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Tag: messages

  • Google Messages working on fixing a privacy concern with its Profile discovery feature

    Google Messages working on fixing a privacy concern with its Profile discovery feature

    Google Messages is now working to fix a Profile discovery privacy risk that has been around since Google introduced the feature last year. The popular RCS messaging app for Android has been gaining popularity recently and more and more companies are choosing it over other messenger apps.

    With the rise in popularity, Google Messages is evolving to fulfill the needs and expectations of users better. Back in November 2023, Google announced Profiles, which allowed people to find other profiles.

    The feature itself isn’t available to everybody yet (it’s been rolling out to users somewhat sporadically), and now, the folks at Android Authority have discovered that Google is working on fixing privacy concerns around profile discovery.

    Digging into the code of Google Messages v20241010 beta, Android Authority found changes that would give users more control over who can see their name and profile picture. Right now, as part of the Profile Discovery feature, you can choose to use the name from your profile or a short name and show or hide your profile picture.

    But when this update becomes official, you will have new options inside Google Messages for profile privacy and visibility. Here are the sharing options you will likely get for your profile photo and your name:

    • People you message: Most likely, this option will show your name and profile photo to people you have messaged, whether or not they’re in your contact list. This most likely would be what a “Public” profile on social media is. This is the feature you’d use if you want to be found by people when they look up your number through Profile Discovery.
    • Only your contacts: Straightforwardly, this means your name and profile photo will be shown only to people in your contacts.
    • No one: Likely, your name and photo will be hidden from anyone.

    Reportedly, these new options will be shown to you when you log into Google Messages for the first time once the update has been rolled out. You will be able to change this setting through the “Your profile” option in the account switcher after that as well.

    For now, it’s not clear whether choosing the “No one” option means you turn off profile discovery features. However, offering these options is a great way to ensure that privacy-focused individuals will not be concerned with Profile Discovery features.

    For the moment, keep in mind that you still cannot set a different profile picture or name for Google Messages, and the app takes the picture and name from your Google account. Hopefully, Google will work on that feature too.

    After almost a full year after the Profiles announcement though, the feature isn’t rolled out to everyone just yet. It’s great though that Google is fixing privacy concerns ahead of a wider rollout.

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  • Google Messages to receive a much-needed update to improve RCS media quality

    Google Messages to receive a much-needed update to improve RCS media quality

    Google has been working on improving communication between Android and iPhone users, and it looks like they’re making some great strides. The latest Google Messages beta reveals a new feature that allows Android users to send high-quality media to iPhone users over RCS.

    Currently, Google Messages compresses media heavily before sending it, which means that iPhone users often receive blurry or pixelated images and videos, even on RCS. This is a major pain point, especially when trying to share important memories or documents. Now that iOS will soon have RCS support, this is an issue that must be remedied as soon as possible.

    Fortunately, as discovered in the latest beta version of the Messages app, Google is finally addressing this issue by giving users the option to send media in its original quality. In the latest beta, users will be prompted to choose between two options when sending media:

    • Optimized for chat: Send faster with reduced quality
    • Original quality: Send with no changes to quality, uses more date

    Once you make your selection, this option will apply to all current and future chats.

    This update is a big deal for a couple of reasons. First, it means that Android and iPhone users will finally be able to share high-quality media with each other seamlessly. No more blurry photos or pixelated videos. Second, it shows that Google is committed to improving the RCS experience. They’re listening to user feedback and making the necessary changes to make RCS a viable alternative to traditional SMS.

    It’s also worth noting that this update is just one of many that Google has made to Google Messages in recent months. The company has been working hard to improve the app’s overall experience, and it’s clear that they’re committed to making it the best messaging app on the market.

    That said, there are still a few unknowns. We don’t know when this feature will roll out to all users, and we don’t know when Apple will fully enable RCS support on all iPhones, as it is still in beta. However, it’s likely that both of these things will happen in the near future.

