Required default - UGG!!

groston · Jun 14, 2021

A change was made, sometime in the past week or so, such that the default Phone app (on my Google Pixel 3XL running Android 10) must be the default phone app to be opened. What effing moron made this totally moronic change???

I use True Phone as my default phone app, but use the default phone app to listen to voicemails. This change is beyond annoying - I have to first make Phone the default app, listen to my message, then make True Phone the default again.

Any suggestions as to how I can listen to voicemails without having to deal with this nonsense each time?

Hadron · Jun 14, 2021

When you say "must be the default phone app to be opened" do you really mean that the app can't be opened (like a non-default SMS app can't) or that you can't make a call using it? Because the phone app on my Pixel 2 (Android 11) has been updated in the last couple of days, and if I set a different dialer as the default phone app I can still use the system app as normal, except that when I press the "call" button it will switch to the other app. I don't know whether that's what you are seeing, but what you say sounds different.

The curious thing is that I'd not expect an app update to be able to change this, this is system-level stuff, yet if you are on Android 10 you haven't had any recent system updates.

groston · Jun 14, 2021

When I tap on the app, a screen appears that say 'Set Phone as default'. The only way past this screen, to the voicemail, appears to be setting it as the default.
Regarding your comment about App updates: I am quite certain that I have not done anything system-related on my phones in weeks.

ocnbrze · Jun 14, 2021

i do not have your phone, but i'm curious.....isn't there a separate voicemail app? or is the only way to access your voicemail thru the phone app?

on my note 10+ i have a separate voicemail app, so i would not get the "default" message, if was to choose a different dialer app.

groston · Jun 14, 2021

A separate voicemail app sounds good - which do you have and/or could recommend? FYI - my phone did not come with one...

puppykickr · Jun 14, 2021

What happens when you just dial your own mobile number with the phone app of your choice?

ocnbrze · Jun 14, 2021

groston said:
A separate voicemail app sounds good - which do you have and/or could recommend? FYI - my phone did not come with one...

just looked and it seems that the pixel phones do not have a dedicated visual voicemail app like samsung does.

anyways check these out:
https://www.vxt.co.nz/post/the-7-best-visual-voicemail-apps-in-the-usa

i like #3, YouMail Visual Voicemail, Spam & Robocall Blocker

Hadron · Jun 15, 2021

I've never seen a visual voicemail app on any phone in real life, from any manufacturer, but I know some carriers in the UK add them to their phones.

But the behaviour described is very strange: that is not what I find even though I'm using a newer software version, and it's something that has changed recently without a system update. Also I am on the latest version of Google's Phone app, so it's not the stock dialer that's responsible. So what that leaves is True Phone. So I tried installing that app, and the first thing it said was that I had to set it as my default phone app before I could do anything, even grant it the other permissions it wanted. My other alternative dialer did not require this, so I suspect that this is something that True Phone's developers have added to their app. In which case complaining to them is the only option. Of course there may be a technical reason why they need to be the default for call management, e.g. their call recording feature, and it may be that they've chosen to force you to select them upfront rather than risk people being caught out by a feature not working, but only they can answer that.

(I didn't investigate further how it behaves when using both because I didn't want to grant this app the permissions I could see it was going to demand - no point giving an app that I'm going to delete anyway a few minutes' access to sensitive information. But my other dialers still behave as before.)

groston · Jun 15, 2021

ocnbrze: Thanks for the tips. I just installed YouMail, but when I ran it for the first time, a message popped up saying the Google does not allow third party apps of this type.
Hadron: Your comment does not make sense. The problem is the default dialer app - when I try running it, it states that it needs to be the default. I suspect/believe that TruePhone has been my default dialer for more than a year without any issues.

groston · Jun 15, 2021

puppykickr: With both app, the default dialer and TruePhone, I hear the message about accessing voicemail

Hadron · Jun 15, 2021

groston said:
Hadron: Your comment does not make sense. The problem is the default dialer app - when I try running it, it states that it needs to be the default. I suspect/believe that TruePhone has been my default dialer for more than a year without any issues.

