Latest news with #PhoneApp
CNET
a day ago
- CNET
iPhone Users, Find Calls Faster With This Trick
It can be frustrating to scroll through your iPhone's Recent calls tab to find the right voicemail or to remember when you talked to someone last. But when Apple introduced iOS 18 in 2024, it included a trick that let you find calls faster in your recent call history. That update brought a lot of new features, like customizable home screens and RCS messaging, as well as a search bar in your iPhone's Phone app. This lets you easily search your call history and voicemails. Before iOS 18, your Phone app's Recent calls tab was a running list of all the calls made to and from your iPhone. But now you can easily search through the list, so you aren't needlessly scrolling. Here's what to know about the search function in your iPhone's Recents tab. Can I search recent calls on my iPhone? Explaining why my spouse is saved in my iPhone as "El Hoppo" is a long story. Apple/Screenshot by CNET With iOS 18, yes. To search your recent calls, go to your Phone app and tap Recents across the bottom of the menu. Tap the search bar across the top of the page to open a new menu that shows the sections Calls and Voicemails. Both of these options also have the option to See All. You can use the search bar to search for a specific contact's name, a contact's number or dates. For example, typing "mom" or "dad" pulls up all the phone calls and voicemails from your mom or dad, as well as their contact card. Similarly, typing "August" or "July" into the search bar pulls up all calls and voicemails from that month. You can also type a specific date, like "July 5," and that pulls up calls and voicemails from that particular date. For more on iOS, here are my first impressions of the iOS 26 beta, how to enable call screening in the beta and all the other new features Apple said that update will bring to your device later this year.
Phone Arena
01-08-2025
- Phone Arena
More changes introduced to the Phone by Google app
The earlier update used the Material 3 Expressive design to make changes to how information is presented in the app. The use of Material 3 Expressive continues with the latest Phone by Google release, which is rolling out now with version 185 of the app. The keypad, which previously could be opened by tapping on a FAB (Floating Action Button), will, after the update, require the user to tap on a tab titled "Keypad" found on the bottom bar. The Favorites tab has been removed from the bar and has been replaced by a button on top of the Recents list. The Favorites remain profile icons, and these can be swiped like a carousel. They are found on top of the Recents list. The Voicemail tab is staying in the same place, on the bottom bar, and Contacts, Settings, Clear call history, and Help & feedback are now located in a navigation drawer. Users can choose between two different gestures to answer a call. | Image credit-Android Police By default, users will answer incoming calls with a horizontal swipe to the right. Calls can be declined by swiping to the left. Users will be able to switch to a different interface that allows them to answer a call by tapping on a green button on the right titled "Answer." Tapping the red button on the left titled "Decline" will dismiss the call. To change the method of answering a call on your phone, open the Phone app and tap on the three-dot icon on the upper-right of the display. Tap on Settings > Incoming call gesture . The screen will show "Horizontal swipe." If that's okay, leave it. Otherwise, you can tap on it, and a box will pop up. Change the setting from Horizontal swipe to Single tap. Changing the incoming call gesture from a horizontal swipe to a single tap. | Image credit-PhoneArena Another change can be seen with incoming and outgoing calls. The contact photo from the other party appears inside a scalloped circle with the phone number (edited out) underneath the name. More changes to Phone by Google app for Android. The version of the app with the new navigation drawer and the Home tab hasn't been widely disseminated yet. I know it has yet to reach my Pixel 6 Pro running the latest Android 16 QPR1 Beta. Actually, the entire update has been disseminated in stages by Google. The navigation changes started going out to users of the Phone by Google beta last month. Some have received the navigation changes while others have the old layout and the Material 3 Expressive redesign.
GSM Arena
25-06-2025
- GSM Arena
Google's default Phone app gets a redesign overhaul with Android 16
With Android 16, Google is preparing a major design overhaul in line with the Material 3 Expressive design language. But instead of introducing the new look to all of its apps, Google is redesigning its core apps gradually. The most recent changes in the default Phone app have generated a lot of buzz lately. In a short blog post, Google shows the new Phone app and explains why it's making these changes. The first thing to notice is that the new Phone app is much simpler and more streamlined. The overcrowded bottom bar is now showing just the "Home", "Keypad" and "Voicemail". The filters like missed calls, contacts and spam have been moved to the Home tab. Speaking of, the Home tab shares space with the Favorite contacts and shows the recent call logs. Additionally, calls from the same contact are now shown separately. The "Contacts" tab is gone altogether, and the "Keypad" tab takes the middle and replaces the floating action button. The dialer no longer follows you around when switching between tabs in the Phone app. Last but not least, Google is experimenting with a new swipe gesture for answering and rejecting calls in order to reduce accidental answers or declines when pulling the phone out of your pocket. However, Google is taking users' suggestions, so the swipe gestures may change. The app is only available to beta testers for now, but it's possible that Google may release the new version before Android 16 launches. Source
The Verge
24-06-2025
- The Verge
Android's youthful new design will change the way you make and answer calls
Google is freshening up its Phone app with a new interface that's supposed to make it easier to find contacts and your calls. The test is gradually rolling out to some of Google's public beta users, and also includes some style changes that align with Android's more youthful Material 3 Expressive design language. For starters, Google has changed up the bottom menu bar, replacing the 'Favorites,' 'Recents,' 'Contacts,' and 'Voicemail' tabs with just three options: 'Home,' 'Keypad,' and 'Voicemail.' Under the new Home tab, you'll find your favorites in bubbles at the top of your screen, but it's now followed by a call log list that no longer nests calls from the same person under one entry. That means you'll see each call as a new entry (even if it's your mom calling you five times in a row when you don't pick up). Google is also trying out a new gesture that will allow you to swipe horizontally to answer or decline a call. The company says it's testing this feature based on feedback that this will help prevent accidental declines or answers while taking your phone out of your pocket. Aside from those changes, you'll also see some visual updates in the app, with the incoming call page now framing your contact in a more whimsical, lumpy circle. Google launched Android 16 earlier this month without including its big Material 3 Expressive redesign, which is now expected to roll out in September. It also introduced a new 'Pixel VIP' widget for Pixel phones that lets you see more details about your favorite contacts, such as their location, call history, and personal notes.
