Google Phone Beta Adds Urgent Calls That Override DND
▼ Summary
– Google’s new “Expressive Calling” feature is starting to roll out to beta users of the Phone by Google app.
– The feature, which enhances calls with visual and haptic feedback, is enabled by default in settings, but users can control whether urgent calls interrupt Do Not Disturb.
– For the feature to work currently, both the caller and recipient must be using the Phone by Google beta version 203.
– When marking a call as urgent, the recipient sees an “It’s urgent!” message with an animated siren, and missed urgent calls are labeled in call history.
– Other recent updates, like a shorter bottom bar and a “Keep portrait mode” setting, remain in beta and are not yet widely available in the stable version.
The latest beta update for Google’s Phone app introduces a significant new capability designed for critical communication. A feature called “Expressive Calling” is now available to testers, bringing with it a powerful option for urgent notifications. This update allows users to mark a call as urgent, which can then override a recipient’s Do Not Disturb settings to ensure the call is noticed. The functionality is part of a broader suite of visual and haptic enhancements aimed at making voice calls more interactive.
To see if the feature is active on your device, navigate to your Phone app’s settings. Look under the General section for an option labeled Expressive Calling. While the main toggle for visual and haptic feedback is turned on automatically, you have individual control over the urgent call setting. You can choose whether to allow urgent calls to interrupt Do Not Disturb, giving you control over when this powerful override is active.
Currently, the urgent call feature requires both the caller and recipient to be using the beta version of the Phone app. Specifically, version 203 is needed for the functionality to work. When placing a call, a new prompt appears on the screen asking if you want to “Mark call as urgent?” Tapping the “Notify” button activates the feature. On the receiving end, the incoming call screen displays a clear “It’s urgent!” message accompanied by a flashing siren emoji. Even if the call is missed, the call log will show a special “urgent” label for easy identification later.
Separately, version 202 of the Phone app has moved to the stable public channel. However, some anticipated interface changes, like a redesigned shorter bottom bar and a “Keep portrait mode” setting, have not been widely released yet. These particular tweaks remain in the beta program for now, with expectations that they will be enabled via a server-side update in the near future.
(Source: 9to5 Google)
