Key Takeaways
- Google Phone app is testing a new call screen layout inspired by the iPhone.
- Dedicated accept/reject buttons may simplify call handling for Android users.
- The new layout is currently in testing & may not be immediately available to all users.
Almost all major Android phones, including those from Xiaomi and OnePlus, use the Google Phone app as their default dialer app. Samsung is the only outlier, sticking to its in-house app. Over the years, Google has continuously improved its dialer app with features like call recording, smarter spam blocking, Audio emoji, and a sleeker design. The company is now testing a new incoming call screen UI for the Phone app, which appears to take inspiration from the iPhone.
Currently, in the Google Phone app, you swipe up the phone icon to pick up a call in the Google Phone app, while swiping down rejects it. This differs from iPhones and Samsung devices, which show two buttons on the incoming call screen. You tap the green one to accept the call and the red one to reject it.
The folks at Android Authority were tipped about Google testing a new incoming call screen in the latest Phone app (v145.0.672690850) release with a similar approach.
Left: Current Google Phone incoming call screen; Right: New iPhone-like incoming call screen layout
As evident from the screenshots, the Google Phone app could soon show dedicated accept and reject buttons on the incoming call screen. For easy access, the accept button is on the right, while the decline/reject button is placed on the left. This layout is similar to that of the iPhone.
On Samsung phones, the green accept button is placed on the left, while the decline button is on the right.
Google appears to be testing this new incoming call screen layout through a server-side switch. So, you may not see it even after installing the latest Google Phone app release on your phone.
Dedicated call accept and reject buttons are better than swiping up/down
The dedicated red and green buttons should help new users quickly figure out how to accept or reject calls on their new Android phone. Admittedly, there have been occasions where it has taken me a few seconds to realize that I need to swipe down to decline a call on the Google Phone’s incoming call screen, especially after switching from a Samsung or iPhone.
While Google is working on revamping the incoming call screen, it should also consider showing a bigger display picture of the contact for a better look.