- Google is testing the removal of the Favorites tab in the Phone app.
- Favorite contacts appear as a horizontal row at the top of the Recents tab in the new layout.
- The frequent contacts section no longer has a place in this redesign.
Google is testing a significant change to its dialer app, and it could mark the end of a familiar tab. On at least some Pixel 8 Pro devices running version 178.0.765584175-publicbeta of the Google Phone app, the standalone Favorites tab has been removed. Instead, favorite contacts appear in a neat row across the top of the Recents screen, similar to how some other dialers integrate shortcuts for frequent contacts.
Credit to Telegram user @h_muc, who first spotted this change live on their device. The first screenshot below shows the app’s current UI, while the other two display the new layout. In the updated design, the Favorites tab is gone, and the top of the Recents tab now displays pinned favorites, followed by your most recent calls. A new Add button appears at the end of the contact row, presumably linking to the contact list so you can add more favorites.