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You've been asking for it, and asking for it, and asking for it, and... well, you get the point. Just after the Google Contacts app brought in the long-awaited, long-demanded dark theme, the Phone app is now following closely behind with the dark theme we've seen for the last couple versions. It's finally out of testing and available for the rest of the world to enjoy.
The Play Store may be packed with content, but there are some pretty strict rules in place when it comes to the things apps distributed by Google can do, and once in a while those rules are refreshed or tweaked. Starting this month, Google has refined its Developer Program Policies to include limits to call log and SMS permission access, explicit prohibitions against surveillance and "commercial spyware apps," and new Android Contacts API restrictions.
Every week, I examine somewhere in the neighborhood of a hundred app updates while looking for changes. The most interesting things turn into APK Teardowns or Download posts. Many of the remaining updates are unremarkable, amounting to a few bug fixes, routine updates to libraries, or even just pixel-level adjustments to layouts and images. However, there are usually a few updates that land somewhere in between. I don't want to spam readers with dozens of short posts, but I hate to ignore things that people might want to know about, so I'm going to wrap up the leftovers for a little weekend reading and call it Update Notes.
With version 32 of Google Duo, Cody discovered an activity that would let him export the call log history to any app on his device. Despite the feature being functional, it wasn't visible and had to be triggered from ADB through your computer. Now, the option is getting its own UI element, although it's hidden where you don't expect it to be.
Google announced several changes coming in Android P on its Developers Blog today. Among them is an important change to the way phone permissions work that aims to stop apps from having unnecessary access to your phone activity.
For victims of crime or domestic violence, every little bit of help is welcome. Many countries have police stations, support centers, and hotlines that can be reached, but the one thing you wouldn't want is for your attacker to see that you called one of them. That's why it makes sense to hide these numbers from the call log automatically instead of leaving it to the frightened victim to figure out how to delete a call from their history.
SMS Backup & Restore is a well-known app in these parts, especially among those of us that have to (or choose to) swap devices frequently. Just last year, the app was picked up by Carbonite, and with the purchase came a nice visual overhaul. But now it appears that Carbonite had decided to hand the app off of SyncTech, an Australian company.
Over the last few months, Google has been taking small steps to integrate Allo and Duo into different pieces of the phone. Most recently, Allo shortcuts were added to the Contacts app, but today's teardown is more closely related to Duo recording its video chats to the system call log. It looks like Google's next step may involve having its Phone app be a little more forward about Duo.
Google might be planning on having your Duo calls appear in your phone's call history. A new prompt is appearing in Duo that asks if you'd like to merge its call history with your phone's. We found data to support this last month in a teardown of the Duo app, so it isn't too surprising. Either the switch flipped early for the prompt, or the feature might be coming soon.
Some users have been experiencing issues with backup on Google's Pixel devices, most notably backups of SMS, call history, and apps, although other accounts of all backup types failing have also been reported. The current cause isn't known, but reports of the problem on Google's product forums stretch back to just after the launch of the device, and for many the matter remains unresolved.