Latest news with #GoogleContacts
Android Authority
4 days ago
- Android Authority
I love Google's new Calling Cards feature. Here's how to use it on your Android phone
Joe Maring / Android Authority In late July, Android Authority reported that Google was working on a new 'Calling Cards' feature for its Contacts app. Yesterday, it began rolling out widely for everyone to use. When you receive a call on your Android phone, you see a standard incoming call screen with that person's name, number, and profile picture. Calling Cards let you spruce this up a bit, allowing you to select a full-screen picture and stylized text to display for each of your contacts. It's basically Google's version of the iPhone's Contact Posters feature, so while not the most original feature, it's a fun one nonetheless. With Calling Cards now available for everyone, here's a quick guide showing you where to find the feature and how to use it. Ready? Let's get to it. Do you like Google's Calling Cards? 0 votes Yes! I think they look great. NaN % They're fine. NaN % I don't like them. NaN % Other (let us know in the comments). NaN % What you need to access Google's Calling Cards Joe Maring / Android Authority Before showing you how to use Calling Cards, a couple of quick housekeeping notes. Calling Cards first began rolling out on August 15, and in typical Google fashion, it may take a little while before the feature is live on your phone. Calling Cards are tied to the Google Contacts and Google Phone apps. Calling Cards are live on my Google Pixel 9a with version 4.61.28.792249534 of the Contacts app, as well as version 188.0.793710089 of the Phone app. A couple of members on the Android Authority team reported needing to be in the Google Phone beta program before Calling Cards appeared. If you have the latest versions of both apps and still aren't seeing Calling Cards, you can join the Google Phone beta here to see if that prompts them to show up. It's worth noting that Calling Cards should soon be available in the non-beta version of the Google Phone app. You can stay on the stable version and wait for Calling Cards to show up there, or join the beta to use Calling Cards now. Either way, here's how to use Calling Cards once they're on your phone. How to use and edit Calling Cards Joe Maring / Android Authority You can create Calling Cards in the Phone and Contacts app, though I've found it easier to access them in the latter. Just how easy? Open the Google Contacts app on your phone. Select a contact. Tap Try adding a calling card. Add a photo for your calling card. You can use the camera app, select a picture from your on-device gallery, or pick something from Google Photos. Customize your calling card! You can use one finger to move your photo around and use two fingers to pinch and zoom to crop it. You can also choose the font style and color of the text. Tap your calling card to preview it, then tap Done in the upper-right when you're finished. Tap Skip to only use the picture for your contact's calling card, or tap Confirm and crop to use that same photo for your contact's profile picture. Finally, tap Save in the upper-right corner to save your work. And that's all there is to it! If the 'Try adding a calling card' prompt doesn't appear on a contact's page, you can also tap the pencil icon at the top of your screen to create a Calling Card that way. Now, when you receive a call from that contact, you'll see their personalized Calling Card instead of the usual (and boring) incoming call screen. There's not much else to explain for this one. Calling Cards may not be the most revolutionary feature we've ever seen from Google, but I think it's a fun and charming one. It's a cute way to spruce up your phone when you get a call from a friend or family member, and it's the little touches like this that I sometimes enjoy the most. Follow
Phone Arena
4 days ago
- Phone Arena
This underrated Google app just got its Material 3 Expressive makeover
Google has been busy, busy, busy giving its Android apps Material 3 Expressive makeovers. I have to say that, for the most part, these makeovers have been well changes made to the UIs of these apps have made them easier to use, more useful, and in many cases, the Dynamic Color feature brings in the main color theme from your phone's wallpaper improving the look of the app. The Google Contacts app is now getting its makeover. The update is rolling out now via the Google Play Store. Material 3 Expressive makeover of the Google Contacts app. | Image credit-PhoneArena The new look Contacts app has a bottom bar that is shorter, although the three tabs, Contacts, Highlights, and Organize, remain the same. Pressing on any of the three tabs reveals a major UI improvement as each name is now in an easier to see rounded container, making it easier to see exactly which name you are clicking on. Previously, there was no clear-cut separation between the names of the contacts. Each individual contact also gets a card with a giant avatar and the name of the contact underneath. Directly below the contact's name are four options: The big change to this card with the makeover is that the names of these four actions are now placed inside a pill-shaped field. Previously, the four actions were placed inside of a simple circle. The new look has been found on version 4.6.1.x of the Google Contacts app. To see which version of the app is running on your Android phone, tap on Settings > Apps > See all xxx apps . Scroll down to Contacts and tap on it to visit the Google Contacts App info page. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the version of the app installed on your device. My Pixel 6 Pro running Android 16 QPR1 beta 3.1 does have the refreshed version of the Contacts app. The Google Contact card is also given a little makeover. | Image credit-PhoneArena The Material 3 Expressive refresh for Google Contacts might not be the most jarring. Nor is the Contacts app the most heavily used app on your handset. Still, with all of this in mind, Google still worked hard on this makeover; it is enough of an improvement to make the Contacts app more useful and easier for users to employ. With Galaxy AI – port-in & $720 upfront required We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
Android Authority
5 days ago
- Android Authority
Google's Calling Cards are rolling out now, and this is our first proper look!