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  • Google Messages might finally support sending high quality photos over RCS

    Google Messages might finally support sending high quality photos over RCS

    Google Messages and RCS (Rich Communication Services), the next step in SMS messaging (a greatly enhanced step, if you ask me), is going to get even better with Google’s future improvement

    The enhancement has to do with the way Google Messages handles images sent through the app – people have been complaining for a while now that the pictures are getting excessively compressed.

    For example, users are reporting that Google Messages over RCS shrunk a 50MP/6MB image down to just a 1.9MP/147kB shadow of its former self. That’s a lot of data lost, which equates to a worse quality. Not fun!

    That’s a pity, since RCS makes the default messaging app into a social media-like experience similar to WhatsApp, allowing users not only to send photos, videos, GIFs, and various other files, but RCS also supports end-to-end encryption, read receipts, and typing indicators.

    A change is going to come rather sooner than later, though: Google is apparently going to address the issue. According to the report, Google is finally going to increase the image compression limit.

    The analysis discovered code strings suggesting that users could soon send images up to 8,192 pixels wide and tall with JPEG quality set to 100. If the “Send Photos Faster” option is enabled, images will be compressed to 2,408 pixels with JPEG quality reduced to 90. Currently, this option compresses images to 1,600 pixels, significantly affecting their quality.

    This issue isn’t inherent to RCS, as other apps like Samsung Messages also use RCS without such limitations. The problem lies with Google, and if the company implements this change, users will notice a significant improvement in image quality sent through Google Messages. This change might be influenced by Apple’s decision to support RCS in its Messages app with iOS 18, as Google has frequently urged Apple to adopt RCS.

  • Google Messages may get Snapchat-like 3D effects soon

    Google Messages may get Snapchat-like 3D effects soon

    Google Messages is reportedly working on new features that will allow users to share photos and videos with fun avatars and 3D effects, much like Snapchat’s popular Lenses feature. This is according to an APK breakdown of the app’s code, which suggests that the feature is still in development and unknown when it will be released to the public.

    If the feature does make it to a public release, it could offer a new way for users to express themselves and add some personality to their messages. The 3D effects appear to mimic the user’s facial movements, with some effects covering the user’s face entirely and others adding accessories like hats or glasses.

    The feature in action shows a new button in the app’s camera UI that brings up a carousel of available effects. Users can tap on the icons in the carousel to trigger the effects, and then capture a photo or video using the shutter button. Below are the nine effects that are hidden in the current version of Google Messages:

    • Bunny
    • Glasses
    • Dinosaur
    • Film Noir
    • Glowing hat
    • Runner
    • Portrait touch-up
    • Strawberry
    • Valentine’s Day panda

    However, it is possible that Google may add more effects before the feature is released to the public. The company has not yet shared any official information about the feature or a possible release timeline, but if testing works out and the company decides to roll it out, it is expected that more details will follow.

    The addition of Snapchat-like filters to Google Messages could be a welcome change for users who are looking for new ways to express themselves and add some personality to their messages. It will be interesting to see how this feature develops and how it is received by users if and when it is eventually released.

    It is clear that Google is investing heavily in Google Messages, and it is likely that we will see even more new features and improvements in the future. The app is already one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, and it is only going to become more popular as Google continues to add new features and make it more user-friendly.

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  • Time to update your contact pics as Google Messages now shows them bigger

    Time to update your contact pics as Google Messages now shows them bigger

    Recently, we mentioned Google was experimenting with a long-press feature for peeking into RCS conversations. Now, apparently, this feature has been approved and is starting to roll out more widely.

    According to a recent report, users can expand a contact’s profile photo by tapping on it in the main list. This action allows you to view a larger image of the selected contact, along with three shortcuts displayed at the bottom:

    Message: You can start a conversation by messaging the contact. This shortcut might seem a bit odd since you can simply tap on the conversation without first selecting the contact’s profile picture.

    • Call: Dial the contact right away.
    • Info: Preview information quickly without fully opening the conversation.

    The latest update also applies to group chats, but you won’t find the Call option there. To access features like Pinning, Archiving, Deleting, Blocking, and marking messages as read or unread, just long-press anywhere outside the profile picture of the contact you’re chatting with.

