How to replace a dialer: a review of alternative dialers for Android. How to install a dialer from a new Pixel smartphone on your device The best dialer for Android

Greetings to all readers website. A new work week has begun. This means that it’s time for the next release of our Android application digest. Today I will talk about third-party “dialers” or dialers.

In most cases, the standard “phone” application does an excellent job with the functions assigned to it. However, some users want to be able, for example, to change themes or search for numbers in the phone book not only by first name, last name or phone number.

In this case, third-party applications that have a wider range of functions than the standard version are suitable.

So, in this issue of the Big Review you will find: Dialer One, GO Contacts, Rocket Dial, ExDialer, PixelPhone.

A developer named Yermek Zhumagulov presented DialerOne back in early 2010. Since then, this “dialer” has become one of the most popular alternative dialers for Android.

Many users choose DialerOne for a large set additional functions. In addition to a fairly standard numeric keypad and call history, this application has an easily customizable speed dial, T9 input, and many convenient functions for working with numbers.

To gain access to these functions, users just need to make a long tap on the contact. An impressive menu will open in front of them, from which they can send entries from the phone book to e-mail or SMS, copy to the clipboard, immediately add to the speed dial menu, create events in the calendar, etc.

There is also just a huge number of settings. The developer has divided them into seven large categories, each of which should help users change one or another aspect of this application.

Over the past few years, Go Dev Team has released dozens of applications for customizing the interface, and one of them was GOContacts. As usual, all products from this developer differ not only in their pleasant appearance, but also in a large number of additional functions.

In fact GOContacts is a good replacement for the standard phone book and dialer. With this application, users will be able to group contacts, both into built-in groups and into those created independently, add phone numbers to speed dial, backup the entire phone book, etc.

As for the telephone part, everything is relatively standard. The developers didn't try to be too clever. The most interesting feature of the “dialer” is the various themes that can be downloaded and installed from the settings.

Appeared in Google Play for quite some time now. Since then, many interesting features have appeared in it, which over time migrated to other similar applications. However, this does not make this program worse. GOContacts remains the same convenient, functional and free alternative dialer for Android.

Rocket Dial

It used to be part of the popular custom firmware called MIUI, but over time it eventually moved to the Google app store. And judging by the number of downloads and positive feedback, this dialer/address book was liked by a huge number of users.

As usual, MIUI programs not only have a nice interface, but also have many additional functions. And this was no exception. This application has smart contact filtering (you can search by word, sound, or use a hybrid filter) and call history grouping.

If desired, users will be able to enable landscape mode or add several new features using special plugins. There are not many extensions available on Google Play, but they can still add some interesting features. For example, with ConnectVibrate, the application will notify the user when a call is connected or disconnected using a vibration signal.

The developers didn’t forget about the themes. By the way, there are not very many of them either. But in most cases they look very neat and beautiful. I advise you to try before buying free version, which will work for 7 days.

ExDialer ExDialer PRO Key

is a functional dialer created by Russian developers. It is for this reason that all shortcomings and errors, as well as requests coming from users, are considered and resolved very quickly.

This “dialer” has a simple and intuitive interface, thanks to which it works very smoothly and quickly. The developers also note that for each device, all interface elements are carefully drawn. However, despite the ease of use of the application, it boasts an impressive range of functions.

As with other “dialers”, the developers paid a lot of attention to the phone book. There is a smart search in different fields, and this applies not only to contacts, but also to call history. Users can also easily move contacts between groups, add them to favorites, send information via email or SMS, etc.

It's nice that the developers didn't forget about gestures. Of course, there are not as many of them as, for example, in Rocket Dial, but with their help you can hide the keyboard, cancel input, or clear a filter.

If you have any questions with the developer, you can chat on the 4PDA forum in a special topic.

Although many components of Android improve with each new release of this OS, there is one element built into almost all Android smartphones that has hardly been updated since the first version. What’s most amazing is that every device owner uses it. As you probably guessed, we are talking about the “dialer” or “dialer” interface. Fortunately, in Android Market you can easily find more functional alternatives.

Dialer One

FunctionalityDesignConvenience

The program comes pre-installed with several design options to choose from; in addition, you can color it to match the color of your desktop.

Perhaps this is the most functional application today, as eloquently evidenced by the number of its installations from the Android Market - about a million. In addition to the standard options - dialer, history, address book - it is worth noting the fully customizable T9 in the selection of contacts (multiple languages, search by names, numbers, sorting conditions, etc.), as well as speed dialing (calling specified subscribers by long pressing each numbers, present in all old phones and for some reason disappeared in modern smartphones). A special menu that opens when you long press a contact is also very convenient.

We especially highlight the rich functionality for working with numbers - you can send them by email, SMS or through any other application (for example, create a QR code from them), copy to the clipboard, edit before calling, add to “Speed ​​Dial” or create with them events on the calendar.

