June 8, 2026, 2:43 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Google is reportedly working on a new feature for Android that aims to better categorize incoming calls. This would allow users to see why someone is calling before they answer. However, it is still unknown when this feature will be released and which smartphones will actually support it.
Call Reason to Be Displayed Directly
When receiving a call, people often have to decide on the spot whether to answer immediately or call back later. Important information is often missing in these situations. This is where the planned feature comes in. According to a report by the online magazine 9to5Google, it is called “Expressive Calling.”
The principle is simple: Before the call, the caller selects a reason. This is then transmitted to the recipient’s device and displayed during the incoming call. In the current version of the app, the categories “Catch up,” “News to share,” and “Quick question” are available. These indicate a casual conversation, news, or a brief question.
However, both devices must support the feature. For calls from iPhone users, the new feature currently offers no additional benefit.
Urgent Calls Could Take Priority
Special attention is given to marking urgent calls. If both parties have “Expressive Calling” activated, such calls are not only specially marked.
According to the report, they could also play a special tone and even bypass the Do Not Disturb mode. Even if a call is missed, it should still be visible that the contact marked it as urgent.
This would make it easier to recognize important calls quickly. Google would thus highlight the urgency of a call much more strongly than before.
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Indications of SMS Transmission
Some initial details about the technical implementation are already known. According to 9to5Google, the phone app apparently requires SMS permission to transmit the selected call reason.
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The information would thus be sent via SMS to the recipient’s device. This approach could have a potential advantage: The feature would not have to be exclusively available in the Google phone app in the long term.
This could later allow other phone apps on Android to display the corresponding information. Even support on the iPhone would be conceivable, provided Apple integrates a similar feature into iOS.
Launch Date Remains Uncertain
It is not yet known when “Expressive Calling” will be officially introduced. The current information comes from a beta version of the Google phone app. Therefore, a release has not yet been confirmed.
9to5Google also speculates that the feature might initially be available only on Pixel smartphones. Such an approach would not be unusual. Google’s voicemail, now available in Germany, is currently only available on Pixel devices.