    While it may not seem like a major overhaul, this update significantly enhances user experience. Previously, long-pressing a conversation only allowed bulk actions such as muting or deleting. With the ongoing rollout of this latest update, which might not be visible to all users yet, performing actions like placing a quick call is now much simpler.

    In other recent updates, Google has begun rolling out a new user interface for content sharers on Google Messages. Moreover, the tech giant has expanded the Gemini feature in Google Messages to include all Android phones with 6GB of RAM or more.

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  • Google Messages is testing an easier way to send multiple images

    Google Messages is testing an easier way to send multiple images

    Google Messages, the default messaging app for most Android devices, offers a reliable and consistent experience when sending text messages. However, compared to other messaging apps, it does lack in certain areas pertaining to multimedia, such as when sending multiple images at once. Thankfully, it looks like Google is working on improving this experience.

    Currently, sending an image from your gallery in Google Messages is a fairly simple process: tap the image attachment icon, pick your photo, and send. The app even has a built-in camera shortcut, so you can snap a photo on the fly. But for those in a rush, the workflow needs refinement. Each new photo requires you to reopen the attachment sheet, negating the time-saving benefits of the in-app camera.

    However, as spotted by @AssembleDebug on X and reported on by Android Police, the latest Google Messages beta (version 20240318 openbeta_dynamic) brings a UI refresh designed for quicker image sharing. In this version, the preview screen of a newly snapped photo shows the biggest change. The button at the bottom right now says “Send,” cutting out an extra step for single images. The bottom left gains an “Add more” shortcut, reopening the attachment sheet for further selections or to use the camera again. This is far easier than saving to your camera roll.

    That said, this change does have its downsides. One curious omission in this beta is the “Edit” option for basic photo annotations. Knowing that the new UI is still being tested, we are hopeful that these tools will be restored prior to making it to the production phase. We need more features added, not taken away!

    Regardless of this small setback, this streamlining is a welcome change for Google Messages. With such broad testing, we can likely expect a stable release soon, potentially bringing back those missing editing tools. While not a huge change, it demonstrates Google’s continued efforts to refine the core messaging experience.

  • Google Messages tests new look for app bar

    Google Messages tests new look for app bar

    Google Messages is currently testing a “flat” design tweak to the app bar at the moment. This test comes after the single-line text field is now widely rolling out.

    The app bar consists of the four-color “G” and Messages logo, the camera shortcut, search, and profile navigation. If it’s in dark mode, it usually has a lighter background than the conversation list. Now, the app bar seems no longer themed differently and has the same background as the message list.

    This makes the status, app bar, and list entirely “flat”. Only the “Start chat” button is different.

    The change doesn’t affect functionality, and it’s only for dark mode. So far, the light mode appears similar. For now, it seems the change is in beta (version 20240521_00_RC00).

    Users on Reddit have also noticed another change in the New conversation list. Google Messages is now showing a different palette for the background in which initials appear when your contacts don’t have a profile photo.

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  • WhatsApp will soon allow you to preview photos and videos within pinned messages

    WhatsApp will soon allow you to preview photos and videos within pinned messages

    WhatsApp, the popular messaging app, is continuously testing new features for its large user base, and it usually does that by pushing them first to its beta app available through the Google Play Store. Recently, according to WABetaInfo, the company has been testing a new preview feature for pinned messages that can be found in the latest beta version 2.24.11.12. This new update aims to make it easier for users to manage and access important messages within their chats.

    This feature was first spotted in a previous beta version, 2.24.7.27, and it has now progressed to public testing. By incorporating a thumbnail preview for pinned messages, WhatsApp is taking another step towards enhancing user interaction and organization within chats. This means users will be able to quickly identify the content of a pinned message without having to open it fully, streamlining their messaging experience.

    The thumbnail preview will be particularly useful for media messages, including photos and videos. Users can now instantly recognize the media content directly within the pinned message preview area, saving time and effort. Whether it’s a funny meme, an important document, or a memorable video, the new preview feature is designed to make navigating through pinned messages a breeze.

