Summary

• Google might revamp its Phone app's incoming call screen, introducing distinct answer and decline buttons or a horizontal slider.
• The existing swipe mechanism for handling calls could be replaced with more intuitive interface choices.
• The timing of the new design's rollout remains unclear, but it aims to enhance usability compared to the current setup.

We all have those little frustrations that feel disproportionately bothersome. For me, one of them is the incoming call screen in Android’s Google Phone app. Fortunately, it looks like a redesign could be coming soon.

The “Phone by Google” app serves as the default dialer on numerous Android devices, featuring a straightforward incoming call screen. A floating phone icon at the bottom allows you to swipe upward to answer or downward to reject. Yet, for me, it isn’t quite so straightforward.

My issue lies with the button's location. For some reason, I often struggle to swipe down far enough to decline a call. It usually requires several precise tries. Perhaps it’s due to having a case with a slight edge, but there should still be ample space for this to work smoothly.

Fortunately, Google appears to be developing a new layout that might offer greater flexibility for managing incoming calls. Last year, they explored separate answer and decline buttons. This year, they shifted focus toward a pill-shaped horizontal slider. Based on strings discovered during a recent APK dissection, both designs may eventually be available within the app, allowing users to pick their preference.

<code><string name="answer_method_preference_list_key">answer_method_preference_list_key</string><string name="answer_method_settings_title">Incoming call gesture</string><string name="answer_method_swipe_entry">Horizontal swipe</string><string name="answer_method_tap_entry">Single tap</string></code>

Below are potential renderings of these updated incoming call screen layouts.

As noted by Android Authority, the separated buttons resemble how iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices handle calls. The horizontal slider has a distinctly Google aesthetic, akin to how the Google Clock app handles alarm dismissal and snooze options.

Although this is still in its early stages and based solely on APK analysis, I remain optimistic about either option. Both would surpass the current swiping method. Unfortunately, we can't predict when this update will arrive, though it seems probable. Personally, I'd be more astonished if Google left it as a user-selectable feature instead of just rolling out one of the new designs directly. Time will tell.

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