What Phone Call is
Phone Call is a full replacement for the stock dialer on Android, published by Clockwise Labs in the Communication category. The store listing describes a complete phone app: a dialer, a contacts book, a recents list and voicemail, all presented in a frosted-glass visual style with smooth animations and colours that adapt to the contact on screen. Inside the listing the app introduces itself as Aura Phone, so do not be surprised if the name inside the app differs slightly from the title on the store page.
This page is an independent guide. It explains what the listing claims, how to set an app like this up safely, and what to check before you trust it with your call history. Anything not stated in the listing is flagged as something to verify yourself.
The default dialer requirement
Android treats the phone app as a special role. Only one app at a time holds the default dialer role, and that app receives incoming calls, draws the in-call screen and can apply blocking rules. The store listing itself says the app works best when set as your default phone app and that Android will ask on first launch. Our guide to setting a default phone app on Android walks through the system prompt and the Settings route, including how to switch back if you change your mind.
Switching is reversible and does not delete your contacts or call log, because those live in Android’s shared providers, not inside any one dialer. You can try the app for a week and go back to the stock dialer if it does not suit you.
What the store listing says it offers
Design and personalisation
The listing highlights a floating tab bar, light, dark and follow-system appearance, and contact posters, where each contact gets a full-screen backdrop whose colour is derived from their photo. Avatars can be a photo, a gradient monogram with a choice of fonts, or an emoji. Call lists are grouped by day: today, yesterday, weekday names, then dates. Whether you enjoy this style is subjective, so look at the screenshots on the store page and judge for yourself.
Dialer and in-call tools
The dialer is described as supporting T9-style search, so pressing digits that map to letters finds a contact by name as well as by number. Tapping call on an empty keypad recalls the last number dialled. Speed dial is assigned to keys 2 to 9, and pause or wait characters let you dial extensions or voicemail menus automatically.
During a call, the listing mentions hold, swap, merge into a conference, call waiting, proximity screen-off and quick replies with editable messages. A call note feature attaches a short note to that call in your history, which is useful for remembering what a supplier promised.
Incoming call behaviour
You can choose how an incoming call appears: full screen, a floating pop-up or a mini banner. Other options in the listing include a caller ID pop-up showing history with that caller (even when another app is the default dialer), spoken caller names using on-device text-to-speech, a flash on incoming calls, flipping the phone face-down to silence, answering with the volume key and quick-declining with a message.
If you rely on spoken names or the pop-up while another app is default, check that the extra permissions Android requests are ones you are comfortable granting. Overlay and notification access in particular deserve a second look.
Blocking and filtering
The listing describes blocking individual numbers, number series and telemarketing prefixes, silencing unknown callers, and blocking private or international numbers. Quiet Hours silences non-favourites on a schedule while letting repeat callers ring through. You can send chosen contacts straight to voicemail and review a blocked-calls log.
On spam, the listing is explicit that there is no caller-ID database and no uploads. You mark spam yourself, and a suspected-spam hint appears for repeat ring-and-cut callers, computed from your own history. That is a privacy-friendly design, but it also means the app will not recognise a brand-new scam number the way a crowd-sourced service might. Our explainer on how caller ID works covers the difference between local rules and network databases, and blocking spam calls on Android covers carrier and system options you can combine with it.
Dual SIM
For dual-SIM phones the listing says each call shows which SIM carried it, each contact can have a preferred SIM, and you can set a default or choose per call with a long press. This is a feature worth testing on day one, because SIM selection behaves differently across manufacturers.
Contacts
Contact tools listed include a full editor with custom field labels, safe duplicate merging, a recycle bin with 30-day restore, sharing as QR codes, files or text, scanning QR codes to save, vCard import and export, SIM import, groups and accounts, and daily birthday and anniversary reminders. Before you merge anything, make an export first; see backing up and restoring contacts on Android.
Extras
The listing also names home screen widgets (direct dial, favourites grid, recent calls), on-device Call Insights about talk time, callback reminders set from a swipe, App Lock using fingerprint or screen lock, a Health Check that finds setup problems, backup and restore to a single file (with optional weekly, encrypted backups), and 23 languages.
Getting set up step by step
- Install the app from the store page and open it.
- Accept the Android prompt to make it the default phone app, or do it later in Settings under default apps.
- Grant the permissions it asks for, one at a time, and read each prompt. Contacts and phone access are expected for a dialer; decline anything whose purpose you cannot connect to a feature you want.
- Open the Health Check, if you find it, and let it list anything missing.
- Place a test call to a friend, then call yourself from another phone to check the incoming screen style you picked.
- If you use two SIMs, set the default SIM and test a long-press call on each.
- Create a backup file before you start merging duplicates or building blocking rules.
Everyday use and tips
- Spend a few minutes on Favourites. Per-action shortcuts and drag reordering make it the fastest way to reach the five people you call most.
- Use Quiet Hours for evenings or meetings instead of full Do Not Disturb if you still want family to get through; repeat callers ringing through is a handy safety net.
- Add call notes straight after important calls, while the details are fresh.
- If you travel, test international number blocking carefully so you do not block a hotel or a local contact abroad.
- Keep the callback reminder habit for missed calls you cannot return right away.
Who it suits
It fits people who want a more polished look than the stock dialer, those who handle many calls and want local control over blocking, and anyone with a dual-SIM phone who needs per-contact SIM choice. It may not suit you if you want a cloud-based spam database, a corporate-managed phone with a locked dialer, or the absolute minimum of permissions.
Privacy and permissions checklist
The listing states that contacts, call history, notes and blocking rules stay on your phone, that the app has no backend and no account, and that it is free with ads whose services process device identifiers only. Those are the developer’s statements; verify them against the Data safety section on the store page and the privacy policy link, which can change between versions.
- Confirm which permissions the Data safety section lists.
- Check whether notification, overlay and call-screening permissions are requested and why.
- Decide whether App Lock is worth enabling on a shared phone.
- Keep your backup file somewhere you control, since it contains your contacts and history.
Troubleshooting common problems
- Calls ring but the new screen does not appear: confirm the app still holds the default dialer role, since system updates can reset it.
- Blocking seems ignored: check that the call-screening or default-dialer permission is granted and that battery optimisation is not killing the app.
- Wrong SIM used: review the per-contact setting, then the app-wide default.
- No visual voicemail: the listing says it depends on your carrier; call your carrier to ask whether it is supported.
- Calls drop to Wi-Fi unexpectedly: this is a network feature, not the dialer; see Wi-Fi calling explained.
Alternatives and complementary settings
Your phone maker’s dialer and Google’s phone app are the obvious alternatives, and both are free. Combine any dialer with carrier-level controls such as call forwarding, and browse our calls topic hub for more guides. If you want to compare other apps in this area, see the full app directory.
Where to go next
Read the default-dialer guide first, then the spam-blocking guide, and finally make a contact backup before you customise anything. Check the store listing for the current version, price model and reviews, since those details change and are not repeated here.
