What to know

  • Call Reason lets callers mark a call as “urgent,” so the recipient sees the urgency on the incoming call screen.
  • Both parties must use Phone by Google and have the contact saved; it doesn’t apply to unknown numbers for now.
  • If the recipient misses the call, the “urgent” tag remains visible in call history, making it easier to spot and return important calls.
  • The feature is currently in beta; availability varies by device and manufacturer. It’s being tested as part of the latest Android update.

Phone calls have always lacked context - a ring tells you nothing about the nature or urgency of the call, which often results in important calls being ignored or delayed. With Call Reason, Google aims to fix that by letting the caller add a simple “urgent” flag before dialing. When the call reaches the recipient, the incoming-call screen displays the urgency label, which could make a real difference if the person is busy, ignoring unknown calls, or on Do Not Disturb.

This feature is part of a broader update to Android’s core apps, including expressive captions for video, spam-protection tools, and other tweaks in the default Phone and Messages apps.

In early beta testing of the Phone by Google app, the feature appears under the codename “Expressive Calling.” Hidden within the app’s code, it provides a compact menu of preset call intents such as “Catch up,” “Quick question,” and “It’s urgent!” Selecting “It’s urgent!” gives the call elevated priority, allowing it to bypass the recipient’s Do Not Disturb mode so the phone rings through when immediate attention is needed.

However, for the new feature to work, both the caller and the recipient must have Phone by Google installed and set as the default dialer. Also, it currently only supports calls between saved contacts, so calls from unknown numbers or third-party dialers won’t benefit.

In the coming weeks, as the beta expands, availability will likely grow, but for now, Android users with compatible devices should check the Google Play Store for updates and verify that Phone by Google is set as the default calling app in device settings.