What you need to know
- Google is reportedly testing a "Controls" toggle for the Phone app to alleviate an auto-rotating issue.
- It was discovered that a "keep portrait mode on calls" toggle was spotted in the Display settings for Android after users noticed the app was adhering to their auto-rotating requests across the system.
- A recent Phone app beta highlights the chance for users to mark their calls as "urgent" when dialing.
Google is in the process of testing (what will likely be) a major QoL update for its Phone app on Android.
As with any Google app beta, early previewers get a glimpse of what's to come, and 9to5Google spotted a new toggle for the Phone app (via PhoneArena). The recent beta shows that the company is working to solve a strong grievance users have with the Phone app: it can switch to landscape mode without warning. To solve this, it seems that Google will provide a "Controls" toggle in your phone's settings under "Display."
From there, the publication noticed that the toggle directly references the Phone app, stating, "Keep portrait mode on calls." The app's early description adds that enabling will "prevent accidental auto-rotation on calls."
If your phone did happen to rotate during a call, it would split into what nearly resembles a dual-view. The left side would house the other person's name and background (if applied), while the right side kept your call controls. It was a jarring switch that took users by surprise, especially one that Phone Arena cited in its post.
A user on Reddit asked, "How do I turn this off? Don't think there was ever a landscape mode for Google Phone (or dialer), but now it's doing it for me." They add, "Because when I hold the phone up and talk, it forces itself to landscape mode..." This creates an issue since users might not want to turn off the auto-rotation for their entire device, which is why Google is likely working on this subtle addition to avoid that small (but important) frustration.
Call 'em up
Google's been working on refining its Phone app this year, after a beta version from the summer showcased its simpler layout. The layout ditched the old Favorites tab in favor of displaying who you frequently like to contact at the top of "Recents." It's quite a large UI refresh that piles those Favorites into a slim horizontal row right above the recent calls. Additionally, the dedicated "Frequents" list was also dropped, meaning you'll have to favorite those you call regularly.
A deep dive into the Phone app recently showed that Google is looking to make sure you people don't miss those urgent calls.
In the name of "urgency," users would be able to mark such calls with a tag that brings more awareness to calls from people you can't afford to miss. There was another feature discovered called "Expressive Calling." When calling someone, you can pick a "call reason," like “It’s urgent!” or “Quick question."
