Google has begun rolling out its Material 3 Expressive redesign for the Phone app on Pixel devices, available to select beta users.
Overview of the Phone App’s Material 3 Expressive Redesign: This update includes a new Favorites bar, enabling quick access to your favorite contacts, along with a streamlined call log. The call log will now display calls from the same contact as individual entries, making it easier to track your communication history with them.
Additionally, a new call answer/decline gesture is being tested. Feedback has indicated that users prefer this method to reduce accidental declines or answers when retrieving the phone from a pocket. Below is a complete list of the enhancements.
What’s New
- Favorites Bar: Quickly reach your favorite contacts without needing to navigate through a separate tab.
- Simplified Call Log: A straightforward call log displays a chronological list without nesting calls from the same person, making it easier to view your entire call history at a glance.
- Call Answer/Decline Gesture: The updated interface tests a horizontal swipe gesture for answering or declining calls, which has been favored by users to prevent accidental actions while the phone is in a pocket.
If you own a Pixel, you might already have access to the latest QPR1 beta build that features these changes. However, if you’re not venturing into beta programs, it may take some time before these updates become available to you, as this announcement is part of Google’s beta initiative.
Having used QPR1 for a while, I can confirm that most of the Material 3 Expressive updates have been impressive.