TL;DR Google has started to roll out the Calling Cards feature in the Contacts and Phone apps. This feature lets you create a stylish profile for your contacts. This differs from Apple's Contact Posters, which only lets you create a poster for yourself. We've been tracking a Calling Card feature in Google's Contacts app for weeks now. We haven't actually seen this in action, but all signs point to Android's take on Apple's Contact Posters feature. Now, we've got our first look at this feature as it's rolling out to some users. We downloaded the latest version of the Google Contacts app (version 4.61.28.792249534) and discovered that the Calling Cards feature is now available. We didn't have to do any tinkering to view this feature. Furthermore, some users on Telegram report that they have this feature too. You can view our screenshots below and our video above. Perhaps the most notable thing about the Calling Card feature is that it works differently compared to Apple's Contact Posters. Apple allows you to customize your own picture and profile, letting you change how others see you, but you can't change other people's posters. Google's take, however, is the exact opposite. You have full control over how other people's Calling Cards will look, but you can't customize your own card. When viewing a contact in the Google Contacts app, you'll see a prompt to add a Calling Card for them. However, you can also add a Calling Card when adding or editing a contact. So there's no shortage of ways to add this card. Once you've decided to add a card, you can grab an image from your camera, gallery, or Google Photos. From here, you can choose a font style and color for your contact. Once you've chosen the font and name color, you'll be asked if you want to also use the Calling Card as a contact picture. But you can skip this step. Either way, your Calling Card will be synced to your Google account, so it'll show up on other devices. Don't want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a preferred source in Google Search to support us and make sure you never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. We can also see the Calling Card pop-up in the Google Phone app (version 188.0.793710089-publicbeta-pixel2024), prompting you to 'get started.' The app also features a Calling Card field in settings. Tapping this field will reveal which contacts have a Calling Card. You can view these screens below. In any event, the feature seems to be rolling out to some beta users right now. We hope this feature comes to stable users in the coming days, as it's a rather nifty way to spruce up calls. Follow
Android Authority
25-07-2025
- Android Authority
Google Contacts Calling Cards sound more and more like iOS Contact Posters (APK teardown)
Adamya Sharma / Android Authority TL;DR Google Contacts has been working on a new 'Calling Cards' feature for a few versions now. Earlier analysis has suggested that this could function very similarly to iOS Contact Posters. New text strings and a promo image add further support to that interpretation. What is it they say about mobile operating systems? Good platforms copy, but great platforms steal? Android and iOS have definitely traded ideas more than a few times over the years, and just last month we were looking at what felt like Android's latest attempt to crib off Apple's notes. Google's Contacts app appeared to be working on its own version iOS Contact Posters, with 'Calling Cards' teasing custom pictures and a stylized rendering of your name to announce callers. At least, that's what it felt like Google was up to, but we still weren't sure exactly how this was going to work. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. We still don't quite have the full picture, but as were analyzing the changes in version 4.60.30.783994635 of Contacts, we spotted some further hints towards what to expect from Calling Cards: Code Copy Text Try adding a calling card Customize how %s appears during calls All contacts Dismiss this suggestion for all contacts or only this contact? This contact We knew from last time around that Calling Cards would let you choose a custom font, presumably for the display of your name, and that second string above feels like it adds some support to that interpretation, confirming that Calling Card custom content is explicitly intended to show up during calls. What we'd love at this point is to actually show you a Calling Card as they'd appear in Contacts, but the app's not quite ready to let us get that far right now. But while we'll have to keep digging to make any headway there, we do have maybe the next best thing, having unearthed an illustration it looks like Contacts could be planning to use when it finally introduces this tool to users: AssembleDebug / Android Authority That sure seems to add credence to the idea that Calling Cards will utilize a full-screen picture of your contact. Sadly, though, it doesn't do anything to add to our understanding of how text will factor in to these Cards, leaving us to keep looking at iOS Contact Posters and wondering it we might really get a 1:1 copy. Hopefully we get a chance to see this in action soon, and can finally put the last of this speculation to rest.
Android Authority
11-07-2025
- Android Authority
Google Contacts just got two upgrades that'll help you clean up your address book
Harley Maranan / Android Authority TL;DR Google Contacts has recently started rolling out a couple changes we spotted in development earlier this year. Contact pages are picking up a new 'Recent activity' list, displaying message and call history. The app's settings add a new toggle to control whether or not you see view-only contacts from other apps. Our phones are full of apps we don't spend nearly enough time paying attention to, yet are critical for everything we do with them on a day-to-day basis. We would absolutely include Google Contacts on that list, as while it's incredibly easy to overlook its functionality, it helps empower us to communicate and share our favorite content with the people who matter to us most. Over the past few months we've identified some worthwhile-looking upgrades in development that should only further enhance the Contacts experience, and couple of them are rolling out now. Let's start with the first we spotted, as we found evidence back at the end of April pointing to work on a new 'Recent activity' section for your contacts. While we knew about the app's ability to report on recent activity through its widgets, it looked like Contacts was working to add a similar report to individual contact pages within the app itself. And this week, we're now seeing exactly that change become widely available. Stephen Schenck / Android Authority While we could already access a lot of this history in individual apps directly, having a central repository in Contacts makes a lot of sense. More recently, just last month, we shared with you that Contacts was working on a handy solution for managing increasingly messy lists of contacts, thanks to a new setting that would let you control how view-only contacts from other apps were displayed. These contacts are created with information that comes from other apps, and like the clearly implies, you can't edit these directly in Contacts. While we normally prefer to have them hidden away, we can imagine edge cases where we're trying to resolve contact details between entries in Contacts itself and these external ones, where being able to see them all in once place could really help. Just like recent activity, we're also now seeing this change present in Contacts, showing up at the bottom of the app's settings. IF you're still waiting for it, make sure your Contacts app is up to date in the Play Store. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
