🔬 R & D: Feature Research

Features from other apps that we could bring into ours, explained simply with screenshots.

🌐 View the website ↗
_{ravioriginfo.github.io/dialer-rnd}

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👋 Start Here

This note collects useful features from other phone/contacts apps. For each one you'll find:

💡 The idea	What the feature does, in one sentence
🧑 Real-life example	When someone would actually use it
👉 How to find it	The taps it takes to get there
📸 Screenshots	What it looks like
🛠️ For developers	Technical notes, collapsed so it doesn't get in the way

📱 Apps we looked at

App	Features	Link
💬 Replyo (v4.8)	1 · 2 · 3 · 4	Play Store ↗ ⚠️
📞 Goodwy Dialer	5 · 6	Play Store ↗

⚠️ Replyo may no longer be on Google Play (some sites say it was removed in June 2024). If the link doesn't open, search for "Replyo: Dialer with Auto-reply" (app ID com.replyo).

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🗂️ All Features at a Glance

#	Feature	In plain words	Where
1	⭐ Default Tab	Choose which screen opens first	⚙️ Settings
2	🕘 Recent Searches	Show or hide what you searched before	⚙️ Settings
3	💬 Auto Replies	Send a text automatically when you're busy	💬 Replies tab
4	📞 Call Handling	Choose exactly how busy-mode handles calls	💬 Replies tab
5	📇 Import / Export Contacts	Back up or move your contacts	☰ Side menu
6	🗑️ Recycle Bin	Get back contacts you deleted by mistake	⚙️ Settings

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⚙️ Settings

1️⃣ ⭐ Default Tab

💡 The idea: Pick which screen you see first when you open the app.

🧑 Real-life example: You mostly call the same 5 people, so you set Favorites as the first screen and skip a tap every time.

👉 How to find it: Settings → General → Default tab

📱 Seen in: Replyo ↗

• ✅ Shows your current choice on the right (e.g. Favorites)
• ✅ Tap it to pick a different tab

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2️⃣ 🕘 Show Recent Searches

💡 The idea: One switch that shows or hides the people you searched for recently.

🧑 Real-life example: You searched for "Mom" a minute ago. Next time she's waiting at the top, with no typing needed. Prefer privacy? Turn it off.

👉 How to find it: Settings → General → Show recent searches

📱 Seen in: Replyo ↗

• 🟢 On: recent searches are shown
• ⚪ Off: search starts empty every time

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💬 Busy Mode (Auto Replies)

3️⃣ 💬 Auto Replies

💡 The idea: Save ready-made "I'm busy" messages. Turn one on, and anyone who calls you gets that text automatically.

🧑 Real-life example: You're walking into a meeting. One tap, and for the next 30 minutes every caller gets "I'm in a meeting, I'll call you back."

👉 How to find it: Bottom bar → Replies

📱 Seen in: Replyo ↗

What you see on the screen:

Looks like	Means
🟩 Green card: "Currently active"	The reply that's on now, and the time it turns off (e.g. End at 11:46 am)
⬜ Grey cards	Your other saved replies with their time (30 mins, 4 hrs, 45 mins)
🔘 Switch on each card	Turn that reply on or off
⋮ Three dots	Edit or delete it
➕ Green plus button	Make a new reply

Ready-made messages in the app:

• 🤝 "Hi! I'm currently in a meeting and can't take your call…"
• 📵 "Hi! I'm away from my phone at the moment…"
• 🚗 "Hey! I'm driving right now and can't answer the phone safely…"

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4️⃣ 📞 Call Handling (Edit a Reply)

💡 The idea: Tap any reply card to set it up just how you like: how long, what it says, who gets it, how your phone rings, and whether calls get through at all.

🧑 Real-life example: In a meeting you want silence. Turn on Reject calls so the phone doesn't ring at all, and callers still get your message.

👉 How to find it: Replies → tap any reply card

📱 Seen in: Replyo ↗

   

_{⬅️ Top of the screen  ·  Bottom of the screen ➡️}

🎛️ Every option, explained

	Option	What it does for you
⏱️	How long	Scroll to choose minutes or hours (e.g. 30 mins). The reply turns off by itself afterwards.
✉️	Reply message	The text your caller gets. Write anything you like.
👥	Reply to	Who gets the message. Normally all contacts.
🔔	Ringtone	Choose the ringtone and volume while busy, and ▶️ to hear it first.
📳	Vibrate mode	Phone buzzes instead of ringing.
⏳	Send message after	Waits a little (e.g. 3) after the call ends, then sends the text.
1️⃣	Reply only once	If someone calls 5 times, they get the text only once, not 5 times.
🚫	Reject calls	Calls are hung up automatically, so the phone stays quiet. They still get your text.
💾	Update	Saves your changes.

🔄 What happens, step by step

Step
1️⃣	You switch a reply on, and the card turns 🟩 green with an end time
2️⃣	Someone calls 📞
3️⃣	The phone either 🚫 rejects it, or rings your way (🔔 / 📳)
4️⃣	After the call, they get your ✉️ message
5️⃣	When the time is up ⏱️, busy mode turns itself off

🎬 Watch it

▶️ Video not playing? Open it directly

🛠️ For developers: open questions

Reply ON → card "Currently active · End at <now + duration>"
Incoming call
  ├─ caller not in "Reply to" list → normal call
  └─ caller in list
       ├─ Reject calls ON  → decline call
       └─ Reject calls OFF → ring with custom ringtone / volume / vibrate
Call ends → wait "Send message after" → send SMS
  (skip if "Reply only once" ON and already sent to this caller)
Duration over → reply OFF

• Send message after: is 3 in seconds or minutes?
• Reply to: what choices does it offer (all / chosen contacts / unknown numbers)?
• Sent as SMS only, or WhatsApp too? Needs the SEND_SMS permission.
• Can more than one reply be on at once?
• What does the grid icon (top-right of Replies) do?
• Do ringtone and vibrate change the system ringer, or only the app's own ringing?

