Google Messages adds contact photos to conversation threads

Abner Li | Mar 17 2023 - 1:38 pm PT

After bigger changes to “RCS” branding and read receipt icons in recent weeks, Google Messages for Android is adding a contact’s profile photo to the top of conversations.

Messages has always let you tap a person’s name in the app bar to open Google Contacts. Now, Google is emphasizing that shortcut by showing their profile pictures as well. This is the same image that appears in the main list of conversations, while tapping the space in group conversations opens that details page.

This look matches other apps, with Facebook Messenger and Telegram showing avatars in the same left position, while iMessage centers it. It’s a straightforward enough tweak that might save you from going back to the main conversation list.

As part of this change, the magnifying glass icon has been removed and “Search” has been added to the overflow menu, which is getting a bit long.

We’re seeing these contact photos with version 20230313_01_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic of Google Messages.