Google Contacts could add an emoji twist to contact pictures

Google has rolled out several changes to its Contacts app this year. In September, it updated the Create contact page with a cleaner and refined layout. Then, in late October, it tweaked the contacts list, giving it a sleeker look and adding dynamic theming support to the scroll bar. Now, Google is rolling out another minor design change to the Contacts app, adding icons to various contact settings. More importantly, the company is testing the ability to use emoji or monogram as a person’s display picture.

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In earlier versions of the Google Contacts app, you accessed contact settings via the three-dot menu on the contact’s page. The menu contained options like setting a default ringtone, adding a home screen shortcut, or sharing the contact with someone else. The latest update to Google Contacts changes this, moving all options from the menu directly to the contacts page (via Android Authority).

All settings are now depicted by icons for easy identification. A new “Reminders” option allows you to add significant dates, such as the person’s birthday or anniversary.

As part of this change, Google has removed the three-dot menu button from the top-right corner of the contacts page. Instead, there’s now a settings button, tapping on which scrolls down to the various settings on the contacts page.

The folks at Android Authority also spotted Google working on another change in the Google Contacts app. The team managed to activate the new image display picture options hidden in Google Contacts v4.44.31.692334116.

As the GIF above shows, Google will soon allow you to set a monogram or emoji as a contact’s display picture. For a monogram, you are limited to using two characters, though you can customize the background and text style to your liking. And if that’s too much work, an “Inspire me” will randomly pick a font and background color for you.

If you prefer emoji, Google Contacts will let you set any emoji as a contact’s display picture. Similar to a monogram, you can customize it further by changing the background color or selecting the monochrome option to display the emoji in black and white.

It is unclear when this Google Contacts change will go live. However, the feature appears almost ready, so it should be rolled out to the public sooner rather than later.