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📇 Contacts

5️⃣ 📇 Import / Export Contacts

💡 The idea: Save all your contacts into one small file, or load contacts back from that file.

🧑 Real-life example: You're getting a new phone 📱➡️📱. Export your contacts on the old one, send the file to yourself, then import it on the new phone, and everyone's back.

👉 How to find it: ☰ Side menu → Import/Export

📱 Seen in: Goodwy Dialer ↗

   

_{⬅️ Find it in the side menu  ·  Choose Import or Export ➡️}

🔀 Two choices

	Option	What it does
⬆️	Import Contacts	Pick a contacts file (.vcf) and add everyone in it to your phone
⬇️	Export Contacts	Save your contacts into a .vcf file you can keep or share

📄 What's a .vcf file? A standard "contacts file" that almost every phone and email app can open, like a digital address book in one file.

⬇️ When you tap Export

	Option	What it does for you
📝	File name	Filled in for you with today's date and time (e.g. contacts_20261001_113633), so every backup gets its own name. You can change it.
☑️	Include Contact Source	Tick where to take contacts from. Each one shows how many contacts it has.
	↳ 🟦 Google (19)	Contacts saved in your Google account
	↳ 📱 Phone (5)	Contacts saved only on this phone
	↳ 💳 SIM card (6)	Contacts saved on the SIM
✅	Export	Creates the file

🛠️ For developers: open questions

Side menu → Import/Export
  ├─ Import → pick .vcf → parse → insert into ContactsContract
  └─ Export → dialog (file name: contacts_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS + account checkboxes)
             → write .vcf → save

• Import: does it ask which account to save into (Google / Phone / SIM)?
• Import: how are duplicates handled (skip, merge or add twice)?
• Export: where is the file saved? Does the Storage Access Framework picker open, or does it go straight to Downloads?
• Is there a Share option after export?
• Which details are exported (photo, email, address, notes), or only name and number?
• Is a progress bar shown for big contact lists?
• Permissions: READ_CONTACTS for export, WRITE_CONTACTS for import.

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6️⃣ 🗑️ Recycle Bin (Deleted Contacts)

💡 The idea: Deleted contacts aren't gone right away. They go to a Recycle Bin first, so you can bring them back if you change your mind, just like the trash on a computer.

🧑 Real-life example: You're cleaning up your contacts and delete "Ravi Plumber" by mistake 😬. Open the Recycle Bin, tap Restore, and Ravi is back with his number.

👉 How to find it: Settings → General → Recycle Bin

📱 Seen in: Goodwy Dialer ↗

   

_{⬅️ Find it in Settings  ·  Select contacts, then Restore or Delete ➡️}

🎛️ What you see in the bin

	Option	What it does for you
⏳	Auto Delete switch	When on, contacts in the bin are removed for good after 30 days, so the bin cleans itself. When off, they stay until you remove them.
👤	Deleted contacts list	Every contact you deleted, with its name and number
☑️	Tap to select	Pick one or more contacts. The top bar shows how many (e.g. 1 Selected).
✅	Tick at top-right	Select all contacts at once
❌	X at top-left	Cancel the selection
🟥	Delete (red)	Remove the selected contacts forever. ⚠️ This can't be undone.
🟩	Restore (green)	Put the selected contacts back in your contacts

🔄 The life of a deleted contact

Step
1️⃣	You delete a contact, and it moves to 🗑️ the Recycle Bin (not gone yet)
2️⃣	Changed your mind? Select it → 🟩 Restore, and it's back
3️⃣	Sure you don't need it? Select it → 🟥 Delete, and it's gone forever
4️⃣	Forgot about it? With ⏳ Auto Delete on, it's removed after 30 days

🛠️ For developers: open questions

Delete contact → copy full contact (name, numbers, email, photo, account) into local DB (bin)
              → delete from ContactsContract
Recycle Bin screen
  ├─ Restore → re-insert into ContactsContract (same account) → remove from bin
  ├─ Delete  → remove from bin (permanent)
  └─ Auto Delete ON → background job (WorkManager) removes items older than 30 days

• Android has no system recycle bin for contacts, so the app must save a full copy (local DB) before deleting.
• Is a contact restored to the same account (Google / Phone / SIM) it came from?
• Is a "Deleted X days ago" or "X days left" label shown on each item?
• Does the bin catch contacts deleted outside our app (e.g. from Google Contacts)? Probably not.
• Is there an Undo snackbar right after deleting?
• Is there a confirmation pop-up before permanent Delete?
• Is the 30-day limit fixed, or can the user change it?

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📁 Files in This Folder

Show all screenshots and videos

File	Feature
🖼️ default_tab_pref.png	1 · Default Tab
🖼️ recent_search_feature.png	2 · Recent Searches
🖼️ replay_call_handling.png	3 · Auto Replies
🎬 CallHandle.mp4	4 · Call Handling (video)
🖼️ call_handle_edit_top.png	4 · Call Handling, top of screen
🖼️ call_handle_edit_advance.png	4 · Call Handling, bottom of screen
🖼️ import_export_contact.png	5 · Import/Export, side menu
🖼️ imp_exp_screen.png	5 · Import/Export, main screen
🖼️ imp_exp_func.png	5 · Import/Export, Export pop-up
🖼️ recycle_bin_contact.png	6 · Recycle Bin, in Settings
🖼️ recycle_bin_feature_ux.png	6 · Recycle Bin, bin screen

_{📝 Last updated: 1 Oct 2026}