11 Google Messages options, ideas, and methods

Google Messages is the default SMS and messaging possibility on many Android phones. If it isn’t on the cellphone already, it is only a fast obtain from the Google Play Retailer. Its unobtrusive UI is clear and likewise features a library of non-compulsory options that make gentle work of your messaging wants, too.

Many people have certainly gravitated towards apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and even Discord. Nonetheless, SMS continues to be the default for a cause, and it is one that everybody has entry to with only a cellphone quantity. So, it is nonetheless value giving Google Messages a strive — listed here are just below a dozen neat ideas and methods to make your expertise higher.

1 Allow RCS messaging

Ship your texts over information as an alternative of over SMS

From the principle display screen in Messages, faucet your profile icon on the proper aspect of your cellphone and choose Messages settings. From there, faucet RCS chats and tick the Activate RCS chats possibility. There are additionally a number of extra 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 largest options.

RCS chats, to place it merely, ship your texts over information as an alternative of over SMS. Thus, you not have the 160-character restrict or the MMS measurement limitations. You can even react to messages like you possibly can in iMessage and also you get entry to extra options you do not see in SMS. Plus, with iMessage adopting RCS, it behooves you to get used to the characteristic.

Associated

What is RCS? The standard unifying chat, explained

Google Messages helps RCS messaging and Apple is including it to the iPhone in 2024 with iOS 18. However what’s RCS messaging?

2 Confirm your end-to-end encryption

Test for this on a chat-by-chat foundation as properly

One of many most important 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 will probably be end-to-end encrypted. You’ll be able to test for this on a chat-by-chat foundation as properly.

Open any chat you are inquisitive about and faucet the 3-dot menu icon within the high proper nook of your chat. Choose Particulars. On that display screen, 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 force-sending messages with SMS/MMS as an alternative of RCS should you desire. Nonetheless, it will disengage encryption.

Associated

Facebook Messenger now defaults to end-to-end encryption for all chats and calls

Meta additionally provides choices to edit messages after they’re despatched and switch off learn receipts.

3 Allow or disable chat bubbles

Shortly faucet the bubble to open up the chat

Fb Messenger launched the chat bubbles perform a few years in the past, and it will definitely turned a normal characteristic on Android. Messages helps chat bubbles, and you’ll allow it fairly rapidly. From the principle Messages display screen, faucet your profile image and choose Messages settings. Within the subsequent menu, faucet Bubbles. From right here, you possibly can choose to show all your chats into bubbles or solely those you choose.

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

Associated

Get control of unmanageable WhatsApp chats with this new feature

WhatsApp has added a brand new characteristic which lets customers add lists to arrange their chats.

4 Ship photographs in full decision

Pictures will take a bit longer to ship

By default, Google Messages reduces the picture high quality of stuff you ship in order that they ship quicker. When you do not thoughts an extended sending time, you possibly can ship your pictures in full decision. To take action, 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 photographs quicker possibility and untick the choice.

Your photographs 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. When you discover that your pictures are taking method too lengthy to ship, you possibly can all the time head again into the settings and reverse the change to ship quicker pictures once more.

Associated

Was that photo manipulated with Google AI? You’ll soon be able to tell

Google has introduced it would quickly label pictures within the Pictures app edited with its AI instruments.

5 Make use of the Suggestion options

Work smarter, not tougher

Google is working to make its apps smarter on a regular basis. One such instance is Suggestion options. To search 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 have got 4 choices that I am going to run by means of rapidly.

• Sensible 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 sort out a full message at that second.
• Instructed actions: This feature integrates Google Messages with different Google apps, reminiscent of Google Maps, Google Meet, and Google Calendar. So, for instance, if somebody desires to make plans with you subsequent week, Messages might recommend making a calendar occasion to remind you about it.
• Magic Compose: Magic Compose is an AI-drive characteristic 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.
• Instructed stickers: A extra enjoyable and fewer sensible characteristic that may recommend emotive stickers primarily based 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 method so as to add some character to your messages.

