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How to Install the New KitKat 4.4.3 Dialer on Your HTC One

Jun 20, 2014 12:40 AM

Jun 20, 2014 09:42 PM

Mobile phone interface showing dialer with keypad on a wooden surface.

Having an open-source platform like Android is great, allowing manufacturers and developers the ability to make their own skins and apps to truly customize the end-user experience. The only downside is that when an update comes to vanilla Android, many of us are left in the cold, unless you have a Google Play Edition HTC One.

Google recently updated its official Dialer app with their Android 4.4.3 update, and with it came a new blue theme, along with the already present location search. Usually we would have to wait until Google published it through the Play Store, but I'm not the patient type, so let's install it ourselves.

Prerequisites

Rooted HTC One (M7 or M8) or any other Android 4.4.2+ device.
A file explorer with root capabilities (like ES File Explorer).
QuickShortcutMaker, or any other app that can create activity shortcuts.
Installation from "Unknown sources" enabled.

Download the Dialer App

To get started, we will first need to download the Dialer APK, so hit the link below on your device to download it directly.

com.google.android.dialer-1.1.apk

Download complete notification on an Android device.

Installing the APK

Before installing the Dialer through the normal package installer, you will need to push it to the priv-app folder. So open up your file explorer and move com.google.android.dialer-1.1.apk to System/priv-app/. You will also need to change its permissions to rw-r-r by selecting the .apk and editing the properties.

Permission settings menu on a mobile device.

Google Dialer update prompt with options to cancel or install.

Once you've changed the permissions, hit refresh, then tap the app to install it like any other. After it's installed, reboot your One.

Creating a Home Screen Icon

Normally we would be done, but in this case, we have one more thing to do. You may have noticed that after the install, there was no Phone icon placed in your app drawer—this is where QuickShortcutMaker comes in. With it, we will make a home screen shortcut to the Dialer and bypass the need for an app drawer icon.

Open the app and select Google Dialer from the Activities section.

How to Install the New KitKat 4.4.3 Dialer on Your HTC One

Mobile interface displaying Google Dialer app with options to make calls and access app information.

From the drop-down menu, select the icon that has com.google.android.dialer/com/android.dialer.DialtactsActivity next to it, then tap Create to make your shortcut.

Smartphone home screen displaying time, weather, and app shortcuts.

Dial pad interface with numbers 0-9 and other call options.

Now you're good to go. The dialer will still not have an app drawer icon, but you will be able to launch it from your home screen. Now, hit the three-dot menu button on the bottom right-hand side, and make sure that the toggles for Caller ID by Google and Nearby places are flipped to "On".

Settings menu for location services in a mobile application.

Search results on a mobile device showing contacts and options for calling and adding a contact.

After that, you'll see caller ID information pulled from Google for unknown numbers, and will be able to search for business numbers simply by typing in their name.

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