Google Phone app could get more Material 3 Expressive changes
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google has already rolled out many Material 3 Expressive changes to the Google Phone app, but more changes are in the pipeline.
- Within the app, the Keypad will likely get its own permanent tab replacing Contacts, while Recents will be renamed Home.
- There will be a new sidebar that replaces the three-dot menu.
Material 3 Expressive brings some of the most noticeable changes to the Android platform in recent times. While it’s not a ground-up reimagination of the UX, there are plenty of subtle changes that add to a pleasant and visually different experience. Google has shown off some Material 3 Expressive changes coming to the Phone app, and the revamped call gestures have even rolled out to users. That’s not all, though, as the company has more changes in the pipeline for the Phone app.
An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
Phone by Google v182.0 beta includes code for the upcoming changes for the keypad tab and the sidebar. We managed to activate them to give you a better look ahead of their impending release:
The current UI for the Phone app has tabs for Recents and Contacts and a floating action button for the Keypad. Soon, Recents will be renamed Home, while the Contacts tab will be replaced with the Keypad tab as Google eliminates the floating action button, as it has already shown off these changes. To get to the Contacts page, a new View contacts chip will likely be at the top.
When you go to the Keypad tab, the new UI will likely continue to show the Home tab at the bottom. This will be a bit more convenient, as the current UI requires tapping the back button on the top left to minimize the UI triggered by the floating action button. The Call button will likely shift up a bit to accommodate the new tabs, which might hinder some muscle memory.
The Recents tab in the current UI also houses a three-dot menu button in the search bar at the top. This button will likely go away in favor of a sidebar with the same options.
Here’s a video demo of these three changes for a better look:
We’re still waiting on Google to release these changes to everyone. We’ll keep you updated when we learn more.
