11 hidden Google Messages options, ideas, and tips

Google Messages is the default SMS and messaging possibility on many Android phones. If it isn’t on the telephone by default, it is shortly downloadable from the Google Play Retailer. It not solely presents you with a clear, unobtrusive UI for sending messages however features a library of elective options that may make gentle work of your messaging wants.

A number of people have certainly gravitated towards apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and even Discord for some people. Nevertheless, SMS remains to be the default for a cause, and it is one that everybody has entry to with only a telephone quantity. So, it is nonetheless value giving Google Messages a attempt to listed here are some neat ideas and tips to make your expertise higher.

Associated

How to use AI-based Magic Compose in Google Messages

Magic Compose is a brand new Google Messages function that makes use of AI language modeling to boost your texts, and it is in open beta testing proper now.

1 Allow RCS messaging

Ship your texts over information as an alternative of over SMS

Joe Hindy / Pocket-lint

From the principle display in Messages, faucet your profile icon on the proper facet of your telephone and choose Messages settings. From there, faucet RCS chats and tick the Activate RCS chats possibility. There are additionally a number of further choices like learn receipts, typing indicators, and different choices. Anybody desirous to migrate to Google Messages ought to use RCS chat because it’s one of many app’s greatest options.

RCS chats, to place it merely, ship your texts over information as an alternative of over SMS. Thus, you now not have the 160-character restrict or the MMS dimension limitations. You can too react to messages like you’ll be able to in iMessage and also you get entry to further options you do not see in SMS. Plus, with iMessage adopting RCS, it behooves you to get used to the function.

2 Confirm your end-to-end encryption

Examine for this on a chat-by-chat foundation as effectively

Joe Hindy / Pocket-lint

One of many principal advantages of RCS on Google Messages is end-to-end encryption. So long as you and your textual content recipient are each on Google Messages and RCS, your chats might be end-to-end encrypted. You’ll be able to test for this on a chat-by-chat foundation as effectively.

Open any chat you are interested by and faucet the 3-dot menu icon within the high proper nook of your chat. Choose Particulars. On that display, you will see the end-to-end encryption part. If it says Standing: On, congratulations, your chat is encrypted. If it says off, then it is not. There are additionally another choices like power sending messages with SMS/MMS as an alternative of RCS should you desire. Nevertheless, this may disengage encryption.

3 Allow or disable chat bubbles

Rapidly faucet the bubble to open up the chat

Joe Hindy / Pocket-lint

Fb Messenger launched the chat bubbles operate a few years in the past, and it will definitely turned a regular function on Android. Messages helps chat bubbles, and you may allow it fairly shortly. From the principle Messages display, faucet your profile image and choose Messages settings. Within the subsequent menu, faucet Bubbles. From right here, you’ll be able to choose to show your whole chats into bubbles or solely those you choose.

When enabled, Chat bubbles will present up as, effectively, bubbles on the facet of your display. You’ll be able to shortly faucet the bubble to open up the chat and reply. This can be a little bit of a polarizing function, as many people don’t love having additional stuff on their display. Thus, if you wish to flip it off, comply with the directions above and easily flip it off.

4 Ship pictures in full decision

Images will take a bit longer to ship

Joe Hindy / Pocket-lint

By default, Google Messages reduces the picture high quality of belongings you ship in order that they ship quicker. If you happen to do not thoughts an extended ship time, you’ll be able to ship your photographs in full decision. To take action, we’ll as soon as once more head to the principle Messages web page, faucet your profile image, after which choose Messages settings. As soon as there, discover the Ship pictures quicker possibility and untick the choice.

Your pictures will take a bit longer to ship, however the recipient will get the full-size image as an alternative of 1 with diminished high quality. If you happen to discover that your photographs are taking means too lengthy to ship, you’ll be able to at all times head again into the settings and reverse the change to ship quicker photographs once more.

5 Make use of the Suggestion options

Work smarter, not more durable

Joe Hindy / Pocket-lint

Google is working to make its apps smarter on a regular basis. One such instance is Suggestion options. To seek out these, head to the house web page of Messages, faucet your profile image and choose Messages settings. Scroll down till you discover the Ideas possibility and choose it. From right here you could have 4 choices that we’ll run by means of shortly.

1. Good Reply – Suggests fast replies when somebody texts you. It is helpful if you wish to acknowledge one thing somebody stated however you do not have the time to kind out a full message at that second.
2. Prompt actions – This selection integrates Google Messages with different Google apps, corresponding to Google Maps, Google Meet, and Google Calendar. So, for instance, if somebody needs to make plans with you subsequent week, Messages might recommend making a calendar occasion to remind you about it.
3. Magic Compose – Magic Compose is an AI-drive function that checks your message draft and provides alternate concepts for what you typed. It is in beta, however it does assist should you’re caught on what to say.
4. Prompt stickers – A extra enjoyable and fewer sensible function that may recommend emotive stickers based mostly on what you say. So, once I textual content my spouse “I like you”, it will present me an animated sticker of a bear blowing kisses. It is a good means so as to add some persona to your messages.

Every of the above choices is individually out there. Thus, if you need one or two of them, however not the entire batch, you’ll be able to allow and disable them as essential to customise your expertise.

6 Assign your swipe actions

Archive, delete, and mark a message

Joe Hindy / Pocket-lint

Swipe actions work fairly effectively in Google Messages while you get them arrange. By default, swiping a message on the principle web page left or proper sends it to the archives. Nevertheless, you might not need that, or you might have considered trying totally different swipe instructions. Altering it’s fairly straightforward.