    This enhancement builds upon previous updates, such as the ability to pin multiple messages and the 24-hour, 7-day, and 30-day pinning durations. While the preview feature is currently available to select beta testers, it is expected to roll out to more users in the coming days. If you’re eager to try it out, you can join the WhatsApp beta program on the Google Play Store and install the latest update. However, do note that availability for this program is almost always full to capacity, however, your mileage may vary.

    WhatsApp continues to innovate and refine its features to cater to the needs of its vast user base. The new preview feature for pinned messages is a testament to the company’s commitment to making messaging more seamless and efficient.

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  • WhatsApp rolls out new chat filters to help you locate unread and group conversations

    WhatsApp rolls out new chat filters to help you locate unread and group conversations

    WhatsApp is always evolving to improve the way we connect with others, and its latest update is focused on enhancing organization and search within your chats. Following the recent update that gave us the ability to pin messages, Mark Zuckerberg has announced another exciting feature – dedicated chat filters

    These filters are designed to make it faster and easier to locate specific conversations within your chat history, especially when you have many of them going on. Currently, the below two filters are available:

    • Unread: Perfect for catching up on messages you might have missed. It displays all your individual chats that contain unread messages, helping you prioritize your responses and clear those notification badges.
    • Groups: Perfect for finding that important group conversation. With a single tap, you can see all your group chats in one place, allowing you to quickly access discussions with family, friends, colleagues, or any other group you’re a part of. This includes subgroups within Communities, ensuring you have a central location for all your group conversations.

    Previously, searching for unread chats involved using the search bar and filtering by message status. This process, while functional, required additional steps. The new dedicated “Unread” filter eliminates these extra steps, placing readily accessible filter options at the forefront of the chat list. This is a significant improvement for users who frequently juggle numerous individual chats and want a quicker way to identify conversations that require their attention.

    The “Groups” filter addresses another long-standing pain point for WhatsApp users. For those who participate in a significant number of group chats, navigating through the chat list to find specific groups could be time-consuming and cumbersome. The ability to filter group chats has been a particularly popular request from users, according to WaBetaInfo who first reported on this announcement.

    If you are ready to try out this feature, make sure you have the most up-to-date version of WhatsApp installed on your Android or iOS device, which you can grab directly from the App Store or Google Play Store. These filters mark a positive step in response to longstanding user feedback, so seeing them finally implemented is a welcomed treat.

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  • Google Messages will soon start to warn you when tapping on links sent by unknown senders

    Google Messages will soon start to warn you when tapping on links sent by unknown senders

    If you’re getting tired of annoying spam texts and shady links that often try to lure you into clicking them on your Messages app, you may be in luck. Found hidden in the code are signs that Google is stepping up security in its Messages app to give users an extra layer of protection.

    A new pop-up warning system could be coming soon to Messages. This feature is designed to make you think twice before clicking on links in messages from people you don’t know, whether they’re coming through RCS or standard old SMS.

    Imagine this: you get a text from an unknown number with some enticing link. Curiosity takes over, and you go to tap it. This new feature will immediately pop up a warning that says something like this: “Caution: this sender isn’t one of your contacts.” To open that link, you have to check a box acknowledging that there could be risks and then hit “Continue.”

    The idea is to make you think twice before clicking on links sent by senders you don’t know. This would hopefully snap us out of autopilot mode and make us consider twice whether those links are worth exploring.

    Google Messages already has some link warnings, but this new feature looks more robust. Currently, it’s easy to breeze past those messages. This new system adds a little friction, forcing you to stop and think before taking a potentially risky action.

    This feature popped up in a beta version of Google Messages, so we might see it rolling out to testers before landing in the main app. It’s yet another sign, on top of Google recently blocking RCS on rooted phones, that they’re taking security in the Messages app more seriously — and just in time for RCS to roll out for iOS devices, potentially giving the Google Messages app on Android a boost over third party solutions like WhatsApp.

