Google has been doing a little housekeeping, and one of the casualties is the Favorites tab in the Phone app. If you’ve been relying on the app’s quick shortcut to call Mom or Dad or that one pizza place you always forget the name of, you might now notice it quietly disappearing from the bottom menu.
As spotted by 9to5Google in the latest beta version (v182) of the Phone app, Google is scrapping the Favorites tab as part of its slow, silent redesign that’s beginning to show up for a number of users. It’s not happening for everyone just yet, as the update includes a server-side component. For those in the test group, the tab is gone. Instead, you’ll find your starred contacts floating at the top of the Recents list (which is being rebranded as “Home”).
This isn’t just a small tweak; it’s part of a bigger visual refresh aligning with Google’s Material 3 Expressive push, which is expected to be a key part of Android 16. The goal is to make the entire app cleaner and simpler. You’ll notice the main navigation at the bottom of the app is getting consolidated too, moving from a handful of tabs down to just “Home,” “Keypad,” and “Voicemail.” Those “Missed” or “Spam” filters you used to see in Recents are being relocated to the top within the new Home tab.
So, where’d my Favorites go?
Essentially, your new “Home” tab will combine your favorite folks and your entire call history in one spot. Even your call log is getting a bit of a tidy-up, with calls appearing in neat rounded boxes. Plus, Google is playing around with a new swipe gesture for answering calls.
Sure, some users might find this update jarring. After all, the Favorites tab has been a Phone app staple for years. But from Google’s perspective, consolidating everything into one space avoids redundancy, especially when your call history already gives you a decent idea of who you contact most.
While these changes are currently making their way to beta testers, it looks like they’ll soon be rolling out more broadly, affecting both Pixel and non-Google phones.