Digital Trends
23-06-2025
- Digital Trends
The best part of macOS Tahoe is it feels more like an iPhone than ever
It's been over a week since Apple dropped the first developer preview of macOS Tahoe. Most of the chatter is centered around the glass-inspired design makeover, and deservedly so. For me, Spotlight upgrades, especially the Quick Keys system, have been the standout element. Yet, as I delved deeper and pushed it as my workhorse computing platform, despite all the bugs and performance snags, I have come to realize that it feels like home. And by that, I mean closer to the iPhone's native feel than expected. Recommended Videos And it's not solely due to the aesthetic uniformity, but owing to the functional changes. Apple didn't only carry over system functionalities, but also some of the iPhone's defining apps. The Phone app, for example, is one of them. And it's not a half-hearted attempt either. From computing to communication When Apple first enabled iPhone mirroring on macOS, it was a huge sigh of relief. Of course, being able to access all my chats scattered across WhatsApp, Discord, Telegram, and Slack — right on my Mac was a huge convenience. But more than the ease aspect, it was the freedom from checking my phone that came as the real liberator. At the end of the day, however, it's still mirroring, and not something native to the Mac. Alerts for calls still came as a tethered notification, not natively. With macOS Tahoe, Apple is finally bridging the gap, thanks to the Phone app's arrival on Macs. We're talking about the full package here. You get access to a familiar dialer, the recents list, and access to voicemails. I tried it a few times, and the whole telephony experience worked just fine on my M4 MacBook Air, while my iPhone 16 Pro lay comfortably resting in my backpack. Of course, make sure you're connected to earbuds while engaged in Mac calls. Leaning and speaking into your MacBook is a terrible sight. Trust me. I tried it and got a few odd looks in a coffee shop. And if you need more convincing, read this fantastic piece on why you should invest in a pair of earbuds, even if it's the cheapest pair on the market. What surprised me, however, was that even the next-gen calling features that have only arrived with iOS 26 are also being ported over to the macOS experience. I recently wrote how Apple is falling far behind Android when it comes to safety features such as scam detection and spam blocking. This year, Apple finally made some strides as it brought Call Screening and Hold Assist to iPhones. Both these features are available in the Phone app running on Macs, with macOS Tahoe. I also love how Apple has offered a less-distracting way to handle calls, one where the video call window doesn't occupy the whole screen and neatly slots in a small preview window alongside the top edge. And yeah, the painstakingly designed contact posters are here to stay, as well. Seamless transition, at last Carrying over the hot streak built atop the Phone app, Apple is also porting over the full text and video calling experience from iOS 26 to macOS Tahoe, thanks to the Apple Intelligence stack. In Messages, users can take advantage of Live Translation, while live captions will be available for FaceTime sessions. A similar translation facility will be accessible within the Phone app, too. But there's more to the mobile-inspired conveniences in macOS than meets the eye. Live activities are one of my favorite iPhone features, but to access them, I have to keep an eye on my iPhone. Needless to say, it's not the most productive act. Thankfully, Apple finally paid attention to the conundrum and has decided to import Live Activities in macOS Tahoe. From food delivery alerts to live score updates, if they land on your iPhone's screen, you will see them in the Menu Bar of your Mac. The best part? You can interact with these live activity alerts on your Mac. When you click on them, they open the iPhone Mirroring experience so that you can see them in the exact way they are intended to appear on iOS. From there, you can choose to close them, minimize them, or execute whatever action you deem fit. I love this actionable live activity update, but what I am more excited to see is Apple paying attention to the Menu Bar. So far, the company has ignored the humble Menu Bar, while the developer community has built some fantastic utilities such as Maccy and Antinote that live in the Menu Bar. A few smaller tweaks So far, the control center on Macs has felt like a rigid pool of preset tools. With the arrival of macOS Tahoe, Apple has given it the iPhone treatment. Not only can you customize the entire dashboard with quick access tools of your choice, but you can also do it using a simple drag-and-drop gesture. On a similar note, the lock screen customizations also borrow the core design ideas from iOS 18. Even the icon theming and tinting system is now identical to how you make aesthetic adjustments on your iPhone. The Journal app has also made its way to the Mac, while the redesigned Photos app makes it easier to handle the gallery using filtering and sorting tools. Overall, it is pretty evident that harmony was the overarching theme with Apple's OS updates, both in form and function. Some of the changes in macOS Tahoe may appear a bit divisive, but everything feels just a bit more familiar from an iPhone user's perspective, which is a fantastic strategy for onboarding more people into the ecosystem while keeping the existing user base locked in.