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  • Google Messages testing a warning about losing features when logging out or switching accounts

    Google Messages testing a warning about losing features when logging out or switching accounts

    If you’re a Google Messages user with multiple Google accounts linked to your Android phone, you’ve probably experienced how seamless account switching is currently within the app. However, switching accounts or opting to use Google Messages without a Google account altogether can lead to some unexpected limitations. Google appears ready to address that with a new warning that appears when you want to ditch the Google account login.

    Google Messages is rolling out a new feature in beta that clearly outlines which features you’ll lose when either signing out of your account or switching to a different Google account within the app. Signing out entirely from your Google account will warn you that you’ll lose access to features like Magic Compose (those helpful AI writing suggestions) and Device Pairing.

    If you have Google’s Profile Discovery feature enabled, you’ll be prompted to disable it. This prevents others from seeing your profile picture and name in Google products, but also means people knowing your phone number might not easily connect with you on various Google services.

    If you are switching between accounts, you’ll also get a similar warning. Magic Compose and Device Pairing will also become unavailable, as these features are tied to your specific Google account. Both of these warnings were spotted by @Assembledebug from TheSPAndroid during his usual search for new features.

    Previously, Google Messages didn’t explicitly display the potential drawbacks of using the app without an associated account. However, adding this notification greatly improves transparency, letting users make informed choices about how they interact with Google Messages as it is not completely necessary to tie the app to a Google account. The feature seems to be rolling out gradually for those on the latest Google Messages beta, which is v.20240321_01_RC00 at this time.

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  • Google Messages is testing an easier way to send multiple images

    Google Messages is testing an easier way to send multiple images

    Google Messages, the default messaging app for most Android devices, offers a reliable and consistent experience when sending text messages. However, compared to other messaging apps, it does lack in certain areas pertaining to multimedia, such as when sending multiple images at once. Thankfully, it looks like Google is working on improving this experience.

    Currently, sending an image from your gallery in Google Messages is a fairly simple process: tap the image attachment icon, pick your photo, and send. The app even has a built-in camera shortcut, so you can snap a photo on the fly. But for those in a rush, the workflow needs refinement. Each new photo requires you to reopen the attachment sheet, negating the time-saving benefits of the in-app camera.

    The latest Google Messages beta (version 20240318 openbeta_dynamic) brings a UI refresh designed for quicker image sharing. In this version, the preview screen of a newly snapped photo shows the biggest change. The button at the bottom right now says “Send,” cutting out an extra step for single images. The bottom left gains an “Add more” shortcut, reopening the attachment sheet for further selections or to use the camera again. This is far easier than saving to your camera roll.

    That said, this change does have its downsides. One curious omission in this beta is the “Edit” option for basic photo annotations. Knowing that the new UI is still being tested, we are hopeful that these tools will be restored prior to making it to the production phase. We need more features added, not taken away!

    Regardless of this small setback, this streamlining is a welcome change for Google Messages. With such broad testing, we can likely expect a stable release soon, potentially bringing back those missing editing tools. While not a huge change, it demonstrates Google’s continued efforts to refine the core messaging experience.

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  • Google Messages gets new Camera UI for users to access during a chat

    Google Messages gets new Camera UI for users to access during a chat

    Google is adding a new camera UI for Google Messages that Android users can employ instead of relying on their phones’ default viewfinder. The camera UI can be accessed from within a Google Messages conversation using the camera icon inside the text field. Before Google started to push out this change, those using the Google Messages app would have to use the system camera app for a preview.

    Before the update, Pixel users accessing the system camera app could customize the White Balance, and exposure, and set a timer if they so desired. The new viewfinder for Google Messages users is built using the Compose toolkit that Google recommends for building Android user interfaces, and it is stripped down more than the system camera app UI used now. The controls will allow users to adjust the zoom using three default settings and pinch-to-zoom. There is also a button to enable or disable flash, found in the upper right corner, and a button to switch between using the rear and front-facing cameras.

    A new feature added to the Google Messages camera UI appears on the bottom of the screen and allows users to switch between taking a photograph and recording a video. With this new feature, you can choose between capturing an image or recording a video after opening the camera app. Previously, the user had to make this decision before opening the Google Messages camera UI.

