11 hidden Google Messages options, suggestions, and methods

Google Messages is the default SMS and messaging choice 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 mild work of your messaging wants.

Loads of of us have certainly gravitated towards apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and even Discord for some of us. Nonetheless, SMS remains to be the default for a purpose, and it is one that everybody has entry to with only a telephone quantity. So, it is nonetheless price giving Google Messages a try to listed below are some neat suggestions and methods to make your expertise higher.

1 Allow RCS messaging

Ship your texts over information as a substitute of over SMS

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From the principle display in Messages, faucet your profile icon on the suitable aspect of your telephone and choose Messages settings. From there, faucet RCS chats and tick the Activate RCS chats choice. There are additionally a number of extra choices like learn receipts, typing indicators, and different choices. Anybody eager 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 a substitute of over SMS. Thus, you not have the 160-character restrict or the MMS dimension limitations. It’s also possible to react to messages like you’ll be able to 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 function.

2 Confirm your end-to-end encryption

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

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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 likely be end-to-end encrypted. You’ll be able to verify for this on a chat-by-chat foundation as nicely.

Open any chat you are interested by and faucet the 3-dot menu icon within the prime 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 a substitute of RCS in case you favor. Nonetheless, this can 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 perform a few years in the past, and it will definitely turned a typical 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, nicely, bubbles on the aspect of your display. You’ll be able to shortly faucet the bubble to open up the chat and reply. It is a little bit of a polarizing function, as many of us do not like 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

Photographs will take a bit longer to ship

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By default, Google Messages reduces the picture high quality of stuff you ship in order that they ship sooner. Should you do not thoughts an extended ship time, you’ll be able to ship your photos 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 sooner choice and untick the choice.

Your pictures will take a bit longer to ship, however the recipient will get the full-size image as a substitute of 1 with lowered high quality. Should you discover that your photos 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 sooner photos 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 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 Options choice and choose it. From right here you’ve 4 choices that we’ll run by 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. Instructed actions – This selection integrates Google Messages with different Google apps, resembling Google Maps, Google Meet, and Google Calendar. So, for instance, if somebody needs to make plans with you subsequent week, Messages might counsel 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 counsel 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 means so as to add some persona to your messages.

Every of the above choices is individually obtainable. Thus, if you would like 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

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Swipe actions work fairly nicely in Google Messages if 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 completely 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 embrace archive, delete, and mark a message as learn or unread. It’s also possible to flip the swipe capabilities 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, resembling 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 internet browser

Textual content out of your PC free of charge

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Google Messages is considered one of solely a few methods to textual content out of your PC free of charge. 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 choice.
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 type.
5. As soon as authenticated, the webpage will reload with your whole texts.
6. Observe – 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 just solely need to 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 right away load your messages once more.

8 Schedule a textual content to ship later in Google Messages

You could have 4 choices

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The flexibility to schedule texts is constructed into Messages by default, you simply have to know the way to entry it. Happily, 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 can allow you to schedule the textual content.

You could have 4 choices. The primary three are predetermined occasions and the ultimate choice enables you to choose your date and time. As soon as finished, merely ship the message. Google Messages will present that you’ve 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 suitable of the textual content to replace the message, ship it instantly, or delete the message.

9 Save necessary messages in Google Messages

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

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It’s potential to avoid wasting, pin, or in any other case mark a message as necessary 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 prime 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 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.

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 necessary conversations in Google Messages

Will stay on the prime of the checklist

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Very like particular person messages, it’s also possible to pin necessary conversations to the highest of your message checklist. Pinned conversations will stay on the prime of the checklist, even in case you get textual content messages from different individuals. You’ll be able to pin a number of conversations as nicely to maintain your most necessary contacts on the prime.

The method is sort of simple. Merely long-press any dialog you need to pin. As soon as chosen, faucet the pin icon on the prime of the display to pin it. Pinned conversations have a pin icon in the suitable 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.

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11 Different Google Messages suggestions and methods

Smaller options

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

1. 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.
2. Voice or video name somebody from throughout the chat – Once you go into any chat, there’s a telephone icon and a video digital camera icon within the prime 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. Observe that each events need to 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 following 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. Observe 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 help this function) customers will see the response on the message itself.

With the above suggestions and methods, it is best to be capable to use Google Messages like an knowledgeable. Blissful texting!