The largest second for Google Messages in 2024 was when the iPhone gained RCS assist with iOS 18 in September. By way of new options, there have been some highlights however the largest one — a redesign of the textual content area — was caught in limbo. There are fairly a number of large additions within the pipeline. 

Verizon switched to Google’s Jibe for RCS on Android, and its Message+ app is now not accessible. Equally, Samsung is transferring customers to the Google shopper. Below-the-hood, Google is engaged on RCS encryption between Android and iPhone. 

In January, Google Messages broadly rolled out a redesign of the textual content area. Left-aligned, this pill-shaped container began with the Emoji button adopted by Magic Compose, Gallery, and the ‘Plus’ menu. Voice memo seems individually on the fitting, and turns into the ship button after textual content is entered. Notably, this UI expanded into two traces, with textual content showing above and all of the buttons beneath.

I used to be personally positive with this design since it might let the app add extra options as wanted, however sufficient folks hated it that Google began engaged on a consolidated variant.

The primary single-line textual content area began seeing a large rollout in Could. The untouched state didn’t change, however Gallery and Magic Compose disappeared once you began typing. Emoji and the Plus stay on the perimeters for a narrower textual content area.

In the direction of the center of 2024, Google pulled that design and most went again to the right-aligned area (which does make extra thematic sense). Nevertheless, the three side-by-side buttons for Plus, Gallery, and Magic Compose shrunk the textual content area an excessive amount of, whilst you nonetheless had Emoji and Voice on the proper. 

In December, Google began testing one other left-aligned area the place the Plus menu seems first for consistency. That is adopted by Magic Compose, Emoji, and Gallery. While you kind, Emoji strikes to the right-most place. This design continues to be simply within the beta channel, however hopefully Google proceeds with this look.

On a associated be aware, in November, Google examined transferring Magic Compose out of the textual content area and into the row of reply options. This can be a nice concept that the app ought to launch to release the textual content area.

Twin SIM RCS assist began showing and isn’t but broadly rolling out.

The Gallery seems set to get a giant redesign that merges the dwell viewfinder together with your digicam roll. When taking a brand new picture or video, you’ll all the time see 3-6 current pictures with a swipe up revealing all the things. After capturing, you may “Write a caption” earlier than sending on the brand new preview display.

With this new interface, you have got two media high quality choices when sending:

• Optimize for chat: Ship high quality media sooner, makes use of much less information — “HD”
• Authentic high quality: Sends at full decision — “HD+”

One other large change being examined is a redesign of Learn receipts. This isn’t but broadly rolled out and follows the final one in early 2023.

By way of options that really launched in 2024, the most important can be RCS message enhancing providing you with quarter-hour to make a change after sending.

Customized Bubbles allow you to theme conversations (together with the background), whereas Photomoji is a sticker and response creator. Different expressive options this 12 months included fullscreen Display screen Results when kind sure phrases and Response Results for message, with the choice to disable all of them, together with Animated Emoji, in Settings. In the meantime, Google Messages switched to a customized digicam with options like face filters and 3-second Selfie GIFs.  

The Magic Rewrite side of Magic Compose that tweaks one thing you’ve already written is now accessible from the ‘Plus’ menu. On supported gadgets, Magic Compose leverages on-device Gemini Nano.

The voice recorder now opens as a devoted panel with giant controls that imply you don’t have to carry all the way down to seize audio (although the choice stays). There’s additionally noise cancellation. In the meantime, Voice Moods visually theme the audio waveform with emoji so that you could “hear your phrases together with a visible impact that expresses the way you’re feeling at that second.”

Profile sharing (beforehand known as “Profile discovery”) enables you to set who can see your identify and movie with three choices: Individuals you message, Solely your contacts, or Nobody. Different folks can change your identify on their machine, however not the avatar image. This seems on app launch as a display you can not keep away from, whilst you can entry it once more from “Your profile.”

Gemini got here to Messages this 12 months with Google selecting a small FAB above the “Begin chat” button. You’ll be able to flip it off in Settings > Gemini in Messages. Showing like a daily dialog, you may add photos and entry Gemini Extensions. 

Google Messages bought a brand new Contact Particulars web page, whilst you can faucet on profile photos from the homepage to get a bigger model. 

As a substitute of a pop-up known as “Choose dialog,” you get a fullscreen “Choose recipients” UI with “Current conversations” listed first. You then get the complete listing of contacts.

On the Pixel 9 collection, Google “totally maintains the dialog construction, media, audio, reactions, favorites, and all the opposite dialog metadata” of RCS as a substitute of changing to SMS/MMS.” This “carbon copy” is the case for transfers completed over Wi-Fi or USB-C cable.