    The new Google Messages camera UI is being disseminated today via a server-side update and appears on beta version 20240312_00_RC00 of the Google Messages app. To see which version of the Google Messages app you’re running on your Android phone, go to Settings > Apps and tap on “See all xxx apps.” Scroll down to Messages and tap on it. That takes you to the Google Messages App info page. Scroll all the way to the bottom to see which version of the app you’re running.

    On my Pixel 6 Pro running Android 14 QPR3 beta 2, the version of Messages I have is 20240126_04_RC00 which means that I do not have the new Messages camera UI at this time. You can see if the update with the latest version is in your app update queue by opening the Play Store and tapping on the profile icon in the upper right corner. From the menu that appears, click on Manage apps & device, and under Updating apps, tap the blue link to Update all and hope that the new feature is part of an update pushed out to Google Messages that was waiting to be installed.

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  • Google Messages rolls out custom RCS conversation color themes more widely

    Google Messages rolls out custom RCS conversation color themes more widely

    Back in November, Google announced some new features for its Messages app as part of its celebration of reaching the one billion monthly active RCS users milestone. Many of these promised features, such as animated emoji, Photomoji, and screen effects, have already been rolled out to users. However, one feature has taken quite a while to roll out widely: custom themes.

    Custom themes were announced as a customization feature allowing users to change the bubble and background colors of individual conversations. Presumably, this feature was to help eliminate the limitations of blue versus green bubbles and to aid users with differentiating conversations.

    It appears that this feature is currently receiving a wider rollout. Although some users started seeing this option with the latest version of the Google Messages app in beta (v20240308), I received the update myself without updating my app (still in beta version 20240228), suggesting that this is a server-side push.

    To check if the feature is available to you, you will first make sure you are in an RCS chat, as this feature does not work with SMS/MMS conversations. Once inside any chat thread, tap on the three dot menu and select “Change colors.” This will then open the UI for changing themes, showing you all the color options available, including the default.

    It should be noted that this works slightly differently on Pixel devices that use Material You dynamic theming. When I tested on a Pixel, the theme affected the conversation’s background and the bubble color. On a Samsung Galaxy device, though, it only altered the bubble color.

    Additionally, when you successfully change the theme, you receive a small notification at the bottom that reads “You changed the theme,” which also gives you a quick shortcut to change the theme again. Happy theming!

  • Google Messages cool animated background “Screen Effects” now available to the app’s beta testers

    Google Messages cool animated background “Screen Effects” now available to the app’s beta testers

    A new feature has been added to Google Messages that really drives home the point that you’re trying to make with a text message. Called Screen Effects, it delivers animation in the background of a message when certain phrases are sent or received. The animation takes up the entire background, and while the feature has only a small number of trigger phrases at the moment, you can only see this in action if you are a beta tester for the Google Messages app.

    Luckily, I am a beta tester for Google Messages so Screen Effects works for me. For example, I texted the phrase “I Love You” and hearts appeared in the background until a dove flew north leaving a white trail which became the regular background for the app. The entire animated effect ran for about 10 seconds. If you type “Sounds good,” multiple giant thumbs up appear all over the background.

    Google says that there are more than 15 phrases that trigger a Screen Effect on Google Messages and they work whether you are messaging another Android-toting RCS user, or an Android user connected to the SMS platform using a non-RCS messaging app. If Screen Effects is too much for you (and granted, they are not for everyone), we’d love to tell you how to disable it on the app. Except that you cannot disable the feature.

    If Google is still accepting users to be beta testers for Google Messages, go to the Play Store listing for the Google Messages app, choose “Become a Tester,” and follow the instructions. Back in the day when I used Android as my daily driver 99% of the time, I made sure to become a beta tester for core Google apps because you’re sure to get a head start on receiving new features like Screen Effects.

    The Play Store listing for Google Messages will also let you know if you’re already a beta tester for the app. On the listing, if you are already registered as a beta tester for Google Messages, you’ll see a paragraph with the heading, “You’re a beta tester.”

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