"Function calling: The model can delegate complex tasks (such as image generation and file analysis) to other Gemini models via function calls. Currently available in the Gemini macOS app."
This confused the heck out of me because it makes it sound like the STT model can make function calls in order to execute arbitrary tasks, which wouldn't make any sense. The developer docs (https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models/gemini-3.5-tran...) confirm that the Gemini 3.5 Transcribe model cannot in fact make function calls. I guess the blog post is just using very confusing wording to describe how their consumer assistant/chatbot app can both take audio input via Gemini 3.5 Transcribe and then call other things as needed. Or maybe that bullet point was meant to be for a different model announcement and somebody made an editing error.
Remember that function calling doesn’t mean that the model is actually calling a function for you: what it does it interpret the intent, then return back to the application the function and arguments, then the application runs the function with those arguments.
Think voice control for your device. You speak, and it returns back instructions ( a function and arguments) for your device to be execute.