Google experiments with ditching the Favorites tab in the Phone app for a simpler layout
TL;DR Google is testing the removal of the Favorites tab in the Phone app.
Favorite contacts appear as a horizontal row at the top of the Recents tab in the new layout.
The frequent contacts section no longer has a place in this redesign.
Google is testing a significant change to its dialer app, and it could mark the end of a familiar tab. On at least some Pixel 8 Pro devices running version 178.0.765584175-publicbeta of the Google Phone app, the standalone Favorites tab has been removed. Instead, favorite contacts appear in a neat row across the top of the Recents screen, similar to how some other dialers integrate shortcuts for frequent contacts.
Credit to Telegram user @h_muc, who first spotted this change live on their device. The first screenshot below shows the app's current UI, while the other two display the new layout. In the updated design, the Favorites tab is gone, and the top of the Recents tab now displays pinned favorites, followed by your most recent calls. A new Add button appears at the end of the contact row, presumably linking to the contact list so you can add more favorites.
Another casualty of this redesign is the frequent contacts section, which previously appeared underneath favorites in the old tab. That section no longer appears in the new layout, and it's unclear whether it has been removed entirely or simply relocated.
You can get a better idea of how the potential new layout will look in this video:
The new layout is certainly cleaner, but it may frustrate users who liked having a dedicated space for both favorites and frequent contacts. It's unclear how widely this change is rolling out yet, but we'll keep an eye on things and let you know if this layout becomes the new default.
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