Google is rolling out a redesigned Phone app with its Material 3 Expressive update, bringing both visual and functional improvements. This update (available from version 186 and above for stable users) was first tested in June and is now widely rolling out helloworld.
Key Highlights of the New Design:
Merged Home Tab: Favorites and Recents are combined into a single Home tab, with starred contacts displayed in a carousel at the top of the call list.
Keypad in Middle Tab: The dial pad has moved to the center tab, replacing the floating action button, and now appears in a rounded sheet design.
Voicemail: Largely unchanged, but presented in a refreshed list style.
Contacts in Navigation Drawer: Contacts have been moved into a side drawer accessible from the search bar, alongside Settings, Clear call history, and Help & feedback.
Functional Improvements:
Incoming Call Gesture: You can now answer or decline calls with a horizontal swipe or single tap, designed to reduce accidental actions (like pulling the phone from a pocket).
In-Call Interface: Features new pill-shaped buttons that expand into rounded rectangles when tapped, and a larger end-call button for easier use.
Note:
This is not an issue with the Phone app. It is part of Google’s design update rollout.
If you want to roll back to the previous version, you can simply uninstall the current update.
Steps to Rollback:
1. Open Phone app.
2. Go to App info.
3. Tap on Uninstall updates (or Uninstall the app, depending on device).
This will restore the Phone app to its factory version.