You won't have to open your Messages app to see recent texts soon

Google Contacts is one of those Google apps that we don’t talk about as much. But in its case, that is a good thing because the app just works and gets out of the way without any fluff. We don’t hear about new features getting added to the Google Contacts app, so it’s time to take note when something new comes. Google Contacts could soon get a slight UI revamp to remove the hamburger menu and a widget showing recent messages.

According to TheSpAndroid, Google Contacts v4.26 contains these new features currently inaccessible to users. With the help of some feature flags, one can surface them.

Google Contacts could soon get a new UI for the header area in the contacts screen. There are chips for phone, email, and company contacts, which will give you a quick way to filter them.

Tapping on the email contacts will open up a bottom sheet that shows how your contacts are organized. This UI replaces the need for a sidebar and removes the hamburger icon for a cleaner look.

More importantly, Google Contacts could soon get a Contacts widget that shows you your recent messages from a single contact, along with quick icons for calling and texting them. You will need to allow notification access for Contacts for this feature to work.

These are admittedly minor changes to the overall Google Contacts functionality. But don’t fix what is not broken, right?