Google Messages
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With every app change, learning new icons and tools is an adjustment period. The Google Messages app is going through that now, changing up what a sent, delivered, and read message icon looks like. Here’s how to read those icons to know what your RCS message is doing.
Expand Expanding CloseSince last year’s “Get the Message” advertising campaign online and in New York City, awareness of Rich Communication Services (RCS) is growing more mainstream. Google is now making RCS even more consumer-facing by prominently surfacing the name of the standard — a brand, of sorts — in Messages for Android.
Expand Expanding CloseLast year we saw the Google Messages icon design change into something new. Even though that change was around three months ago, users are just now seeing the notification icon for Google Messages reflect the new design.
Expand Expanding CloseBack in November, Google Messages started testing the ability to react with any emoji, and it’s now getting wider availability.
Expand Expanding CloseIn recent months, Android’s Messages app quietly lost its Google Assistant integration. However, Google Messages might be replacing that functionality with something called “Spotlights.”
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle recently finished rolling out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for group chats in beta, but the Messages capability currently has a 21-person limit.
Expand Expanding CloseThere’s absolutely no reason anyone needs just to accept random spam texts or otherwise uninvited messages. This guide will take you through how to block a number in Google Messages on your Android device.
Expand Expanding CloseStarting today, Google is rolling out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in group chats for Messages users enrolled in the beta program.
Expand Expanding CloseBack in September, Google started updating the account switcher found in the top-right corner of all its Android apps, and it’s now getting more Material You and Dynamic Color.
Expand Expanding CloseBack in September of 2021, Gmail gained a new “Google Illustrations” tool that lets you create a custom profile pic, and it’s now available in Google Contacts.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Messages is absolutely rich with features. The RCS app’s selection of settings makes it a fantastic default messaging app for the Google Pixel or any Android phone. This guide will take you through everything we think you should set up in Google Messages on your Android device.
Expand Expanding CloseIn addition to a slew of other announcements in October, Google shared that group end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in Messages would start rolling out by year’s end. Ahead of that, some uses are seeing how Google Messages will note E2E encryption status in group chats.
Expand Expanding CloseIn addition to an updated icon, Google Messages has a new “sent” sound that more people are now encountering on Android.
Expand Expanding CloseAfter testing new delivered/read indicators and a photo picker redesign, Google Messages is beginning to roll out full emoji reactions for some users.
Expand Expanding CloseIn addition to introducing a handful of Messages features, Google is rolling out new icons for the SMS/RCS app, as well as Phone and Contacts.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle previewed that a number of new features are coming to Messages last month, but one that didn’t get highlighted is a new photo picker that’s starting to appear for some users.
Expand Expanding CloseIt’s been just over a week since Google announced new icons for its communications apps on Android. The new Google Messages icon is now available on the web with a rather nice animated splash screen.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Messages is the vehicle that drives the RCS chat experience for millions of Android users around the world, but that experience still isn’t completely done. After bringing end-to-end encryption, Google Messages still needs to support E2EE to group chats over RCS, and it seems that’s starting to show up.
Expand Expanding CloseAfter rolling out a new icon and previewing several upcoming features last week, Google Messages is now testing new delivered and read status indicators.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle is rolling out a handful of new features for Messages today to make the core experience more convenient, like a YouTube PiP. This follows a similar set of announcements back in March.
Expand Expanding CloseOne of the most common UI components across first-party Google apps is the account switcher, and it’s picking up more Material You elements.
Expand Expanding CloseIn Google Messages, you can send reactions to received messages with a selection of emoji, no matter who texted you. This guide will quickly show you how to react to messages.
Expand Expanding CloseA day after it emerged that Apple is taking credit for Google adding iMessage reactions on Android, the Messages app is beginning to roll out the ability to leave reactions on SMS texts, which is already possible with RCS.
Expand Expanding CloseBefore Google’s “Get The Message” campaign in August, Android’s Messages app was updated with iMessage reactions at the start of this year. In a very weird turn of events, Apple appears to be taking credit for Google adding iMessage reactions on Android.
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