh offer or a new service area. And in about four months they go dark on their own, whether you touch them or not.

Search Engine Roundtable reported the dates on October 6, 2025, quoting Google's notice to advertisers. That notice said call-only ads are being retired and that you must move to call assets inside responsive search ads to keep getting phone leads. PPC Land covered it again in January 2026 and pointed to the trades, health care and law as the groups that leaned on the format the most.

What Replaces Call-Only Ads

The replacement is a normal search ad with a phone number attached. Google calls the ad a responsive search ad and the phone number a call asset. You write several headlines and descriptions, and Google mixes them to fit each search. PPC Land notes a responsive ad can hold up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. That is a big change from one fixed call ad.

The call asset is the part that keeps the phone ringing. Google's page on call assets covers the rules that matter most.

You can add a call asset to the account, a campaign or an ad group. The most specific one wins, so an ad group number beats a campaign number.
A tap on the call asset on a phone, or the call button Google shows on a desktop, costs the same as a click on the headline.
The number must be written in the E.164 style, with a plus sign, the country code and no spaces. It also has to show in your site's code, or your domain must be verified in Search Console.
Vanity numbers, premium numbers and fax numbers are not allowed.
You can schedule the asset by day and hour, so it only shows when someone can pick up.

Here is the real difference for an owner. A call-only ad sent every tap to your phone. A responsive ad with a call asset can send a person to your phone or to your website. Google decides which to show. That is fine if your site can book jobs. It is a leak if your site is slow or hides the number. Our piece on sites that rank but never ring covers that leak in detail.

Why It Matters to a Local Shop

The ad format is the easy part. The counting is where the leads go missing.

Most small shops judge an ad by one thing. Did the phone ring? When you swap the format, the calls can keep coming while the report shows nothing. Or the report can show calls that were wrong numbers. Either way, Google's bidding is learning from bad data, and so are you.

Calls are counted through call reporting. Google's page says call reporting puts a Google forwarding number on your ad. That lets it track how long the call lasted, when it started and whether it connected. Google tries to give the forwarding number the same area code as your shop. If it can't, it uses a local code for your region or a toll free number.

The conversion that matters is called Calls from ads. Google's setup page lists what you need. You need at least one call asset or location asset with a verified number, and call reporting turned on in your account settings. Once that is on, new calls land in the default Calls from ads action. A call counts as a conversion only if it lasts longer than the minimum length you set. So set that length on purpose. A towing company and a dental office will not agree on what a real call sounds like.

There is also a newer option. On the same page, Google says its AI can listen to call recordings to judge lead quality. That feature only works when both people on the call are in the United States or Canada, and you can turn recording off in settings. Think hard before you turn it on. Your callers may be sharing addresses and medical or legal details.

What to Do This Week

Google's own move guide is three steps. Add your business name and phone numbers as call assets. Build or edit a responsive ad in the same ad group and attach the call assets. Then remove the old call ad once the new ad is approved and performing. We would add tracking to the front of that list and some patience to the end.

Write down what you have. Export every call-only ad, its ad group, its number and its copy. Note which numbers are tracking numbers from another system.
Turn on call reporting. Do it before you build anything, so the new ads count calls from day one.
Check the conversion. Find Calls from ads under Goals. Mark it primary. Set a minimum call length that fits your trade.
Add call assets. Use E.164 format and make sure the number shows on your site. Put them at the ad group level when different areas or services use different lines.
Build the responsive ads. Put them in the same ad groups as the old call ads, with the call assets attached and a real landing page as the final URL.
Set the hours. Schedule the call assets for staffed hours only, and check your account time zone first.
Run both, then cut. Leave the old call ads on until the new ads are approved and logging calls. Then remove the old ones.

Google's checklist for call assets adds a few more items. It says to mark the call conversion as primary and remove other goals if phone leads are all you want. If you track more than one goal, it suggests the Maximize conversion value strategy, with a value on each conversion that matches what a good lead is worth. It also says to add at least two images to the responsive ad, link your Business Profile and put business hours on your call assets.

If the main goal of the campaign is phone leads, Google also offers a phone call leads campaign objective. It needs the Calls from ads conversion action set up before you can choose it. Pick it only after the counting is right, because the bidding will chase whatever you tell it is a lead.

Hours Matter More Than They Used To

A call ad that rings an empty office is wasted money. With call assets you can control that. Schedule them for the hours someone answers, and turn them off at lunch if the front desk leaves.

That matters even more if you also run Local Services Ads. From October 1, 2026, Local Services began charging for missed calls during business hours when the caller holds for more than 20 seconds, as Search Engine Roundtable reported. We covered that change in our missed call story. Two ad programs now punish a phone that nobody picks up. The cheapest fix for both is the same. Answer the phone, or do not advertise that hour.

Our Read

This change matters less for clicks than the coverage suggests, and more for counting. A good call ad becomes a good responsive ad with a call asset. The words can stay close to the same. What breaks is the report. A shop that skips call reporting, or leaves the call conversion as secondary, will think its calls dropped when they were just never counted.

So do it in order. Turn on the counting, build the new ads, run both and only then pull the old ones. Do it this month, not in January. If you wait until the old ads stop, you get no overlap, and you lose the week of side by side data that tells you the new setup works.

Sources

Every number in this story comes from one of these. If a figure is ours, the paragraph says so.

About the Daily Desk

One story a day on what changed in search, ads, AI and local marketing, and what it means for a business that lives on the phone ringing. Written by the team that runs marketing for service businesses at Clickflame. More from the desk.

Common Questions

Can I still make a call-only ad in Google Ads?

No. Google's help page set February 2026 as the month every option to create a new call-only ad was removed. Phone leads now come through call assets on responsive search ads.

Will my old call-only ads keep running?

Only until February 2027. Google says existing call-only ads stop receiving impressions then, even if you never touch them. Plan to have the replacement running and counting calls well before that.

Do I lose my call tracking when I switch?

Not if you set it up first. Turn on call reporting, check that the Calls from ads conversion action exists and is marked primary, and run the new ads next to the old ones until they record calls. Then remove the old ads.

Does a call from a call asset cost more than a click?

No. Google says a tap on a call asset on a phone, or the call button Google shows on a desktop, costs the same as a click on the ad headline.

Can I show the call button only when someone can answer?

Yes. Call assets can be scheduled by day and hour. Google suggests adding your business hours so calls come in only when the phone is staffed. Check your account time zone first.

Why did Google get rid of call-only ads?

Google says responsive search ads use its AI to match ads to what people search for. A responsive ad with call assets lets Google test many headline mixes and show a call button or a site link, where a call-only ad had one fixed message.

Call-Only Ads Go Dark in February 2027. Move Them Without Losing Calls