Archive · 3 Sep 2025
Google Phone App Redesign: Users Voice Frustration
Google updated its Phone app, but some users aren't happy.
The new design, called Material 3 Expressive, changes how the app looks and works.
People find the new features, like the horizontal swipe to answer, confusing.
This is because our brains get used to how things work (muscle memory), and changes can be frustrating.
Designers aim to make apps easier to use and visually appealing, but changes can sometimes disrupt familiar habits.
The company listens to user feedback to improve the app.
Google rolled out a design update (Material 3 Expressive) for its Phone app, which led to online outrage.
The update included changes like a flattened call log and a horizontal swipe gesture.
Many users found the changes disruptive to their established habits and muscle memory.
Designers aim to balance innovation with user comfort and aim to blend accessibility, product goals, and user delight.
Design updates are often implemented to support new features, streamline code, and maintain consistency across Google apps.
- Who
- Google and its users.
- What
- A design overhaul of the Google Phone app.
- When
- Recent time.
- Where
- Android mobile sets.
- Why
- To improve functionality, prepare for new features, and unify the ecosystem.
- App
- Google Phone
- Design Update
- Material 3 Expressive
- Primary Complaint
- Unfamiliar gestures
- Design Goal
- Simplify & unify the interface
- Designers' Stance
- User feedback is important