Following the update to the Google Contacts app, a matching update to its Phone app was also shipped for Pixels and other Google-supported handsets. The story is the same, though the visual changes look less severe since the old versions were already less colorful and contact photos were a bit more dominant. There aren't any live functional changes for the general public, but there is one notable change to the Favorites tab in the works.
Read MoreNew Android P features will keep apps from snooping on your phone logs
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.
Read MoreWear OS Phone app gets updated via the Play Store with Quick Replies [APK Download]
Over the recent months, we've seen Wear OS implement a blacker theme over many of its apps and interface elements. This has carried over to Google's own apps with Keep being the prime example and now another is joining the fold: the Phone app.
Read MoreGoogle Phone v19 beta switches to bottom navigation tabs, adds spam filtering, and more [APK Teardown]
Yesterday, Google opened the doors to a new beta channel for its Phone app. For those joining the beta releases, there's already a fresh update to v19 waiting for them to play with. There are a lot of changes coming through in this round, including some updates to the UI, an option to filter spam calls, and much more. If you want to get your hands on the latest version, but aren't quite ready to join the beta, grab the apk from the APK Mirror link below.
Read MoreInBrief
Google Phone v18 switches to system settings for sound and vibration controls [APK Download]
Android Messages set an example last year by doing away with its own built-in notification settings and instead redirecting users to the new Notification Channels feature in Android 8.0 Oreo. This single change gave users more options to fine-tune notifications than the app previously offered, and it was all in a fairly standard system interface. The Google Phone app is now making a similar change, but this time it's relinquishing its old settings screen for sound and vibrations and replacing it with the Sound settings offered by the system.
Read MoreGoogle is testing a bottom nav bar in the Phone app
Google's custom Nexus/Pixel dialer has added a few cool features over the years like local search and video call integration, but the interface hasn't changed in ages. Today, it looks like Google is testing a redesign that moves your tabs to the bottom. This isn't always a surefire way to improve app usability, but I think it works here.
Read MoreGoogle Phone v17 adds floating "chat heads" for quick access to in-call functions, prepares RTT support [APK Teardown]
There's a new update to the Google Phone app rolling out to Google-supported devices (e.g. Pixel, Android One, etc.), and this one brings a long-awaited feature: Chat heads. More specifically, this is the floating widget with the contact photo of the person you're talking to. Also coming in the future, or possibly already live for some, is support for the new Real-Time Text protocol.
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