Android 4.4.3, which has gone out to Nexus ay ition devices is in the process of rolling out to other newish Android phones tablets, is mostly a bunch of under-the-hood bug fixes. It does bring with it one major change, though: a br-new stock Android phone dialer app. And it’s vibrant gorgeous.
ft: l Contacts view. Right: The new dilaer start screen.
A bright change from the old dialers
To be quite blunt, stock Android dialers have been pretty awful. Right up to 4.4.2, they’ve been grey murky, making calls with them has been a soulless, gloomy experience—even worse if you’ve been subjected to Motorola’s grating, impenetrable, teal-highlighted skins over the years, as I have.
KitKat 4.4.3’s dialer changes all that with a stirring brightness not seen before in stock Android. The big changes are lively colorful tile-like cards with the initial letter of the contact most prominent, or an image, if you want to assign a mugshot.
ft: Contacts in the 4.4.3 ople app. Right: The 4.4.3 one keypad.
A subtle white-on-light-grey search bar runs along the top, a flourishing sky-blue action bar completes the frame at the bottom.
The cards remind you of ndows one’s tiles, all vivid colors flatness. You can argue that the humming lightness is reminiscent of iOS’s predominantly white screens.
Android’s latest dialer clearly has ndows-phone influences with its tile-like boxes.
at’s with this change?
y the radical look? ll, the 4.4.3 stock dialer appears to be an example of a new user interface design direction that is taking with all of its properties, not just Android.
The UI move is supposedly called Quantum per, is relates to a rumored plan to give developers the tools guidelines necessary to help them create a unified look feel for their apps, not just across Android, but even into other mobile operating systems like iOS.
Geek.com aked screenshots of an upcoming Gmail interface overhaul.
The interface is likely to be a significant element in the next major Android release, (4.5 or 5.0).
The new dialer isn’t the only Quantum per-eque app you can get your hs on right now if you’re hooked. st scoot over to ay perform a search for “ I/O 2014” you’ll see another example of the interface. The app can be downloaded installed on devices 4.0 up, so you can download it to get a feel, even if you can’t get your paws on the 4.4.3 dialer.
’s new interface is shown in the I/O app.
at about Samsung HTC?
Not everyone’s getting the new stock dialer. Samsung’s Android users are unfortunately lumbered with a Samsung-derived Touchz skin, so despite any 4.4.3 KitKat updates likely to be seen later this month on some Galaxy S5s, users are not going to see the rousing, pristine stock dialer.
kewise with HTC owners who have the prettier-than-Samsung, svelte, but now clearly dated Sense 6 skin. The dark-look Sense dialer feels smothered now after seeing 4.4.3’s dialer. Even ’s black blue feels oppressive.
HTC’s Sense 6/Android 4.4 dialer with its now dated black keypad.
If you’re on Sense or Touchz, it looks like you’re stuck with whatever they give you, at least until makes its stock Android dialer available in ay (a move it has taken to for some of its other apps).
ternatives for philistines?
As they say: “In matters of taste, there can be no disputes.” And conveniently, don’t worry if you miss the hazy doom gloom of earlier KitKat variants, because you can step backwards with kAmMa’s KitKat Dialer app. It faithfully replicates the grim experience.
Or, for those who’d rather have an Android ione, the exDialer app, along with its iOS 7- themed plugin, is available in the ay Store too.
If you want your dialer to look sort of like iOS7, exDialer ( an add-on theme) can help.
