Google is restoring the Contacts tab to the bottom navigation bar in the Phone by Google beta. Available for testers on version 243 following an initial rollout, the server-side change removes the navigation drawer shortcut while preserving other access routes like the Favorites carousel.
Google is restoring the Google Phone Contacts tab to the bottom navigation bar for beta testers. The dedicated button returns to its spot between Home and Keypad in the Phone by Google app, reversing an earlier interface change. During an August 2025 update, Google simplified bottom navigation to Home, Keypad, and Voicemail under a Material 3 Expressive redesign. That revision moved contacts into the navigation drawer, leaving another access point in the Favorites carousel at the top of the main feed.
With this reversal, the navigation drawer shortcut has been removed, while all the other ways to access contacts remain in place. The straightforward addition presumably reflects how frequently people rely on the dialer application for contact access. Rollout began gradually in Phone by Google beta version 240 and above, where availability remained limited among testers. By beta version 243, the tab should appear for users through a server-side delivery. Those who do not see the tab yet can force stop the application from App info. Google has not yet rolled out the update to users on the stable channel.
Google Pixel Watch 4
Cristian Penisoara is a Guides Writer and Android specialist at Droid Tools. An Android user since version 2 and a professional event photographer, he combines technical curiosity with a detail-oriented approach - every guide he publishes is tested step-by-step on a real device before it goes live.
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