Expressive is Google’s theme this year, and we’ve seen it loud and clear in their Material You design. There were dramatic changes to the call screen that sparked mixed reactions. But they also came with genuinely useful additions like tighter spam call protections and better caller identification.
Now, Google is taking expressiveness a step further. In an interesting turn of events, it looks like you'll be screaming for attention the next time you call someone.
Let people know why you're calling
Android Authority spotted a new Expressive Calling feature through another APK teardown. Google Phone’s latest public beta, specifically version 201.0.833052069, went under the knife. It revealed how the company is experimenting with a way to make calls more context-aware.
While it doesn't require you to literally scream at your device, you'll be able to attach a bold reason to your outgoing call. Your contacts will see your name and number as usual, along with a short, pre-set message with an emoji.
It explains why you’re calling. The code showed four canned options, including “It’s urgent!”, “News to share”, “Catch up”, and “Quick question.”
Once selected, your phone may fire off a tiny RCS/SMS payload to the recipient. It's probably why the underlying code references the Rich Communication Service and asks for SMS permissions. On the recipient's end, they’ll see that label on the incoming call screen if they also use the Google Phone app.
Calls are getting more interesting for Pixels
Expressive Calling is designed to override Do Not Disturb (DND), which already lets you select exceptional contacts and apps to ring out. Anyone can break the mode after repeated calls. The new feature is great for you if you dislike people ignoring your emergencies.
Context matters and some people may just hate phone calls. But if your friends are constantly missing your calls, you might want to take the message. At the same time, the feature sucks if your phone's go-to default mode is DND. Now, you have no reasonable reason to ignore anyone either.
It's possible Google will tie it to calls from your contacts. It'll keep spammers from abusing the urgent tag just to pierce DND. The last thing you need is annoying telemarketers and scammers blowing up your phone.
Similar features for Pixel phones are already live. Take a Message and Call Notes are among them. Take a Message is a built-in answering service. When you’re about to miss or decline a call, your Pixel asks the caller if it can take a message on your behalf.
The caller speaks and their recorded message is automatically transcribed. You'll see it attached to that call in your call history instead of your voicemail inbox.
On the other hand, Call Notes lets you jot down a note attached to a call after it ends. Google’s AI can scan what was said and suggest next steps like “Send that parcel” or “Call back on Monday”. Basically, it turns your call summary into an action list.
