Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google Contacts version 4.26 introduced a new connected apps box.
- The new section moves the various contact methods for apps like WhatsApp and Telegram into pull-down menus.
- The refreshed look means you don’t immediately see the same phone number repeatedly.
You might have noticed that the most recent update to the Google Contacts app brought a cleaner look to each contact entry. Among other changes, version 4.26 of the Google Contacts app has introduced a separate “Connected apps” box to cut down on the list of options you immediately see on viewing a contact (via TheSpAndroid).
Prior to the update, you might have seen your acquaintance’s phone number, then a few contact options for WhatsApp, a few more lines for Telegram, and so on. This gave you fast access to actions such as starting a WhatsApp voice call, but it also looked busy and disorganized. All of these contact options related to other apps are now tidied away in the “Connected apps” box below the main contact info.
As you’ll see in the screenshots below, the connected apps box initially shows a one-line entry for each app, with a pull-down arrow alongside it. Hitting the arrow expands the box for that particular app to show the various contact methods for voice calls, video calls, and messages.
This change means you’ll only see the contact’s phone number when opening their entry. Every option to get in touch with them across the various connected apps is just one more tap away than before.
We like this new look. As well as being more pleasing to the eye, it will be less confusing for some users. Opening a contact page and repeatedly seeing a wall of the same phone number may have slightly perplexed some people.
