Google Phone v26 dark theme is here [APK Download]

November 15, 2018

You've been asking for it, and asking for it, and asking for it, and... well, you get the point. Just after the Google Contacts app brought in the ~~long-awaited~~, long-demanded dark theme, the Phone app is now following closely behind with the dark theme we've seen for the last couple versions. It's finally out of testing and available for the rest of the world to enjoy.

What's New

Unofficial Changelog: (the stuff we found)

Dark theme, duh.

Dark theme

If you've been watching our previous posts, and especially if you've taken the steps to enable the dark theme for yourself, you already know what it looks like. Nothing has really changed since we took a look at it in v25. Sadly, the Favorites tab is still sporting the rectangular photos, which we know will eventually turn into circles.

I'm not worried about those number above, they're all spam.

If you want to enable the dark theme, just go into Settings -> Display Options and toggle on the Dark Theme switch. You can say goodbye to seared retinas and lowered battery life.

Teardown

Disclaimer: Teardowns are based on evidence found inside of apks (Android's application package) and are necessarily speculative and usually based on incomplete information. It's possible that the guesses made here are wrong or inaccurate. Even when predictions are correct, there is always a chance that products could change or may be canceled. Much like rumors, nothing is certain until it's officially announced and released.

The features discussed below are probably not live yet, or may only be live for a small percentage of users. Unless stated otherwise, don't expect to see these features if you install the apk. All screenshots and images are real unless otherwise stated, and images are only altered to remove personal information.

New call log

While it pales in comparison to the dark theme, there are some bits and pieces for a new call log screen. Judging from the text that's here, there aren't any appreciable differences yet, which would mean this is just a simple reimplementation to clean up the code, or the new bits haven't emerged yet. Perhaps the only notable thing is that video calls via Duo are labeled distinctly from those coming from your carrier.

STRINGS

<activity android:name="com.android.dialer.calllog.activity.NewCallLogActivity" android:exported="false" />

<string name="new_call_log_activity_title">Call History</string>
<string name="new_call_log_all_title">All</string>
<string name="new_call_log_carrier_video">Carrier video</string>
<string name="new_call_log_clear_call_log_confirmation">This will delete all calls from your history</string>
<string name="new_call_log_clear_call_log_confirmation_title">Clear call history?</string>
<string name="new_call_log_clear_call_log_progress_title">Clearing call history…</string>
<string name="new_call_log_delete_all">Clear call history</string>
<string name="new_call_log_duo_video">Duo video</string>
<string name="new_call_log_empty">Your incoming and outgoing calls show up here</string>
<string name="new_call_log_header_older">Older</string>
<string name="new_call_log_header_today">Today</string>
<string name="new_call_log_header_yesterday">Yesterday</string>
<string name="new_call_log_missed_title">Missed</string>
<string name="new_call_log_no_missed_calls">You have no missed calls</string>
<string name="new_call_log_permission_no_calllog">To see your call log, turn on the Phone permission.</string>
<string name="new_call_log_secondary_blocked">Blocked</string>
<string name="new_call_log_secondary_spam">Spam</string>
<string name="new_call_log_unknown">Unknown</string>

Download

The APK is signed by Google and upgrades your existing app. The cryptographic signature guarantees that the file is safe to install and was not tampered with in any way. Rather than wait for Google to push this download to your devices, which can take days, download and install it just like any other APK.