Phone by Google is one of the more widely used options for calling on Android, with the app already having more than a billion downloads on the Google Play Store and a large number of five-star reviews.
With that in mind, Phone by Google is rolling out a new “Expressive Calling” feature for beta users that lets callers share why they are calling, including the option to flag them as urgent.
How it works
The idea is simple: when you make a call, the app will ask whether it’s urgent. If you select that it is, the person you are calling will see an “It’s urgent!” message next to the red siren emoji. Depending on the device’s settings, an urgent call will either get through Do Not Disturb (DND) and ring, or appear quietly and be marked as important. If the other person misses the call, the urgent label will remain within the call log to note that this wasn’t just a regular call.
This new feature means that users won’t have to whitelist contacts permanently to make sure certain calls get through even when DND is engaged, and they won’t miss calls that might come through an unexpected number in an emergency.
Of course, there is the concern that the urgent label might be misused, undermining the feature’s meaning and usability, but that’s part of why this feature is still in the testing stages.
Feature is still in beta
Currently, Expressive Calling isn’t available to everyone. It’s still in beta, which means it’s only for those who have signed up to get beta releases. Even then, it’s still rolling out and works only when both the caller and sender have the feature.
If you’re enrolled in beta testing and want to see if this is you, go to Phone settings > General > Expressive Calling.
If you’d like to join the beta program, you can go to the Google settings menu on your Android device and then Settings > Google services and preferences > All services > Privacy & Security > System services. If your device is eligible for the beta program, you will see a Join beta option.