In the program itself, absolutely everything is configured - there are as many as 7 submenus for this. From interesting features available:

• advanced search – the application will search by additional criteria (for example, by the “organization” field) if nothing is found by name/number;
• number formatting, allowing you to customize the display that is convenient for you (for example, ХХХ-ХХХХХХХ or ХХХ-ХХХ-ХХ-ХХ);
• “Create Contact” dialog – the program itself will offer to add a contact to the address book when there is an incoming call from an unknown phone number;
• adding an event to the calendar - immediately after a conversation, you can automatically schedule a meeting with this subscriber;
• inserting a prefix when you long press a contact (for example, if you have a cheap way to call abroad using a special code).

IN latest version Dialer One for users from the CIS countries has now integrated with the Yandex.Maps service - now, if something is not found in your address book, you can redirect the search there.

As a result, in Dialer One we have the most functional this moment a program that is inferior to others only in design and lack of theme support.

GO Contacts EX

FunctionalityDesignConvenience

Despite the fact that this program appeared much later than Dialer One, it has already managed to overtake it in popularity. Let's try to figure out what caused it. First of all, GO Contacts EX stands out with its support for removable themes, and more. If speak about standard form dialer, the neater and smaller font in the contacts immediately catches your eye (thanks to which more characters fit on the screen plus the source indication itc_drupal_Facebook, Google). There is a quick call. The application is completely Russified, but it is clear that this is an initiative of enthusiasts - every now and then you come across translation inaccuracies. So, one of the menu items is called “Delete”, but what exactly needs to be deleted is not specified. Also, unlike Dialer One, there is a slight awkwardness of the menu and settings - for example, the same “Speed ​​Dial” is present in two menu items at once. It is worth noting the convenient interface for working with groups and the nice display of “Favorites”. But the menu for actions with a contact is much poorer than the similar one in Dialer One.

To summarize, we can draw the following conclusion. Although this program has quite a few settings, and in terms of functionality it is noticeably inferior to Dialer One, thanks to its prettier design and support for themes, GO Contacts EX is currently No. 1 in popularity - apparently attractive appearance For most users, an abundance of options and logical menu organization are more important.

TouchPal Dialer

FunctionalityDesignConvenience

Another popular calling application. Minimum settings, maximum convenience, attractive design. The program even successfully searches for Russian contacts, although the Cyrillic alphabet cannot be installed on the keyboard. Also interesting is the number verification function, which allows you to find out which country a particular phone belongs to. The display of the contacts window is nicely designed, in which they can easily be assigned to different groups and assigned ringtones. From here you can block all calls from a particular subscriber. The second tab in the menu will show the entire history of calls, their direction and duration. The service keys (* and #) provide options for quickly accessing the SMS application and settings. A very unusual functionality allows you to remove certain program settings if suddenly they seem unnecessary to you: for example, disable access to the list of blocked subscribers or call history. When dialing numbers and storing them in the address book, you can insert a pause - for example, to dial automatic services in which you first need to hear a greeting. Another convenient detail: if you have all the phones in your address book in national format (for example, 050 or 067), the program itself will add the country prefix (+38) when you are roaming. For decoration, you can choose one of two themes – Sparkling Black (shiny black) and Pearl White (pearl white). There is also a separate function for calling over the Internet (VOIP), but, unfortunately, it is only relevant for China.

Typically, an application for making calls in various models of devices running on operating system Android looks completely identical and offers users the minimum necessary functionality, which is not always enough.

Luckily you can replace system application, using the so-called “dialers” in common parlance - third-party applications and software shells for the Android OS that offer users a different appearance and advanced functionality.

However, if you do the basic search query, you will understand that there are a whole sea of ​​similar “dialers”. A completely logical question arises: which one of them should you use? In today's article we will try to answer this really difficult question.

Before moving on to a detailed consideration of each of our chosen third party application for calls, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with their main characteristics. Perhaps this will be enough for you to decide on the choice of the most suitable “dialer” for you.

RocketDialDialer & Contacts

• High personalization possibilities.
• There is no contact database.

2GIS Dialer

• Free software.
• Lots of gestures to control the application.
• There is a contact database for organizations and companies.

ExDialer

• Two versions of the program: free and paid for 230 rubles.
• Extremely present limited opportunities personalization.
• Simple user interface.
• Quite high stability of the application.

PixelPhone

• Two versions of the program: free and paid for 189 rubles.
• There are limited personalization options.
• There are no gestures to control the application.
• Quite a complicated user interface.
• It is possible to create a contact database.
• Very high stability of the application.

• Free software.
• Low personalization options.
• There are no gestures to control the application.
• Quite a complicated user interface.
• It is possible to create a contact database based on data from social networks.
• High stability of the application.

