Why My Favorite Google Pixel Phone Update Is An Old-fashioned Feature Done Right

Jason Howell/ZDNET

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Google's caller Calling Cards make Android calls consciousness much personal.
• The characteristic lets Pixel users customize full-screen interaction images.
• Calling Cards don't backmost up yet, truthful setups won't transportation to caller phones.

As a lifelong Android user, I've noticed complete nan years really incoming calls connected my iPhone friends' devices were inviting, full-screen experiences. The interaction image fills nan screen, nan person's look takes complete nan device, and someway that makes nan incoming telephone consciousness a spot much human. Not to mention, it makes it easy to glimpse astatine who's connected nan different extremity of nan statement earlier answering. 

On Android, it's often been a mini circle avatar surrounded by a bunch of quiet space, overmuch much utilitarian and fitting for Android arsenic a whole, but lacking immoderate existent move beyond that.

Also: I usage this hidden Android information characteristic to move disconnected sensors pinch 1 pat - here's why

Back successful nan early days of Android, this spread was moreover worse. You could upload high-resolution photos for your contacts, but nan strategy would compress them into muddy, low-resolution squares that pixelated for illustration crazy erstwhile a telephone came in. It's been a long-standing sore spot of mine, which is why Google's caller Calling Card characteristic makes maine truthful happy. 

I've been customizing my contacts connected nan Pixel 10 Pro moving nan latest Contacts and Phone apps, and it feels for illustration a meaningful hole to a decade-old problem.

How to group up Calling Cards

Calling Cards fto you create a full-screen ocular personality for nan group you talk to most. When a telephone comes in, alternatively of a dull circle and matter overlay, a interaction image of your choosing fills nan show pinch their sanction opinionated retired successful a civilization font and color. The effect feels instantly much individual and inviting.

Setting 1 up is amazingly simple, though nan characteristic is exclusive to Pixel devices for now. There are a fewer ways to group up a Calling Card for yourself. First, erstwhile a telephone comes in, nan updated dialer should punctual you pinch a ample fastener asking you to create a Calling Card for that person. Tapping that takes you into nan setup process. 

Jason Howell/ZDNET

But nan champion measurement to research it without waiting for a telephone is done nan latest type of nan Contacts app. Open a contact, pat "Try adding a calling card," and you'll participate a lightweight editor that includes a preview of your handiwork.

From there, you tin take an image successful 3 ways: return a caller photograph pinch nan camera, prime from your on-device gallery, aliases propulsion from your Google Photos unreality library. 

I for illustration that past action because of its broad nature, particularly because I've already spent clip labeling faces successful nan People and Pets conception of nan app. That makes it incredibly easy to benignant done and find high-quality, well-framed shots for your favourite contacts.

Also: I tried each caller AI characteristic connected nan Google Pixel 10 bid - my thoughts arsenic an AI expert

Once nan image is chosen, you tin pinch to zoom, crop, and tweak nan framing to fresh nan gangly rectangular format that appears during calls. Fonts for nan contact's sanction are customizable, and truthful is nan colour of nan caller's name. 

That said, nan colour palette is simply a spot limited, successful my opinion. I've recovered that lighter matter tin easy blend into agleam backgrounds, and there's nary action to use an outline aliases protector to abstracted matter from nan image. 

I'm hoping Google includes those options successful a early update to amended readability. Picking nan correct colour decidedly takes a spot of proceedings and error, but erstwhile it clicks, it turns a once-boring telephone surface into thing that feels individual and yours.

I've discovered that tighter crops connected faces usually activity best. You want nan person's look ample capable to beryllium instantly recognizable. It's besides important to prime photos that are already reasonably adjacent to nan person's face. Otherwise, nan image tin go blurry aliases pixelated erstwhile zoomed successful to fresh nan Calling Card format. 

Also: How to clear your Android telephone cache (and hole slow capacity for good)

My obsessive inclination to get these things "just right" intends I tin walk much clip choosing nan cleanable image than I'd like, but nan activity is worthy it successful nan end.

Once you finalize nan design, nan strategy asks if you'd for illustration to usage nan aforesaid image arsenic nan contact's modular floor plan picture. It's a bully touch, though I often for illustration a different floor plan image that fits nan smaller, information ratio amended than immoderate of nan images that activity champion successful nan larger, rectangular Calling Card layout.

The caller telephone acquisition

Jason Howell/ZDNET

Alongside Calling Cards, Google besides changed nan mechanics of answering calls. In spot of a azygous fastener for answering calls is an elegant swipe gesture: descent correct to answer, descent near to decline. It's a cleaner look and matches nan ocular refresh of nan caller telephone screen, not to mention nan improved creation dynamics of Material 3 Expressive. 

I heard that location was a measurement to move backmost to nan single-button attack for those who don't for illustration nan slider, but I came up quiet trying to find it. The move to a slider isn't conscionable astir aesthetics, arsenic it's besides meant to forestall phantom fastener presses from wrong a pouch aliases purse.

The action does return a spot to set to, but aft a fewer days, I recovered nan swipe mobility yet feels smoother, particularly since it now lives alongside nan much expressive, image-heavy creation of Calling Cards. The 2 changes beryllium together.

Also: This caller Contacts app update solves a problem we've each had connected Android phones

After mounting up Calling Cards for my astir predominant contacts, I realized that I really bask seeing calls travel successful now. There's a psychological constituent to it that's difficult to name, but erstwhile nan telephone surface fills pinch a bright, curated image of nan personification calling, I find myself much inclined to answer. It adds a touch of warmth to a usability that's very easy to return for granted.

One connection of be aware for those who move phones regularly: astatine nan clip of this article, I confirmed that Google does not see Calling Cards pinch its system-wide backup. This intends that buying a caller Pixel telephone apt intends having to group up those Calling Cards again, and fixed nan process takes clip and attention, this could beryllium a disappointing find pinch a caller phone.

Also: I changed 12 settings connected my Android telephone to importantly summation nan artillery life

For anyone who wants to return advantage of it, nan instrumentality is conscionable clip and curation. I for illustration to deliberation of Calling Cards arsenic a mini photograph task that brings immoderate of my favourite portraits of my friends and family beforehand and center.

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Follow my latest tech reviews and projects crossed societal media. You'll find maine connected YouTube astatine YouTube.com/@JasonHowell, connected X (formerly Twitter) astatine @JasonHowell, and connected Instagram astatine Instagram.com/thatjasonhowell.