11 hidden Google Messages options, suggestions, 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 non-compulsory options that may make gentle work of your messaging wants.

A whole lot of of us have certainly gravitated towards apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and even Discord for some of us. 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 suggestions and tips to make your expertise higher.

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1 Allow RCS messaging

Ship your texts over knowledge as an alternative of over SMS

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From the primary 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 largest options.

RCS chats, to place it merely, ship your texts over knowledge as an alternative of over SMS. Thus, you not have the 160-character restrict or the MMS dimension limitations. You may also react to messages like you possibly can 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

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

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One of many 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 might be end-to-end encrypted. You may examine for this on a chat-by-chat foundation as effectively.

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, you may 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 drive sending messages with SMS/MMS as an alternative of RCS in case you choose. Nevertheless, this may disengage encryption.

3 Allow or disable chat bubbles

Rapidly faucet the bubble to open up the chat

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Fb Messenger launched the chat bubbles operate a few years in the past, and it will definitely grew to become an ordinary function on Android. Messages helps chat bubbles, and you may allow it fairly shortly. From the primary Messages display, faucet your profile image and choose Messages settings. Within the subsequent menu, faucet Bubbles. From right here, you possibly can choose to show your entire 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 may 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, observe the directions above and easily flip it off.

4 Ship images in full decision

Photographs will take a bit longer to ship

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

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

5 Make use of the Suggestion options

Work smarter, not tougher

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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 Solutions possibility and choose it. From right here you could have 4 choices that we’ll run by means of shortly.

1. Sensible Reply
   – Suggests fast replies when somebody texts you. It is helpful if you wish to acknowledge one thing somebody mentioned however you do not have the time to sort out a full message at that second.
2. 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.
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, but it surely does assist in case you’re caught on what to say.
4. Instructed stickers
   – A extra enjoyable and fewer sensible function that can recommend emotive stickers based mostly on what you say. So, after I textual content my spouse “I really like you”, it’s going to present me an animated sticker of a bear blowing kisses. It is a good means so as to add some character 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 possibly can allow and disable them as essential to customise your expertise.

6 Assign your swipe actions

Archive, delete, and mark a message

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

As per the norm, head to the primary 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 power to customise your left and proper swipes. The choices embody archive, delete, and mark a message as learn or unread. You may also flip the swipe features off if you don’t 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, reminiscent of two-factor authentication texts or textual content updates about shipped packages after I obtain my supply. As soon as performed 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 totally free

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Google Messages is one in all solely a few methods to textual content out of your PC totally free. 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 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 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 entire texts.
6. Word
   – If you wish to use your Google account to authenticate, it’s going to present you an emoji on the web site. Faucet the corresponding emoji in Google Messages to attach.

As soon as performed, you possibly can safely and shortly textual content out of your internet browser freed from cost. The good factor is that you just solely must do the setup course of as soon as per system. As soon as it is arrange, you possibly can navigate to messages.google.com on the identical internet browser to right away load your messages once more.

8 Schedule a textual content to ship later in Google Messages

You’ve 4 choices

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The flexibility to schedule texts is constructed into Messages by default, you simply must know the way to entry it. Luckily, you already know the place it’s. Open any chat and sort out the message you wish to ship later. From there, lengthy press the ship button. A window will seem that can allow you to schedule the textual content.

You’ve 4 choices. The primary three are predetermined instances and the ultimate possibility enables you to choose your date and time. As soon as performed, 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 point out 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 essential messages in Google Messages

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

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It’s potential to save lots of, pin, or in any other case mark a message as essential in Google Messages. To take action, discover the message you wish 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 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 listing of messages. This works very equally to pinned messages in Discord, so you should utilize it to save lots of data you could want later.

To take away a star from a message, go to your starred messages and faucet on the message you wish 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 essential conversations in Google Messages

Will stay on the high of the listing

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Very like particular person messages, you may as well pin essential conversations to the highest of your message listing. Pinned conversations will stay on the high of the listing, even in case you get textual content messages from different individuals. You may pin a number of conversations as effectively to maintain your most essential contacts on the high.

The method is sort of simple. Merely long-press any dialog you wish 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 recognize which of them are pinned. To unpin a dialog, repeat the method once more verbatim and it will unpin the dialog.

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11 Different Google Messages suggestions and tips

Smaller options

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

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 website 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
   – Whenever 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 wish to customise and faucet the 3-dot menu button. Choose
   Particulars
   , then
   Notifications
   . On the following display, you possibly can 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 suggestions and tips, it is best to have the ability to use Google Messages like an knowledgeable. Pleased texting!