The Google Phone app may lose the bottom bar

Google is always adding changes to its apps, and this is why it has some of the most robust first-party apps. Right now, it appears that the company is experimenting with the UIs of its apps regarding tabs and bottom bars. A new report states that Google may get rid of the bottom bar in the Google Phone app.

The Google Phone app is the main dialer app on Pixel devices, and it comes pre-installed on many Android devices across the board. It’s a simple and straightforward app, but it also comes with useful features that make using it a great experience.

The Google Phone app could lose the bottom bar

Right now, we are dealing with early information. So, you’ll want to take it cautiously. It appears that Google is only testing this. PiunikaWeb, in collaboration with AssembleDebug, was able to discover a change within the Google Phone beta version 128.0.625763929.

In it, we see that Google got rid of the bottom bar. Currently, in the Google Phone app, there’s a bar with the Favorites, Recent, and Contacts tabs at the bottom. It’s the main mode of navigating the app right now.

However, in the beta version, we see that the bottom of the screen is empty, but there’s a new hamburger-style menu at the top left of the search bar. When you tap on it, you will see a panel roll out from the left.

However, the amount of options seems a bit strange. In the screenshot, we only see the Voicemail and Contact options. The rest of the panel remains completely empty. Google is still testing this, so we’re certain the company will have more buttons before the potential final release. So, there may be more buttons in the future.

This might be a weird change

However, it seems odd that Google is doing this in the first place. We’ve seen companies move options down to the bottom of the screen in order to accommodate larger displays. Right now, phones are starting to approach the tablet screen size territory, so people want their buttons and UI elements lower on the screen.

However, this hamburger-style menu sits at the top of the screen. So, people with larger phones may not welcome this change. In any case, the company is only testing this at the moment, so there’s no guarantee that this change will come.