Google rolling out fix for Messages on Pixel phones with Android 14 [U]

Abner Li | May 3 2023 - 4:38 pm PT

While Android 14 Beta 1.1 from last week should alleviate some issues, a different bug with the latest beta version of Google Messages has emerged today that makes the RCS client unusable.

Update 5/3: Version messages.android_20230502_01_RCO1.phone.openbeta_dynamic is rolling out today to the beta channel with a fix for the issues. It’s now safe to update via the Play Store with this new release widely rolling out.

Original 5/2: Released today, version “20230428_01_RC00″ causes the app to crash repeatedly and refuse to open if your Pixel phone has the light theme enabled.

Bizarrely, the app will launch with the dark system theme to show your latest conversation, but tapping crashes the app immediately. There’s a weird gray background and hard-to-read black text on our Pixel 7 Pro.

For those impacted, go to App info (by long-pressing the Messages icon on your homescreen) and tap the overflow menu in the top-right corner to “Uninstall updates.” The app will be usable again afterward, but there might be some initial issues related to using an older release of Messages. Additionally, you could leave the app’s beta program (or do so via the Play Store listing) and then update to the latest stable release.

Given the severity of this issue, Google should release an update to Messages soon that addresses this issue for Android 14 Beta users. We’re not seeing any problems on Pixel phones running Android 13 with the same release.