Google Messages features currently being tested or rolled out include a redesigned attachment picker, more flexible message actions, chat themes and a new Google Keep integration, as the Android messaging app continues to expand its RCS functionality.
Google often trials changes with a limited number of users before making them available more widely, meaning the latest additions may not appear on every Android phone at the same time.
Google Messages features still in beta
One of the most visible experiments is a customisable attachments grid. Google is testing two layouts, including a larger version that takes up more of the screen when users choose photographs or other files to send.
The app is also moving towards a more modern way of handling messages. Long-pressing a message or image can bring up a floating menu over a blurred background, while users can select and copy only part of a conversation rather than copying the entire message.
Further changes are being tested for read receipts. Google has largely returned to the familiar two-circle indicators beneath messages after trialling a single circle inside the message bubble. In another version, the existing icons remain, while swiping left reveals the time and encryption information and swiping right allows a direct reply.
A separate read-receipts design places the status inside a circle at the lower-right of message bubbles and images. That arrangement, first seen in testing in 2024, is now appearing more widely in beta and stable versions.
Messages for web is also being prepared for a change to its sign-in process. Google plans to move away from QR-code pairing and require users to sign in with their Google Account, although QR pairing remains available for some users.
Android-to-iPhone conversations could gain further improvements when Apple releases iOS 27. RCS chats are expected to support quoted inline replies and photo reactions using the actual emoji, rather than displaying a text description. The functionality is currently being tested.
Google Messages begins rolling out Keep integration
Among the additions reaching stable users is an integration with Google Keep, which allows people to create and share notes from inside a conversation. A contextual “Create list” suggestion may appear, while a new “Keep Notes” tile can be found in the plus menu for users who do not see the prompt.
The tool opens a panel containing existing notes and an option to create a new one. Once a note has been selected or written, it can be sent into the conversation, where recipients see a live preview. Google is still distributing the feature gradually.
Google Messages is also replacing its earlier “Change colours” setting with a broader “Chat theme” option. It can be opened from the three-dot menu and changes the appearance of a conversation on the user’s own device; the selected design is not shared with other participants.
The themes include nine colour choices, with Dynamic Colour adapting to the chat’s background. Users can also choose a wallpaper, upload their own image or select from collections covering subjects including animals, architecture, landscapes, space and sunsets.
In the US, Samsung is directing users away from Samsung Messages and towards Google Messages. On devices running Android 14 or later, Google’s app can automatically be moved to the home-screen dock after the switch.