Every of the above choices is individually accessible. Thus, in order for you one or two of them, however not the entire batch, you possibly can allow and disable them as essential to customise your expertise.

Associated

How to rid your Samsung Galaxy’s share sheet of unwanted contact suggestions

If you do not need urged folks popping up everytime you’re sharing stuff out of your Samsung Galaxy, here is find out how to disable the characteristic outright.

6 Assign your swipe actions

Archive, delete, and mark a message

Swipe actions work fairly properly in Google Messages whenever you get them arrange. By default, swiping a message on the principle web page left or proper sends it to the archives. Nonetheless, chances are you’ll not need that, or it’s your decision totally different swipe instructions. Altering it’s fairly simple.

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 offered with the flexibility to customise your left and proper swipes. The choices embody archive, delete, and mark a message as learn or unread. You can even flip the swipe features off if you do not need them.

Associated

How to use Gemini in Google Messages

It is a lot simpler to entry Gemini in Google Messages than a separate app, however what it will possibly really do won’t be helpful for everybody.

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

7 Use Google Messages in an internet browser

Textual content out of your PC without cost

Google / Pocket-lint

Google Messages is certainly one of solely a few methods to textual content out of your PC without 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 cellphone. For this one, we’ll use the QR code because it does not require a Google account. Faucet the Pair with QR code possibility.
3. The web site will generate a QR code.
4. In your cellphone, scan the QR code utilizing your digicam app or a QR code scanner of some kind.
5. As soon as authenticated, the webpage will reload with all your texts.

As soon as completed, you possibly can safely and rapidly textual content out of your net browser freed from cost. The great factor is that you just solely should do the setup course of as soon as per machine. As soon as it is arrange, you possibly can navigate to messages.google.com on the identical net browser to right away load your messages once more.

8 Schedule a textual content to ship later in Google Messages

You may have 4 choices

The power to schedule texts is constructed into Messages by default, you simply have to know find out how to entry it. Luckily, you already know the place it’s. Open any chat and sort 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 may have 4 choices. The primary three are predetermined occasions and the ultimate possibility enables you to choose your date and time. As soon as completed, 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.

Associated

Why Samsung Messages is no longer preinstalled on Galaxy phones

Samsung Messages is not preloaded on the most recent Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 telephones — here is what occurred, and what it means for the long run.

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

It’s doable to avoid wasting, 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 out it after which faucet the star icon on the high of the display screen 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 just 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 checklist of messages. This works very equally to pinned messages in Discord, so you need to use it to avoid wasting data chances are you’ll want later.

Associated

You can finally use Gemini in Google Messages on any Android phone

No have to have a Pixel or Samsung machine.

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 checklist

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

The method is kind of simple. Merely long-press any dialog you need to pin. As soon as chosen, faucet the pin icon on the high of the display screen to pin it. Pinned conversations have a pin icon in the proper margin to let you understand 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 bring RCS messaging to the iPhone

The iPhone will probably be adopting RCS later this 12 months, however what took so lengthy to get right here? Plus, what do you have to anticipate when it arrives?

11 Different Google Messages ideas and methods

Smaller options

Google Messages has quite a lot of different, smaller options that may make your life a little bit simpler when enabling them. We’ll rapid-fire by means of a couple of of those smaller options beneath.

• Auto-delete authentication codes: Faucet your profile image, then Messages settings. Scroll all the way 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.
• Voice or video name somebody from throughout the chat: If you go into any chat, there’s a cellphone icon and a video digicam icon within the high proper nook. Tapping the previous will provoke a cellphone name in your dialer and tapping the latter will provoke a video name by way of Google Meet. Be aware that each events should have Google Meet for video calls to work.
• 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 following display screen, you possibly can choose a customized notification sound for simply that contact. Repeat for any contact you need customized tones for.
• React to SMS and RCS texts: Lengthy-press any message you obtain in Google Messages and you’ll react to a message with an emoji. Be aware that SMS and iMessage customers will obtain a separate textual content letting them know you reacted to a selected message, however Google Messages (and apps that help this characteristic) customers will see the response on the message itself.