Google Messagesis the default SMS and messaging option on manyAndroid phones.If it’s not on the phone already, it’s just a quick download from the Google Play Store. Its unobtrusive UI is clean and also includes a library of optional features that make light work of your messaging needs, too.
Many folks have indeed gravitated toward apps likeFacebook Messenger,WhatsApp, or evenDiscord. However, SMS is still the default for a reason, and it’s one that everyone has access to with just a phone number. So, it’s still worth giving Google Messages a try – here are just under a dozen neat tips and tricks to make your experience better.
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1Enable RCS messaging
From the main screen in Messages, tap your profile icon on the right side of your phone and selectMessages settings. From there, tapRCS chatsand tick theTurn on RCS chatsoption. There are also several additional options like read receipts, typing indicators, and other options. Anyone wanting to migrate to Google Messages should use RCS chat since it’s one of the app’s biggest features.
RCS chats, to put it simply, send your texts over data instead of over SMS. Thus, you no longer have the 160-character limit or the MMS size limitations. You can also react to messages like you can in iMessage and you get access to additional features you don’t see in SMS. Plus, withiMessage adopting RCS, it behooves you to get used to the feature.
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2Verify your end-to-end encryption
Check for this on a chat-by-chat basis as well
One of the main benefits of RCS on Google Messages is end-to-end encryption. As long as you and your text recipient are both on Google Messages and RCS, your chats will be end-to-end encrypted. you may check for this on a chat-by-chat basis as well.
Open any chat you’re curious about and tap the3-dot menuicon in the top right corner of your chat. SelectDetails. On that screen, you’ll seethe end-to-end encryption section. If it saysStatus: On, congratulations, your chat is encrypted. If it says off, then it isn’t. There are also some other options like force-sending messages with SMS/MMS instead of RCS if you prefer. However, this will disengage encryption.
Facebook Messenger now defaults to end-to-end encryption for all chats and calls
Meta also adds options to edit messages after they’re sent and turn off read receipts.
3Enable or disable chat bubbles
Quickly tap the bubble to open up the chat
Facebook Messenger introduced the chat bubbles function many years ago, and it eventually became a standard feature on Android. Messages supports chat bubbles, and you’re able to enable it pretty quickly. From the main Messages screen, tap your profile picture and selectMessages settings. In the next menu, tapBubbles. From here, you can select to turn all of your chats into bubbles or only the ones you select.
When enabled, Chat bubbles will show up as, well, bubbles on the side of your screen. you may quickly tap the bubble to open up the chat and respond. This is a bit of a polarizing feature, as many folks don’t like having extra stuff on their screen. Thus, if you want to turn it off, follow the instructions above and simply turn it off.
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4Send photos in full resolution
Photos will take a bit longer to send
By default, Google Messages reduces the image quality of things you send so that they send faster. If you don’t mind a longer sending time, you can send your images in full resolution. To do so, once again head to the main Messages page, tap your profile picture, and then selectMessages settings. Once there, find theSend photos fasteroption and untick the selection.
Your photos will take a bit longer to send, but the recipient will get the full-size picture instead of one with reduced quality. If you find that your images are taking way too long to send, you may always head back into the settings and reverse the change to send faster images again.
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5Make use of the Suggestion features
Work smarter, not harder
Google is working to make its apps smarter all the time. One such example is Suggestion features. To find these, head to the home page of Messages, tap your profile picture and selectMessages settings. Scroll down until you find theSuggestionsoption and select it. From here you have four options that I’ll run through quickly.
Each of the above options is individually available. Thus, if you want one or two of them, but not the whole batch, you can enable and disable them as necessary to customize your experience.
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6Assign your swipe actions
Archive, delete, and mark a message
Swipe actions work quite well in Google Messages when you get them set up. By default, swiping a message on the main page left or right sends it to the archives. However, you may not want that, or you may want different swipe commands. Changing it is pretty easy.
As per the norm, head to the main page in Messages and tap your profile picture. SelectMessages settingsand scroll down until you findSwipe actions. Once selected, you’re presented with the ability to customize your left and right swipes. The options include archive, delete, and mark a message as read or unread. You can also turn the swipe functions off if you don’t want them.
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I swipe right to delete and swipe left to mark as read. It’s helpful for quickly dealing with texts that I don’t intend to keep long-term, such as two-factor authentication texts or text updates about shipped packages after I receive my delivery. Once done with them, I swipe them away so they don’t clog up my inbox.
7Use Google Messages in a web browser
Text from your PC for free
Google Messages is one of only a couple of ways to text from your PC for free. To do this, use the following steps.
If you want to use your Google account to authenticate, it’ll show you an emoji on the website. Tap thecorresponding emojiin Google Messages to connect.
Once done, you can safely and quickly text from your web browser free of charge. The nice thing is that you only have to do the setup process once per device. Once it’s set up, you can navigate to messages.google.com on the same web browser to immediately load your messages again.
8Schedule a text to send later in Google Messages
You have four options
The ability to schedule texts is built into Messages by default, you just need to know how to access it. Fortunately, you already know where it is. Open any chat and type out the message you want to send later. From there, long press the send button. A window will appear that will let you schedule the text.
You have four options. The first three are predetermined times and the final option lets you pick your date and time. Once done, simply send the message. Google Messages will show that you have a scheduled text at the bottom of your text history to remind you that it’s there.
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To unschedule the text, tap where it saysScheduled messagesto show the upcoming text. Tap the send icon to the right of the text to update the message, send it immediately, or delete the message.
9Save important messages in Google Messages
Save, pin, or otherwise mark a message as important
It is possible to save, pin, or otherwise mark a message as important in Google Messages. To do so, find the message you want to save. Tap and hold the message to select it and then tap the star icon at the top of the screen to “star” the message. The message will show up with a star icon in the bottom right corner in your text to denote that you did it successfully.
To view your starred messages, open your chat with that person and tap the3-dot menuicon. Select theStarredoption to view the list of messages. This works very similarly to pinned messages in Discord, so you can use it to save information you may need later.
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To remove a star from a message, go to your starred messages and tap on the message you want to un-star. When it’s pulled up in your message feed, long-press the message and tap the star icon along the top again to un-star the message.
10Pin important conversations in Google Messages
Will remain at the top of the list
Much like individual messages, you can also pin important conversations to the top of your message list. Pinned conversations will remain at the top of the list, even if you get text messages from other people. You can pin multiple conversations as well to keep your most important contacts at the top.
The process is quite easy. Simply long-press any conversation you want to pin. Once selected, tap the pin icon at the top of the screen to pin it. Pinned conversations have a pin icon in the right margin to let you know which ones are pinned. To unpin a conversation, repeat the process again verbatim and it’ll unpin the conversation.
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