My comment is based on my experience: TruePhone wouldn't even let me start the app without making it default, whereas with the other 3rd party dialer I keep installed on my phone I can open both that and the stock dialer app no matter which one is set to default. Where the default does make a difference is the actual call management, i.e. which app handles a call when I make one. So if you are unable to open the stock app if TruePhone is set as default that is different behaviour from what I see with the stock phone app and a different third party dialer. That plus the fact that I couldn't even open TruePhone without making it the default is the reason I suspected it was related to something TruePhone does rather than something all dialers do.

It is possible that had I set TruePhone up completely, given it everything it wanted, the default app would have asked to be made default when I used that. That I didn't confirm. But it's not something that happens when you make any app the default phone app, at least not on my Pixel. Whether it was an update to the stock phone app or TruePhone that changed the behaviour I also can't say, but I think that TruePhone must set something else that my alternative dialer (Simple Dialer) does not if the stock app won't open when TruePhone is the default.

Of course this also means that I don't know which app triggered the change: you've ruled out a system update, but you could imagine how a change to either app might have changed their interaction.

groston · Jun 16, 2021

The problem is DEFINITELY the default dialer app. I just checked and see that the latest version of TruePhone was installed three months ago, but the latest version of the default dialer was installed three days ago, right when this problem started occurring. As noted earlier, I cannot install a third-party app to listen to voicemails. Other than installing an older version of the default dialer (and not allowing it to update), are there any other solutions I can try?

puppykickr · Jun 16, 2021

groston said:
The problem is DEFINITELY the default dialer app. I just checked and see that the latest version of TruePhone was installed three months ago, but the latest version of the default dialer was installed three days ago, right when this problem started occurring. As noted earlier, I cannot install a third-party app to listen to voicemails. Other than installing an older version of the default dialer (and not allowing it to update), are there any other solutions I can try?

Well then, uninstall the update to the stock dialer app.

Turn auto-update off in Google PlayStore.

This sort of crap is exactly why I disable the PlayStore on my devices.

I cannot understand why you would be against the most simple and obvious solution to this.

puppykickr · Jun 16, 2021

puppykickr said:
Well then, uninstall the update to the stock dialer app.

Turn auto-update off in Google PlayStore.

This sort of crap is exactly why I disable the PlayStore on my devices.

I cannot understand why you would be against the most simple and obvious solution to this.

For what it's worth, I NEVER update stock apps.

The reasons are exactly what you are going through, and then there is the fact that permissions can be added without notification, and I have even seen ads included into a stock browser update!
Thank God I don't use that useless browser anyway, but WTH!?!

groston · Jun 16, 2021

puppykickr - I searched on how to uninstall an update and did as shown - no issue. The need to make the built-in dialer the default app went away - yay! I then turned off auto-update for the app, again, no issue. I saw that my phone wanted to update both Google Fi and some networking-type app. I updated them, rebooted the phone, and that was a mistake!

After updating them, the built-in dialer again needed to be the default app to be used. Okay, I figured that I would simply work through the same process. However, Play had changed and the three dots in the upper right corner (from which one selects 'Uninstall updates') is no longer visible. Now what???

puppykickr · Jun 16, 2021

groston said:
puppykickr - I searched on how to uninstall an update and did as shown - no issue. The need to make the built-in dialer the default app went away - yay! I then turned off auto-update for the app, again, no issue. I saw that my phone wanted to update both Google Fi and some networking-type app. I updated them, rebooted the phone, and that was a mistake!

After updating them, the built-in dialer again needed to be the default app to be used. Okay, I figured that I would simply work through the same process. However, Play had changed and the three dots in the upper right corner (from which one selects 'Uninstall updates') is no longer visible. Now what???

Yes, Google has once again changed what did not need to be changed.
The hamburger icon on the top left has been depricated.

Tap your avatar on the top right.

God, I hate Google!

As for the updated apps, go to

Settings
Apps
(show all apps)
(show system)
(find the app you want)
Disable

It will as you if you are sure, and tell you that the app will uninstall all updates and revert to the factory version.
Then just tap Enable afterwards.

