Latest news with #GooglePhone
Android Authority
20 hours ago
- Android Authority
Google Phone's Material 3 Expressive revamp and new call gestures are starting to roll out
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Google has started rolling out the Phone app's Material 3 Expressive redesign on the beta channel. The updated interface brings visual changes to the in-call screen and Recent tab. It also introduces two new incoming call gesture options for the incoming call screen. Google has started rolling out the Material 3 Expressive redesign of its Phone app to some users, which we first spotted in a teardown late last month. It includes visual changes for the app's Recent tab and in-call screen, along with two new interfaces for the incoming call screen. Google Phone's Expressive makeover appears to be rolling out via a server-side update on the latest beta release (version 180.0.771769344). As shown previously, the updated in-call screen features larger UI elements, including bigger pill-shaped buttons, contact names, and caller photos. The Recent tab has also received a minor change, and the recent calls list now has a contrasting background with rounded edges. Google has also rolled out the new 'Incoming call gesture' setting to the Phone app, which lets you choose one of two new incoming call screen interfaces. If you pick the 'Single tap' gesture, the incoming call interface features 'Answer' and 'Decline' buttons that you can tap to receive or end an incoming call. The 'Horizontal swipe' gesture, on the other hand, adds a pill-shaped slider to the incoming call screen. It has a phone button in the middle and options to answer or decline the call on either side. On this interface, you can swipe the phone button to the right to receive a call or to the left to decline it. These Google Phone app changes aren't widely available, but we expect Google to roll them out soon. We'll update this post when the Phone app's Material 3 Expressive makeover hits the stable channel. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
11-06-2025
- Android Authority
Google experiments with ditching the Favorites tab in the Phone app for a simpler layout
TL;DR Google is testing the removal of the Favorites tab in the Phone app. Favorite contacts appear as a horizontal row at the top of the Recents tab in the new layout. The frequent contacts section no longer has a place in this redesign. Google is testing a significant change to its dialer app, and it could mark the end of a familiar tab. On at least some Pixel 8 Pro devices running version 178.0.765584175-publicbeta of the Google Phone app, the standalone Favorites tab has been removed. Instead, favorite contacts appear in a neat row across the top of the Recents screen, similar to how some other dialers integrate shortcuts for frequent contacts. Credit to Telegram user @h_muc, who first spotted this change live on their device. The first screenshot below shows the app's current UI, while the other two display the new layout. In the updated design, the Favorites tab is gone, and the top of the Recents tab now displays pinned favorites, followed by your most recent calls. A new Add button appears at the end of the contact row, presumably linking to the contact list so you can add more favorites. Another casualty of this redesign is the frequent contacts section, which previously appeared underneath favorites in the old tab. That section no longer appears in the new layout, and it's unclear whether it has been removed entirely or simply relocated. You can get a better idea of how the potential new layout will look in this video: The new layout is certainly cleaner, but it may frustrate users who liked having a dedicated space for both favorites and frequent contacts. It's unclear how widely this change is rolling out yet, but we'll keep an eye on things and let you know if this layout becomes the new default. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
05-06-2025
- Android Authority
Google could make it less obvious to the caller that you're using Call Notes (APK teardown)
Google TL;DR An Android Authority teardown has revealed that Google's Phone app could let you switch to audio tones when using Call Notes. The Call Notes feature currently plays an audio-based disclaimer to let people know they're being recorded. Chimes would be far more subtle than a full-blown audio disclaimer to callers. Google's Phone app for Pixel phones gained a helpful Call Notes feature last year, which records, transcribes, and summarizes specific calls for your convenience. It now looks like the company could bring a subtle but welcome option to Call Notes as well. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. 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. We conducted a teardown of the Phone by Google app (version 178.0.765584175-publicbeta-pixel2024) and found a Play audio tone instead of disclaimer toggle in the Call Notes menu. Check out the screenshot below. AssembleDebug / Android Authority When you currently use the Call Notes feature in the Google Phone app, it plays an audio disclaimer warning both parties that the call is being recorded. So this toggle would change that disclaimer to a short beep. The updated app also contains two audio files, which might be the starting and ending beeps. You can listen to the respective beeps below. In any event, playing a tone for Call Notes would be a welcome time-saver over using the full disclaimer. This would be particularly useful if you frequently transcribe and summarize phone calls. However, the chime could also be less than ideal as it doesn't outright say that the call is being recorded. This news also follows our recent discovery that the Phone app could gain the ability to automatically delete call notes. Our own sleuthing suggests that these notes can be automatically deleted after a week, two weeks, or 30 days. Google isn't the only Android phone brand offering call summaries and transcriptions, though. Samsung also offers these capabilities as part of its Galaxy AI suite of features. Nevertheless, we're glad to see Pixels gaining more options in this regard. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Forbes
