We use the phone app daily to call people. However, we rarely dive deep into the features offered by the app. So here we are to help you. In this post, you will find the top 18 tips, tricks, and hidden features of the Google Phone app that will prove beneficial to you.
1. Copy Number
We all know that holding the text in any app will copy it. The text can be a number, email id, or something else. The same thing holds true in the Google Phone app. That is, wherever you see a number, simply long-press it, and you can copy it to the clipboard. It also works when the keypad is open. Also, you can copy numbers right from the Recents screen where you see the contact names. So, you don’t have to open the contact first to copy the number. Perform a long-press on the contact and select Copy number.
2. Edit Number Before Dialing
Tapping on the number would directly call it. If you want to edit the number before dialing it, long-press it anywhere in the Phone app and select Edit number before the call. You will be taken to the keypad to modify the number.
3. Minimize Call
When you are on a call, pressing the home button will not disconnect the call or push the calling interface to the background. Instead, it will be replaced by a floating bubble. You can move the bubble by dragging it. You can even end the call or hide the bubble by dragging it down to the available options while holding it.
4. Find Nearby Places
The Google Phone app comes with a tiny Google search right inside the app. You can search for contact details of nearby places to your location. All you need to do is type the business name in the search box, and you will be shown the appropriate results. However, to use this feature, you need to activate nearby places in settings. For that, open the Google Phone app and tap on the three-dot icon at the top and select Settings. Go to Nearby places and enable it on the next screen. You should also grant permission to use the location. Then close the app and use the search in the app to find the places.
5. Find Contact Name from Keypad
Apart from using the search bar to find the contact names and numbers, you can find the contact names from the keypad too. The feature has to be used similarly as we used to type on the feature phones. Open the keypad and type the initials of the contact name. For instance, if you are looking for George, you need to type numbers 4367 where number 4 represents G, 3 is E, 6 is O, and so on. You will see the related results above the keypad. Tap on the contact name to call it.
6. View Call History of a Contact
The Google Phone app groups call history from a contact. To view it, tap on the contact name on the Recents screen. Then hit the History button.
7. Delete Entire Call History of a Contact
There are two ways to do that. First, long-press over the contact on the Recents screen and select Delete. That will remove all the call history logs of that particular contact. Alternatively, tap on the contact and hit History. Then tap on the three-dot icon at the top and select Delete history from the menu.
8. Delete One Record from Call History of Contact
For that, go the call history records of the contact, as shown above. Then on the call history screen, swipe right or left to remove the record.
9. View Detailed Call History
The Phone app doesn’t let you manually filter call history by dialed numbers, rejected, or received as present in other dialer apps. And by default, it groups the call history records. However, an option is available that lets you ungroup the call history so that you can view them separately according to the date. You also get to view missed calls separately. For that, tap on the three-dot icon at the top and select Call history from the menu. You will find two tabs — All and Missed. Under All, you will find the ungrouped call history record. Tap on Missed to view the missed calls.
10. Delete All Call History Records
If you want to remove all the call history records, tap on the three-dot icon on the Call history screen. Tap on Clear call history.
11. View Contact Card
When you tap on the contact name on the Recents screen, you will be shown three options — Video call (or add contact), Message, and History. What if you want to view the contact details? For that, tap on the contact picture of the number on the Recents screen. You will be taken to the contact card where you can edit it and see the phone number, linked accounts, and more.
12. Add Contacts to Favorites
The Phone app doesn’t support adding people to speed dial. You need to add them to favorites to call them quickly. There are two ways to add people to favorites. In the first method, visit the Favorites tab in the Phone app and tap on the add button. Alternatively, tap on the contact picture of the person on the Recents screen. Then hit the star icon. You can do that from the Contacts app too.
13. Reorder Favorites
To change the position of people added in Favorites, long-press, and hold the contact. Then drag it to the new position.
14. Remove People from Favorites
For that, long-press the contact in Favorites. Then, tap on Remove.
15. Access Frequently Dialed Contacts
Just below the favorites section, you will find the frequently dialed contacts. They are different from favorites since they are populated automatically depending on the details of the contact you call often. You can add a person to favorites from this list too. For that, tap on the contact name and choose Add favorite.
16. Message Quickly
Instead of opening the messaging app first, you can directly message someone from the Phone app. For that, tap on the contact name on the Recents screen or in Frequents and then hit the Message button.
17. Block Unknown Callers
Besides blocking individual contacts, you can stop receiving calls from all unidentified callers in the Phone app. For that, you need to go to the app settings > Blocked numbers. Enable Block calls from unidentified callers.
18. Enable Dark Mode
If you are a fan of dark mode, this app supports it too. To enable it, go to the app settings from the three-dot icon. Then, tap on Display options. Enable Dark theme.
Not for Everyone
We hope the above tips and tricks for the Phone app will help you in your daily lives. If you like the features offered by the Google Phone app, sadly, you can’t do much if you are on a non-stock Android phone. That’s because the app is only available on stock Android phones. You cannot install it on other phones. Next up: Don’t like the apps offered by Google? Are you looking the alternatives to Google apps that can be installed on all phones? Check out the best alternatives for popular Google apps.
