Now that Android N has arrived in its first developer preview form, we are slowly but surely getting to know what is on offer in vastly more detail and it seems one of the notable changes is to do with call-related information. We heard yesterday how the latest version of Android now comes with a much improved ability to block numbers and at the system-level. An improvement which means that unwanted numbers or callers no longer need to be repeatedly blocked. On Android N, once a number has been labelled as ‘blocked’ by any of the system apps, all other apps will have the ability to read that information. Not to mention, the information can be translated from device to device or from an old backup to a clean install.
Following which and as a slight extension to the number blocking feature, it seems the ability to screen your calls has been improved on Android N as well. More to the point, it is now there as a distinct feature and can be used by the system Dialer app. So now, when a call comes through on Android N, users can at the point of receiving a call, effectively block the call from coming in or leaving any traces of the call at all. So when a call is incoming, the user has the ability to make sure that it does not leave a trace in the call log and that the evidence of the call does not show up as a notification either. Saving you the trouble of having to manually remove these traces after the call has come through.
Of course, the user can also just reject the call to begin with. But this will essentially mean your phone is clean of all unwanted calls and their traces. So again, while this is not designed to be a massively useful feature to everyone, it is one which offers a greater degree of detail on how you interact with your smartphone and its features. Details which in the long run will offer a more friendly end-user experience. Much like the confirmation that came through yesterday that you can now store vital information on your lock screen for emergency first responders. Not the most everyday useful feature, but certainly one which will be of benefit if needed.