Android will soon let you set a calling card for yourself
Google officially implemented its own version of Apple’s Contact Poster last year, sort of. Known as a “Calling Card,” this feature enabled Android users to set custom call screen images for their contacts. However, one key aspect of Apple’s implementation was left out: the ability to set up a card for you.
We’ve known since October that the Phone by Google app is working on changing this with “My Calling Card,” and it now looks like we’re inching closer to the feature’s official rollout. Looking through the Phone by Google version 204.0.852029473 (beta), the folks at Android Authority have activated My Calling Card in its entirety, while also uncovering info on setting it up for the first time.
What’s taking so long, Google?
As the screenshots above indicate, the process will be as straightforward as it gets. When available, users should be able to find My calling card within the Calling card section of the Phone by Google app’s Settings page.
Tapping Create takes you to the welcome screen, where you choose your Google account. The next page lets users pick an image from the Camera, Gallery, or Google Photos, and choose the ideal font, font size, and color. Some parts of this process will seem familiar if you’ve already set up a calling card for one or many of your contacts.
You will then be able to preview the calling card you’ve customized, and choose whether it’s visible to everyone or only to your contacts. This preview page also informs users that the image they’ve set “may be cropped to fit different screens.”
Android Authority notes that My Calling Card may not appear on your contacts’ screens if they have already set up a calling card for you. If a contact hasn’t set a calling card for you, however, the personalized card you’ve set will appear on their screen when you call them. This may be designed to avoid conflicting with users who have already set up calling cards for their contacts.
Given the breadth of information available here, it’s safe to say My Calling Card isn’t far away from an official launch. It is somewhat surprising that Google decided to launch this functionality separately, rather than rolling it out as part of a package with Calling Card several months ago. In any case, now that we know My Calling Card is almost ready for prime time, we hope Google doesn’t wait much longer to roll it out.
Will you give My Calling Card a try when it’s available?
