After years of giving little attention, Google put the focus back on widgets with the release of Android 12 in 2021. The new Material You design language meant the company had to revamp the widgets across all its apps. Google Contacts was among the first apps to receive the Material You treatment, but its widgets never got the same love. This is despite Google refreshing the widgets of almost all its other apps with added functionality and Material You design elements. While late to the party, it looks like the Contacts app will finally gain a Material You-inspired 3x2 widget to spice up your home screen.
So far, the Contacts app has offered 1x1 widgets for Contact, Direct dial, and Direct message. The new 3x2 widget is much more lively with its Material You theme, wiggly shape, and rounded corners. It prominently displays the contact's profile image, with a button to message them on the top left inside a rounded square and a calling shortcut in a circle on the bottom right. At the moment, it is unclear if the widget can be resized to other configurations or not.
Given the widget's 3x2 size and how the contact's profile photo is prominently displayed, it is ideal for adding quick call and messaging shortcuts to your spouse or a loved one on your phone's home screen.
As 9to5Google notes, the widget will appear in your phone's widget picker if you have Google Contacts v3.80.24.x or a newer build installed. However, placing the widget on the home screen will crash the launcher when you are prompted to select a contact. This signals that the widget still needs some final touches before it is rolled out, but the public release should not be far away. Until that happens, check out the best and most useful widgets for your Android phone's home screen.