Hype is already brewing for Android 16, and it’s shaping up to be a major one for Google. Besides packing in fresh features, it’s also ushering in a big design shift called Material 3 Expressive. You’ve probably seen hints of it popping up in apps like Gmail, Google Keep, and even the core Google app. Now, it’s the Google Phone app’s turn. The app is getting its biggest visual makeover in ages, all ahead of Android 16’s official debut.
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Android 16’s Material 3 Expressive design is already rolling out to one of Google’s biggest apps
It can take a few days to show up on your phone
The folks over at Android Authority spotted a major Material 3 Expressive refresh in the Google Phone app. It now lets you answer calls with either a simple “Single tap” or a “Horizontal swipe.” If you go with the tap option, the call screen shows big “Answer” and “Decline” buttons for quick action.
On the flip side, the “Horizontal swipe” option brings in a pill-shaped slider. Right in the middle is a phone icon, with “accept” on one side and “decline” on the other. Just swipe the icon right to pick up, or left to cancel it.
Back then, answering a call in the Google Phone app meant swiping up, while rejecting it meant swiping down. The app leaned heavily into a minimalist look for years. But it was starting to feel a little stale next to flashier dialer apps. So it’s refreshing to see Google finally give it some much-needed visual love.
Prior to this update, if you’re using Google’s Phone app, you have to swipe up to answer and swipe down to reject calls. Google’s stock Phone app has been pretty minimal for a long while, focusing on the basics with an easy-to-use UI. So, it’s nice to see Google finally adding a bunch of visual upgrades to it after lagging behind competing dialer apps.
The in-call screen has had a bit of a glow-up, too, with buttons now bolder, contact names popping more, and caller photos being easier to spot. Down below, the four-tab bar is still the same, just with a darker backdrop.
Visual upgrades across the app
Additionally, the Recent tab now rocks a cleaner background with smoother, rounded edges. Each call log entry sits in its own card-style container. Tapping any of them still brings up the usual contact options.
This card-like style isn’t just limited to Recents—it carries over to the Favorites section and the dialer too, as per 9to5Google. The number pad itself hasn’t changed, but the sheet behind it has embraced rounded corners for a consistent look.
This visual revamp first popped up last month, and it looks like Google is rolling it out gradually via a server-side update. The new Material 3 Expressive look is showing up for users on the latest beta (version 180.0.771769344), so if you’re on that build, you might already be seeing the changes roll in.
