Google Phone’s new streamlined design is starting to roll out

While Android 16 wasn’t supposed to be a big deal, Material 3 Expressive changed that, ushering in new excitement for the next version of Android. Not only do you get the ability to customize the look and feel of your device, but Google is also making necessary changes to really streamline the experience as a whole.

One area that’s getting a lot of unexpected attention is Google’s Phone app. While Google shared its plans to make changes to the Phone app late last month, it’s now finally starting to roll out to users. However, as 9to5Google reports, this UI change isn’t going to be for everyone this time around, as it is currently limited to just beta users.

A more streamlined Phone app

As far as what beta users should expect, things will look much simpler going forward, with just three menu options to choose from on the bottom bar, with Home, Keypad, and Voicemail options. The changes go even deeper with the Home tab now housing a wealth of information like favorite contacts and recent calls.

By heading into the Keypad section, you can manually make calls or see some suggested contacts as well. And as you might expect, the Voicemail section will house any voicemails that you might have. In addition to the above, users should now also have access to the gesture controls as well.

The new change means that you’ll be able to answer and decline calls with just a tap or horizontal swipe. Although it’s not a major change, it’s a nice touch that brings a more modern feel to the UI. Of course, you’re bound to see more changes surface throughout the year, with Material 3 Expressive touches landing on many other popular Google apps.

Although the changes are slowly coming, they’re steadily making their way to more parts of Android and other Google apps. It’ll be interesting to see just how far Google will take this. Hopefully we’ll see more exciting pieces to this with the release of the Pixel 10, slated to arrive in just a couple of months.