The world of Android is constantly evolving, with subtle yet impactful changes rolling out across various apps. Recently, we’ve noticed two significant updates that promise to enhance user experience: a long-awaited embrace of Dynamic Color in the Google Home app and a redesigned in-call interface for the Pixel Phone app.

For those unfamiliar, Dynamic Color, a key feature of Android 13 and later, allows app interfaces to adapt their color palettes based on the user’s chosen wallpaper.¹ This creates a cohesive and personalized visual experience across the entire device. While many Google apps have already adopted this feature, the Google Home app has been a notable exception.

Previously, the Google Home app sported a consistent, if somewhat static, white or dark gray background accented with blue. While functional, it lacked the personalized touch that Dynamic Color provides. Now, it appears Google is finally addressing this.

Early reports, based on observations within the Google Home Public Preview program, suggest that the app is undergoing testing to integrate Dynamic Color. This means that users will soon be able to see their chosen wallpaper’s hues reflected in the app’s interface, creating a more seamless and personalized experience. This change is expected to roll out to devices running Android 13 and later. The shift towards dynamic theming signals a commitment to a more unified user experience across the Android ecosystem. This change will bring the Google Home app in line with the majority of Google’s first-party apps, which have already embraced this feature.

Beyond the aesthetics, functionality is also getting a boost. The Pixel Phone app is receiving a significant overhaul to its in-call user interface, focusing on streamlining access to key features like Call Notes and Audio Emoji.

Previously, accessing these features required navigating through a “More” menu. This extra step, while not overly cumbersome, added a slight layer of friction to the user experience. The new design aims to eliminate this by bringing these features front and center.

The updated in-call screen now features two prominent pill-shaped buttons positioned above the standard call controls (Keypad, Mute, Phone, and More). One button provides direct access to Call Notes, while the other launches the Audio Emoji panel. This simple change significantly improves the accessibility of these features, making them much more convenient to use during a call.

The Call Notes functionality has also received a minor update. Tapping the “Call Assist” button, which houses features like Call Screen, Direct My Call, and Hold for Me, now slides up a sheet with a dedicated card for activating Call Notes. This new interface provides a clearer description of the feature (“Live transcripts & summary of your call”) and includes a more prominent “Stop” button, along with other subtle refinements to the timer display.

For users without the latest Pixel devices, the Audio Emoji panel remains largely unchanged, presented as a full-width button. However, the overall streamlining of the in-call UI benefits all users by simplifying access to key features.

The “More” menu has been simplified as a result of these changes, with the Call Notes and Audio Emoji options now removed as they have dedicated buttons.

These updates, currently being tested in the beta channel of the Phone by Google app (version 157.0.712311883), represent a clear focus on improving user experience through both visual enhancements and functional refinements. The integration of Dynamic Color in the Google Home app brings a welcome touch of personalization, while the redesigned in-call UI for the Pixel Phone app prioritizes efficiency and ease of use. These changes, while seemingly minor on their own, contribute to a more polished and user-friendly Android experience as a whole.

For many of us, our smartphones have become the primary keepers of our memories. We snap photos of everything – family gatherings, breathtaking landscapes, everyday moments that we want to hold onto. But as our photo libraries grow, managing them can become a daunting task.

Scrolling endlessly through a chaotic jumble of images isn’t exactly the nostalgic experience we’re hoping for. That’s where apps like Google Photos come in, offering tools to help us make sense of the digital deluge. And it seems Google is gearing up to give us even more control over our precious memories.

Google Photos has long been a favorite for its smart organization features. Its AI-powered capabilities, like facial recognition and automatic album creation, have made it easier than ever to find specific photos. One particularly useful feature is “Photo Stacking,” which automatically groups similar images, decluttering the main photo feed.³ Imagine taking a burst of photos of the same scene; Photo Stacking neatly bundles them, preventing your feed from becoming overwhelmed with near-identical shots.⁴ However, until now, this feature has been entirely automated, leaving users with little say in which photos are grouped. If the AI didn’t quite get it right, there wasn’t much you could do.

But whispers within the latest version of Google Photos suggest a significant change is on the horizon: manual photo stacking. This potential update promises to hand the reins over to the user, allowing us to curate our own photo stacks. What does this mean in practice? Imagine you have a series of photos from a family vacation. Some are posed group shots, others are candid moments, and a few are scenic landscapes from the same location. With manual stacking, you could choose precisely which photos belong together, creating custom collections that tell a more complete story.

This shift towards user control could be a game-changer for photo organization. Currently, if the automatic stacking feature misinterprets a set of photos, you’re stuck with the results. Perhaps the AI grouped photos from two slightly different events, or maybe it missed some subtle similarities between images you wanted to keep together. Manual stacking would eliminate these frustrations, allowing you to fine-tune your photo organization to your exact preferences.

While the exact implementation remains to be seen, we can speculate on how this feature might work. It’s likely that users will be able to select multiple photos from their main view and then choose a “Stack” option from the menu that appears at the bottom of the screen – the same menu that currently houses options like “Share,” “Favorite,” and “Trash.” This intuitive interface would make manual stacking a seamless part of the existing Google Photos workflow.

The implications of this potential update are significant. It’s not just about decluttering your photo feed; it’s about empowering users to tell their stories more effectively. By giving us the ability to manually group photos, Google is essentially providing us with a new level of creative control over our memories. We can create thematic collections, highlight specific moments, and curate our photo libraries in a way that truly reflects our personal experiences.

This move also speaks to a larger trend in user interface design: giving users more agency. Instead of relying solely on automated systems, developers are increasingly recognizing the importance of providing users with the tools to customize their experience. Manual photo stacking in Google Photos perfectly embodies this principle, putting the power of organization directly into the hands of the user.

While this feature is still in the development stages, its potential impact on how we manage and interact with our photos is undeniable. It promises to transform Google Photos from a simple photo storage app into a powerful storytelling tool, allowing us to connect with our memories in a more meaningful way. As we await further details and the official rollout of this feature, one thing is clear: the future of photo organization looks brighter than ever.