With Android 16, Google is preparing a major design overhaul in line with the Material 3 Expressive design language. But instead of introducing the new look to all of its apps, Google is redesigning its core apps gradually. The most recent changes in the default Phone app have generated a lot of buzz lately.
In a short blog post, Google shows the new Phone app and explains why it’s making these changes.
The first thing to notice is that the new Phone app is much simpler and more streamlined. The overcrowded bottom bar is now showing just the “Home”, “Keypad” and “Voicemail”. The filters like missed calls, contacts and spam have been moved to the Home tab.
Speaking of, the Home tab shares space with the Favorite contacts and shows the recent call logs. Additionally, calls from the same contact are now shown separately.
The “Contacts” tab is gone altogether, and the “Keypad” tab takes the middle and replaces the floating action button. The dialer no longer follows you around when switching between tabs in the Phone app.
Last but not least, Google is experimenting with a new swipe gesture for answering and rejecting calls in order to reduce accidental answers or declines when pulling the phone out of your pocket. However, Google is taking users’ suggestions, so the swipe gestures may change.
The app is only available to beta testers for now, but it’s possible that Google may release the new version before Android 16 launches.