The new Google Contacts design looks great, but sharing phone numbers just got slower

Google is giving its Contacts application a big visual update. This new style, known as the Material 3 Expressive design, is meant to make apps look more modern and friendly. While the main parts of the Contacts and Phone apps already look this way, the company is now cleaning up and improving the small, detailed areas that users interact with less often.

The key change we are seeing involves how you send and receive contact files. These files, which usually end in “.vcf,” hold all the information for a person you want to share.

Sharing Contacts with the New Look

When you decide to send a contact’s details to someone, Google is changing the screen where you pick which details (like phone number, email, or address) should be included in the file.

The new screen is much cleaner than the old one. It uses clear, defined boxes for each piece of information, following the updated Expressive design rules. Tapping a box now changes its background color to show that it is selected.

However, after you finish picking your details, a new “review” screen appears. This screen allows you to perform a final check before the file is actually sent. While this final look-over is helpful for making sure you only share necessary information, it means there is an added step in the process. This extra click might make the simple act of sharing a contact feel a little more tedious than it used to.

Adding New Contacts Has Changed, Too

The process for taking contacts from a VCF file that you receive and saving them is also getting this fresh, modern design.

When you go to import a contact file, the app now clearly shows you exactly how many contacts are inside that file. After seeing this count, a second box pops up asking you to choose the destination for these new contacts. You must decide whether to save them to one of your Google accounts or directly onto your phone.

Just like the sharing function, this new step-by-step process for importing contacts adds clarity and a sense of control for the user. But, it is also another part of the process that requires an extra tap before the new phone numbers are fully saved and ready to use.

This updated look, which was spotted in a test version of the Google Contacts app, brings a unified and modern interface to these important functions. The overall benefit is a design that is safer and clearer, but users should be aware that the price for this fresh style is a slightly longer, multi-step process for both sharing and adding new contact information.