Google’s Android apps are undergoing a significant design overhaul to align with Android 16’s Material 3 Expressive, and the Phone app is no exception to this transformation. Recently, we discussed the potential new look for Google’s Phone app following its visual revamp.
Beyond the aesthetic changes, Google has exciting plans for functionality enhancements. One notable adjustment is the way users can access their most important contacts.
A Telegram user, @h_muc, discovered changes indicating that Google is redesigning the “Favourite” section of the Phone app. This change, reported by Android Authority, aims to improve user experience, though it may come at the cost of removing some familiar features.
Currently, the Phone app offers a dedicated tab at the bottom for quick access to essential contacts. However, this may soon change, as some users are seeing an updated version where the Favorites section is now positioned at the top of the recent call history list.
Users can tap this section to unveil pinned favorite contacts, which also includes the ability to add new favorites. While this new layout allows for a cleaner look at the bottom bar, which now only includes “Recent” and “Contacts” tabs, it has raised concerns.
Notably, the Frequent contacts section, which highlights the people contacted most often, seems absent from the redesigned Favorites area. This leaves uncertainty about its fate—whether Google will eliminate it or reallocate it within the app.
As Google is currently A/B testing these features with beta users, not everyone will see the changes immediately, even with the latest beta version of the Phone app. This testing phase allows Google time to address feedback and potentially add missing features, enhancing user satisfaction before the broader rollout.
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