True Caller

• Free software.
• Low personalization options.
• There are no gestures to control the application.
• Simple user interface.
• There is a search for a contact database on the network.
• The stability of the application depends solely on the model of your device.

Frank's Friends

• Free software.
• Low personalization options.
• There are no gestures to control the application.
• Quite a complicated user interface.
• There is no contact database.
• The stability of the application depends solely on the model of your device.

Having familiarized yourself with the main characteristics of third-party “dialers”, you might already understand what you need. However, if you want to learn more about each of the above programs, then continue reading our material.

RocketDialDialer & Contacts

Perhaps the biggest difference between RocketDialDialer & Contacts and other software shells is that the developers paid a lot of attention to gesture control in their application. You can use gestures for many functions, which would seem like a definite plus, but some users who are not used to this type of control may find it overkill. Among other things, users have the opportunity to create black lists for not the most pleasant individuals, there is full screen mode for a photo of the caller and so on.

RocketDialDialer & Contacts is completely free software, which is good news. I would also like to note the perfectly optimized contact book, which will definitely please you, especially if you use or have previously used Android 5.0. Of course, this application also supports such trivial things as writing an SMS message, sending messages through various instant messengers, the ability to create groups and add certain contacts to favorites lists, and so on.

Pros:

• Thanks to the developers' focus on gesture control, you will be able to move and perform various actions in this “dialer” extremely quickly.
• Many extensions and plugins have been developed for RocketDialDialer & Contacts that will allow you to customize the application to your tastes and expand its functionality.
• The developers have tried to optimize their application to work with the Swype keyboard.

Minuses:

• Having a variety of gestures can make life easier for some users and much more difficult for others.
• Additional skins are available for RocketDialDialer & Contacts to help personalize the application to the user's tastes. However, these skins are not free.
• The application interface is not particularly simple: the presence of available buttons and functions can confuse and tire the user, and in some cases, block the user from quickly moving through the application.

2GIS Dialer

Like the previous application on our list, 2GIS Dialer is absolutely free program, which also has many interesting and useful features. If you didn't know, 2GIS is a mapping company and it primarily creates maps that show the locations of organizations and institutions.

In this regard, in 2GIS Dialer, the developers decided to focus on this: from the very beginning, in the application you can find a fairly extensive list of numbers of various companies, organizations and institutions, which means that you do not have to download any add-ons for the application.

Pros:

• The user interface of the 2GIS Dialer application is designed in an extremely simple and clear manner, so it will not cause problems for most users.
• The developers were able to do quite a lot in the application complex system Gesture controls.

Minuses:

• To obtain full access to the functionality of the application, you will need to maintain a constant Internet connection.
• Unfortunately, the 2GIS Dialer application can consume quite a lot of system resources to operate.
• The application may have problems running on low-performance devices.

ExDialer

The developer behind the ExDialer app is Modoonut. The application is distributed in two versions: free and paid. The paid version of ExDialer will cost you 230 rubles. In addition to the ability to make calls to various mobile numbers, you can also connect with account holders Skype recordings, What's up and Telegram.

This “dialer” has a simplified user interface, the management of which can be simplified even further thanks to the large number shortcut keys, which will definitely come in handy in your contact book. Also, do not forget about the possibility of personalizing the ExDialer application to suit your tastes. However, personalization is limited only to the appearance of the application, unfortunately.

Pros:

• The application has an extensive set of features and a simplified yet stylish user interface.
• You can make calls and send text messages.
• As for messages, the application has the excellent T9, which has more than thirty languages ​​at its disposal.

Minuses:

• Unfortunately, the free version of the ExDialer app only remains free for seven days. Once seven days have passed, a window will continually appear in front of you in which the developers ask you to buy the paid version of the application, although you can still use the application itself.
• Extremely limited options for personalizing the appearance and functionality of the application.
• Despite the initial hints, you will often find yourself not remembering some of the shortcut keys and not knowing what certain functions do.

PixelPhone

Unlike other applications discussed in this list, PixelPhone is not a simple “dialer” with which you can call and send messages to people, but a real messenger. There are two versions of this program: free and paid, which will cost you 189 rubles. The developers have created a fairly simple user interface for PixelPhone, however, it will be a little more complex than the previous program on our list.

It is also worth mentioning the excellent work of the developers in optimizing the application: PixelPhone manages to function properly on both new and old, low-performance devices. Among other things, PixelPhone is also able to easily work not only on smartphones, but also on many tablets. As for functionality, PixelPhone is okay with it, but, again, the previous program on the list is a little better in this aspect.

Pros:

• The application has extremely high compatibility with many smartphones and tablets, and is also quite stable.
• None of the dialers on this list can work with two SIM cards, but PixelPhone can.
• The paid version of the program will cost you only 189 rubles, which, if you think about it, is not that expensive for software.

