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Google Phone v47 prepares to add Flip to Silence gesture [APK Teardown]

Jarvis

April 6, 2020

While some of us spend very little time on the phone, it’s still very important that we can make and respond to calls in the most intuitive ways possible. That might involve knowing where buttons are and what direction to swipe, what to look for on a screen, or how some things will react to gestures and button presses. The latest update to the Google Phone app reveals it’s about to get a popular feature for muting call ringers by simply flipping the phone over.

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.

Flip to Silence

It’s safe to assume most of us get calls that we’re not going to answer. Regardless of the reason, all that matters is stopping the disruption and getting back to what we’re doing. Virtually all smartphone ringers can be muted by pressing volume buttons, and most OEMs have even implemented a basic flip-to-silence gesture reminiscent to the classic motion of setting a corded phone down to end a call.

Google began testing a different implementation of this gesture with the Pixel 3 that took things a little further. Dubbed “Flip to Shhh,” this version used the same gesture to switch the phone into Do Not Disturb (DND) mode . While DND settings may vary from one person to the next, this was generally less about muting a single call and more focused on shutting out all but the most critical notifications. This began as a Pixel 3 exclusive, but eventually expanded through Digital Wellbeing.

Now Google appears to be putting the more traditional Flip to Silence gesture into operation. New text and a basic settings screen have been included in the latest Google Phone update that describe how it works and a toggle to turn it on.

<string name=“flip_to_silence_title“Flip To Silence</string

<string name=“flip_to_silence_summary“To silence an incoming call, place your phone face down on a flat surface</string

<string name=“flip_to_silence_key“flip_to_silence_key</string

from /xml/flip_to_silence_settings.xml

<PreferenceScreen android:title=“@string/flip_to_silence_title“
xmlns:android=“http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android“
<SwitchPreference android:persistent=“true“ android:title=“@string/flip_to_silence_title“ android:key=“@string/flip_to_silence_key“ android:summary=“@string/flip_to_silence_summary“ android:defaultValue=“false“ /
<span class="token…</