31-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Importance Of Google's Pixel 10 Pro Pricing Decisions
Pixel 9 Pro XL As Google prepares to launch the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro, it will be focusing on the story it tells to consumers. However, a deeper story is being told by the Pixel 10 family, revealing the direction Google is driving the Android ecosystem. Unlike other Android manufacturers (perhaps excepting Samsung), Google has a totemic relationship with the consumers through the Pixel line-up. They are seen very much as "The Google Phone", and recognition from consumers is more towards the Google side of the street than the Android side. The moves that Google makes with the Pixel devices are seen as indicative of any phones that "run Google." The moves it makes with the Pixel tell the story not just of Pixel, but of Android. What stories are Google planning to tell with the Pixel 10 family, and how will that shape the respective markets? The Pixel 10 may be the keystone in the conversation. There is an expectation that the base model will retain the $799 price point that the Pixel 9 was on sale at. That's a price point where many of the so-called flagship killer smartphones sit; devices which promise an experience close to that of the more expensive and higher specced handsets, without the associated increase in price. Of course, some specifications will be trimmed back, but notably, Google is expected to keep using the Tensor G5 across the Pixel 10 family. There's no undercutting the formula with a derated processor. Google will also be hoping that its offer of seven years of Android updates and security patches will be accommodated by other manufacturers. It's becoming common to see six years announced with new handsets, so the support windows are moving in the right direction. What Google won't want to see is the loss of the flagship killer space. The Pixel 10 will balance the need for high specs to run generative AI and more complex programs, with a need to keep an affordable yet powerful phone available at the $799 price point. If the price of the Pixel 10 were to rise, that would risk the flagship killer's space. The expected sticker price of $999 is an important one. Staying below a thousand dollars, while delivering a full-on flagship, is the role of the Pixel 10 Pro. Much as the Pixel 10 will be used to stop power creep from bleeding into price creep, Google will draw a line in the sand that no one will pass when selling premium devices. Google is expected to push the entry-level price of the Pixel 10 Pro XL up by $100 to $1199. I'm curious to see if this is a direct price increase or if it is accomplished by dropping the 128 GB storage option and starting at 256 GB. If this approach is taken, the price for the 256 GB model remains the same as the Pixel 10 Pro XL. We're here for the story, though, and the story is one that pushes the Pro XL higher up the pricing curve. It's giving tacit permission for manufacturers to create more separation and maximise the margins further up the portfolio. Curiously, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is expected to see a price cut of $200, taking it down to $1599. That's still a hefty price for a phone, and I'm curious to see the offering that Google has and what compromises it has taken. It will be seen as an effort to bring down the expected price of a foldable, which will benefit many in the market. While the form factor has been around for some time, they still remain as smartphones for manufacturers to flex their innovation, rather than focus on mass market sales. There's no doubt that price plays a big part in that decision. Premium smartphones are expensive; adding in a "gee-whizz" feature such as a folding screen, and many will not want to take the risk. Bringing the price down reduces that risk by a small margin. The parts are still expensive, but the direction this market wants to go in is clear. No doubt the launch of the Pixel 10 family will touch Gogole's new hardware and lean heavily into Android 16 and the promise of the next-generation AI tools. However, the stroy underneath the story is just as interesting. Android is as much Google's as it is an Open Source project. It's the Pixel 10 that points out the direction that the Captain wants to take the ship. Now read the latest Pixel 10 Pro, Samsung S25, and smartphone headlines in Forbes' weekly Android Circuit news digest...
Android Authority
22-05-2025
- Android Authority
The Google Phone app could give you a quick way clean up Call Notes (APK teardown)
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR An Android Authority teardown has revealed that Google's Phone app could automatically delete your Call Notes. This joins the existing option to automatically delete call recordings. The Call Notes feature is restricted to Pixel phones in the US right now. Google currently offers Call Recording functionality on its Pixel phones, and the accompanying Call Notes feature can transcribe and summarize these calls too. Now, it looks like Google could give users a helpful way to clean up their existing Call Notes. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. 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. We conducted a teardown of the Google Phone app (version 176.0.760284033-publicbeta-pixel2024) and discovered that Google is working on the ability to automatically delete Call Notes. We also managed to enable the feature, as seen in the screenshots below. The screenshots suggest a solid level of flexibility, as your call notes can be automatically deleted after seven days, 14 days, or 30 days. You can also choose to delete all calls at any time via the Delete all Call Notes now option. In any event, this could be a helpful option if you frequently use the Call Notes feature and call recording during a phone call, as the list of notes could quickly clog up your Phone app. Call Notes is exclusive to Pixel phones in the US, but we hope it expands to more markets and languages sooner rather than later. This feature also comes after brands like Samsung and OPPO implemented call summaries on their own phones. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