As per the norm, head to the principle web page in Messages and faucet your profile image. Choose Messages settings and scroll down till you discover Swipe actions. As soon as chosen, you are introduced with the flexibility to customise your left and proper swipes. The choices embrace archive, delete, and mark a message as learn or unread. You can too flip the swipe features off if you do not need them.

I swipe proper to delete and swipe left to mark as learn. It is useful for shortly coping with texts that I do not intend to maintain long-term, corresponding to two-factor authentication texts or textual content updates about shipped packages after I obtain my supply. As soon as finished with them, I swipe them away so they do not clog up my inbox.

7 Use Google Messages in an online browser

Textual content out of your PC at no cost

Google / Pocket-lint

Google Messages is one among solely a few methods to textual content out of your PC at no cost. To do that, use the next steps.

1. Navigate to messages.google.com in your PC.
2. There are two strategies to attach your telephone. For this one, we’ll use the QR code because it would not require a Google account. Faucet the Pair with QR code possibility.
3. The web site will generate a QR code.
4. In your telephone, scan the QR code utilizing your digital camera app or a QR code scanner of some kind.
5. As soon as authenticated, the webpage will reload with your whole texts.
6. Word – If you wish to use your Google account to authenticate, it will present you an emoji on the web site. Faucet the corresponding emoji in Google Messages to attach.

As soon as finished, you’ll be able to safely and shortly textual content out of your net browser freed from cost. The good factor is that you simply solely must do the setup course of as soon as per gadget. As soon as it is arrange, you’ll be able to navigate to messages.google.com on the identical net browser to instantly load your messages once more.

8 Schedule a textual content to ship later in Google Messages

You might have 4 choices

Joe Hindy / Pocket-lint

The power to schedule texts is constructed into Messages by default, you simply have to know easy methods to entry it. Thankfully, you already know the place it’s. Open any chat and kind out the message you need to ship later. From there, lengthy press the ship button. A window will seem that may allow you to schedule the textual content.

You might have 4 choices. The primary three are predetermined occasions and the ultimate possibility enables you to choose your date and time. As soon as finished, merely ship the message. Google Messages will present that you’ve got a scheduled textual content on the backside of your textual content historical past to remind you that it is there.

To unschedule the textual content, faucet the place it says Scheduled messages to indicate the upcoming textual content. Faucet the ship icon to the proper of the textual content to replace the message, ship it instantly, or delete the message.

9 Save vital messages in Google Messages

Save, pin, or in any other case mark a message as vital

Joe Hindy / Pocket-lint

It’s doable to save lots of, pin, or in any other case mark a message as vital in Google Messages. To take action, discover the message you need to save. Faucet and maintain the message to pick it after which faucet the star icon on the high of the display to “star” the message. The message will present up with a star icon within the backside proper nook in your textual content to indicate that you simply did it efficiently.

To view your starred messages, open your chat with that individual and faucet the 3-dot menu icon. Choose the Starred choice to view the listing of messages. This works very equally to pinned messages in Discord, so you should use it to save lots of data you might want later.

To take away a star from a message, go to your starred messages and faucet on the message you need to un-star. When it is pulled up in your message feed, long-press the message and faucet the star icon alongside the highest once more to un-star the message.

10 Pin vital conversations in Google Messages

Will stay on the high of the listing

Joe Hindy / Pocket-lint

Very like particular person messages, you too can pin vital conversations to the highest of your message listing. Pinned conversations will stay on the high of the listing, even should you get textual content messages from different individuals. You’ll be able to pin a number of conversations as effectively to maintain your most vital contacts on the high.

The method is kind of straightforward. Merely long-press any dialog you need to pin. As soon as chosen, faucet the pin icon on the high of the display to pin it. Pinned conversations have a pin icon in the proper margin to let you realize which of them are pinned. To unpin a dialog, repeat the method once more verbatim and it will unpin the dialog.

Associated

Why Apple finally decided to adopt RCS on iPhone

The iPhone might be adopting RCS later this yr, however what took so lengthy to get right here? Plus, what variations are you able to count on?

11 Different Google Messages ideas and tips

Smaller options

Joe Hindy / Pocket-lint

Google Messages has a wide range of different, smaller options that may make your life slightly simpler when enabling them. We’ll rapid-fire by means of a number of of those smaller options under.

1. Auto-delete authentication codes – Faucet your profile image, then Messages settings. Scroll right down to Message group and choose it. Tip the field on. Now, any time a web site sends you a textual content for two-factor authentication, Google Messages will auto-delete them after 24 hours.
2. Voice or video name somebody from inside the chat – If you go into any chat, there’s a telephone icon and a video digital camera icon within the high proper nook. Tapping the previous will provoke a telephone name in your dialer and tapping the latter will provoke a video name by way of Google Meet. Word that each events must have Google Meet for video calls to work.
3. Assign per-conversation notification tones – Open the chat you need to customise and faucet the 3-dot menu button. Choose Particulars, then Notifications. On the subsequent display, you’ll be able to choose a customized notification sound for simply that contact. Repeat for any contact you need customized tones for.
4. React to SMS and RCS texts – Lengthy-press any message you obtain in Google Messages and you may react to a message with an emoji. Word that SMS and iMessage customers will obtain a separate textual content letting them know you reacted to a particular message, however Google Messages (and apps that assist this function) customers will see the response on the message itself.

With the above ideas and tips, it’s best to have the ability to use Google Messages like an professional. Blissful texting!