Imagine this: Your phone is on Do Not Disturb, but a critical call still gets through. Google's new 'Expressive Calling' feature is making this a reality, and it's rolling out to beta users now. But is this a blessing or a potential privacy headache? Let's dive in!
Announced earlier this month, the 'Expressive Calling' feature is a new addition to the Google Phone app. To see if you have it, go to your Phone Settings, then General, and look for 'Expressive Calling' near the bottom. The default setting, 'Enhance calling with visual and haptic feedback,' is enabled. However, the crucial setting, 'Urgent call can interrupt Do Not Disturb,' is something you control.
To get this to work, both you and the person you're calling need to be on the Phone by Google beta (version 203). If you are, you'll see a 'Mark call as urgent?' option above the usual call controls. When you mark a call as urgent, the recipient will see a big 'It's urgent!' message on their screen, accompanied by an animated siren emoji. If they miss the call, an 'urgent' label will show up in their call history. This is designed for those moments when every second counts.
In other news, Google Phone version 202 is now available on the stable channel. However, the updated bottom bar and the 'Keep portrait mode' setting are still in the beta version. Hopefully, these features will be rolled out to everyone soon.
And this is the part most people miss... This feature raises some serious questions about the balance between urgent communication and personal privacy. Do you think this feature is a good idea? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