Minuses:

• The user interface may seem overly busy and unintuitive.
• The number of available features and personalization options is disappointing.
• Despite the free version of the application, after a certain period of time the user is faced with an extremely persistent request to purchase full version BY.

Dialer+

I would immediately like to note the main advantage of Dialer+: the application is completely free for everyone. To the rest positive aspects This application has a rather stylish graphic design and rich functionality: the ability to compile a database through social networks, notifications about birthdays in linked in social networks, different sorting of available contacts and much more.

Pros:

• Dialer+ has extremely high compatibility with many Android devices, and its stability will please you.
• It's quite nice to know that you can get full access to the app and its feature set completely free of charge.
• The user has the opportunity to create widgets on the home screen that will simplify the process of calling subscribers from the contact book.

Minuses:

• Dialer+ has all the features that most users need, however, its functionality is not as rich as other programs on this list.
• Quite a small number of application customization options.
• The user interface is not particularly simple and may be difficult to navigate for some.

True Caller

It is worth noting that the True Caller program from a company with the exact same name is significantly different from all the programs presented in this list in terms of the functionality offered to the user. It is safe to say that True Caller is quite similar to the 2GIS program, however, True Caller is able to provide information not only about institutions or companies, but also about certain people. Another interesting feature of this software is that it collects information from the Internet, which allows it to display the details of a caller with a number unknown to you. Extremely convenient, however it only works if the caller has used their number somewhere on the Internet.

Pros:

• The program allows users to get information about a caller with an unknown number, as well as the ability to find information on an unknown number before making an outgoing call.
• Despite the presence of many features in the application, using them will not cause any problems for users.

Minuses:

• Unfortunately, you can only get full access to all functions in the application if you have access to the Internet. Moreover, the connection must be high-speed and fairly stable.
• If you are trying to use True Caller through mobile network, then searching for information on a particular number will take about twenty seconds, which is not so little.
• The True Caller application must be launched manually after turning on your smartphone and only then it will start working in background- This application does not have auto-loading.
• It's also disappointing that you won't be able to make calls to people in your contact book through True Caller. To be able to do this, you will need to download the True Dialer app.

Frank's Friends

Frank’s Friends is a rather interesting “dialer”, since in addition to the expected call function, it has the function of analyzing incoming/outgoing calls, as well as the entire contact book. Among other things, the Frank’s Friends application can save certain information about calls, SMS messages, contacts and the like. After saving the information, the application will also create useful statistics that the user can review. Well, don’t forget about the function of warning certain subscribers in your contact book about changing your mobile phone.

Pros:

• The developers managed to optimize Frank’s Friends well for many Android devices.
• You will be pleasantly surprised by the statistics compiled by the application on collected information from your smartphone.
• Many users who want to use this program mainly for making calls, will please a large number of functions that are centered around calls.

Minuses:

• Unfortunately, you will be able to interact through the Frank’s Friends program only with those users who have exactly the same program installed on their phones.
• Despite the program's focus on making calls and contact book, the number of available functions in this area leaves little to be desired.
• Frank's Friends has fairly low personalization options. So low that you won’t even be able to change the visual design of the application.

Conclusion

Which program should you use? Okay, let's try to figure it out. If making calls is your priority but you only have a weak smartphone, then you should definitely avoid apps like 2GIS Dialer, True Caller and Frank's Friends. In turn, the RocketDialDialer & Contacts application is perfect for people who often make phone calls. However, do not forget that this application consumes a lot of system resources.

For users who do a lot of work over the phone, we recommend using applications such as True Caller and Frank’s Friends: they will help you track and evaluate the work done, which can be useful for many office workers in various positions, for example, managers.

So what about the paid options on this list? Are they better than their free counterparts and is it worth buying them? Frankly, some paid programs may be no better, or even worse, than free options. When choosing a “dialer”, you should start only from your needs. Perhaps a free program can meet all your needs.

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Not all users like the standard form of the phone book interface in smartphones. Some people are not satisfied with the boring appearance, others with limited functionality. A diverse world of applications on Android platform allows you to select an individual “dialer” that will satisfy every user, even the most selective and picky.

Drupe It is attractive, first of all, because it combines in one program window a contact book of telephone numbers, perhaps with all known instant messengers. Two swipes add convenience - to call or write to a contact, just drag the icon of the selected interlocutor to the icon desired application. With Drupe, you don't need to keep multiple programs running. You can write to a colleague on Facebook, reply to a friend on WhatsApp, or stay in touch with your boss or loved ones on Skype with just one active application.

The appearance of 2GIS Dialer is as simple as possible and not overloaded with “decorations”, so the application is not much different from a standard Android dialer. Supports swipe operation with transition to several “working” zones and two SIM cards. In addition, the program can analyze the most popular contacts, taking into account frequently dialed numbers and scheduled meetings in the calendar.