[Update: Fixed] PSA: Google Messages Beta v4.7 crashes immediately on startup

Ben Schoon | Jul 12 2019 - 8:35 am PT

Google Messages just got an official beta program late last week, but no updates were delivered right off the bat. Today, Google Messages v4.7 has been released to beta testers, but you should avoid installing it because it crashes on startup.

If you signed up for the Google Messages beta last week, an update should have hit your device sometime in the past few hours via Google Play. That update brought the app version to 4.7, and it was the first update to roll out as part of the new beta track.

Update 7/12: Google is now rolling out version 4.7.052 via the Play Store for beta users. This version fixes the crashing issue and seems to run as expected as we’ve confirmed on our own devices. Google has also re-opened beta enrollment now that this version is available.

However, we’ve noticed on our own devices and received a tip from users internationally that this update causes the app to crash immediately on startup. Reddit and Twitter users see the same issue with this latest version, and it doesn’t seem to be device dependent either.

Whatever the cause of this problem may be, it’s safe to say that you should avoid this update at all costs. Either block Play Store updates or un-enroll from the beta program until things get fixed up. If you’ve already installed Google Messages v4.7 and your app is crashing, head to the Play Store and find the “leave” option for the beta program which will automatically roll you back to the latest public version.

If you’ve already installed the crashing Google Messages 4.7 beta, leave the program via the Play Store

The reason why the first Messages beta (4.7.052) is crashing is simply because there's a missing class.

The class "BugleOpenBeta_Application" should be in the package "release", but it doesn't exists. pic.twitter.com/NhVSyzKhbE

— Dylan Roussel (@evowizz) July 12, 2019