All of your settings within the app will be reset, so you will need to redo them.

groston · Jun 17, 2021

I wish it were that easy! When I do Settings->Apps & Notifications->See all apps->(any app), there is nothing useful shown. No three dots/hamburger icon), no avatar, nothing! The only icons are: search, help, force stop, uninstall, and open. Now what???

puppykickr · Jun 18, 2021

Then you mustfind the app on Google Play, and uninstall it from the app page.

It will not uninstall it, just remove all updates.

Also, it may help if you can find the app on another appstore, such as UpToDown, that allows you to download previous versions of apps.

See, that app may have already been updated multiple times before, without you knowing about it- untill now this last time they finally pissed you off.

So that means that the base, stock application may not be exactly as you remember, or even worse (but unlikely) it may no longer function.

groston · Jun 18, 2021

Thanks for trying to help, but... When I opened the app in Google Play, uninstall was not an option. It does, however, show for non-Google apps...

puppykickr · Jun 18, 2021

groston said:
Thanks for trying to help, but... When I opened the app in Google Play, uninstall was not an option. It does, however, show for non-Google apps...

Then use the exact name for the app, and try to use UpToDown to do the same thing.

If you get the UpToDown app, it may be easier.

Find the app there, and tap the 3 dot icon in the upper right.

Select versions.

It will highlight the version you have now, and show any previous versions.

Select a version that is before the timeline you spoke of, and download it.

When you try to install it, hopefully it will stop and tell you that it cannot install because of a version conflict.

Hopefully (yes, again), it will then ask if you want to uninstall your version so that you can install the other.

Then try to install it again.

Like I said, I never update system apps unless I really, really have to, so all I know is how it works with UpToDown's app on user apps.

You also need to allow some permissions with the UpToDown app.

Storage, and then under 'advanced' allow it to install apps.

groston · Jun 19, 2021

Thanks. Took an extra minute or two (because, from Play, the UpToDown download is not the one you described - had to install that manually), but was then able to uninstall Phone then reinstall the older version.

puppykickr · Jun 19, 2021

groston said:
Thanks. Took an extra minute or two (because, from Play, the UpToDown download is not the one you described - had to install that manually), but was then able to uninstall Phone then reinstall the older version.

Well, UpToDown is not on Google PlayStore.

It is an altogether different appstore.

https://en.uptodown.com/android

Sorry if I forgot to post the link before.

To be honest, I normally disable the PlayStore on my devices if I can.

I only use alternative app stores.

puppykickr · Jun 19, 2021

puppykickr said:
Well, UpToDown is not on Google PlayStore.

It is an altogether different appstore.

https://en.uptodown.com/android

Sorry if I forgot to post the link before.

To be honest, I normally disable the PlayStore on my devices if I can.

I only use alternative app stores.

So, it did work then?
Great!

H2SO4 · Aug 7, 2021

I use TrueCaller as my primary phone app, but it doesn't have any kind of visual voicemail feature, which I really appreciate.

So I was able to bounce between the two apps and temporarily set the Google provided phone app as the default. My memory of that was that it would prompt me if I wanted it to be the default app. Normally, I'd say yes, but I might have answered it differently one time (and I do not know what the alternative was). It might have been, "never set as the default app" for all I know.

Now when I try to open it, the main screen says it has to be the default app in order to work. And there is one button "Set as Default App" which does absolutely nothing.

So when I want to listen to my voicemails, I can just stay in True Caller and dial *86 and do it the old-fashioned way, or I can go into my settings, app defaults, and manually switch it to that. (pain in the ass).

So I don't want to completely disable the Google Phone App, but I want to keep it back to the one without the updates. I've disabled auto-update in Play, but it sure would be nice if I could get it to never show up in the update list.

I'm open to other phone app options. I've understood that TrueCaller is into sharing/selling data, and that there might be better phone apps out there that will help me block robocallers and other $*$&*%(*&#@uckers.

Thanks for this thread. At least I've got the temporary fix for being able to use visual voicemail and to more easily switch between apps.

groston · Aug 7, 2021

I installed UpToDown app store, was able to reinstall the previous version of the default dialer, and now things are as they used to be.

Required default - UGG!!

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