11 hidden Google Messages options, ideas, and tips

Google Messages is the default SMS and messaging possibility on many Android phones. If it isn’t on the cellphone 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-obligatory options that may make gentle work of your messaging wants.

Numerous people have certainly gravitated towards apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and even Discord for some people. Nonetheless, SMS remains to be the default for a motive, and it is one that everybody has entry to with only a cellphone quantity. So, it is nonetheless value giving Google Messages a try to listed below are some neat ideas 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 principle display in Messages, faucet your profile icon on the appropriate 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 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 knowledge as an alternative of over SMS. Thus, you not have the 160-character restrict or the MMS measurement limitations. It’s also possible to 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.

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 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 test 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 power sending messages with SMS/MMS as an alternative of RCS if you happen to want. Nonetheless, this can disengage encryption.

3 Allow or disable chat bubbles

Shortly 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 turned a normal characteristic 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 possibly can 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. This can be a little bit of a polarizing characteristic, 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 photographs 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 quicker. When you 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 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 approach 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.

5 Make use of the Suggestion options

Work smarter, not more durable

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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 Solutions possibility and choose it. From right here you’ve 4 choices that we’ll run by 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. Advised 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 characteristic that checks your message draft and provides alternate concepts for what you typed. It is in beta, but it surely does assist if you happen to’re caught on what to say.
4. Advised stickers
   – A extra enjoyable and fewer sensible characteristic that can counsel emotive stickers based mostly on what you say. So, once 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 approach so as to add some persona to your messages.

Every of the above choices is individually obtainable. 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.

6 Assign your swipe actions

Archive, delete, and mark a message

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Swipe actions work fairly nicely in Google Messages while 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 straightforward.

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 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, resembling two-factor authentication texts or textual content updates about shipped packages after I obtain my supply. As soon as carried out 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 at no cost

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Google Messages is one in every of solely a few methods to textual content out of your PC at no 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 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’s going to present you an emoji on the web site. Faucet the corresponding emoji in Google Messages to attach.

As soon as carried out, you possibly can safely and shortly textual content out of your internet browser freed from cost. The good factor is that you simply 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 internet browser to instantly 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 must know tips on how to entry it. Luckily, you already know the place it’s. Open any chat and kind 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 could have 4 choices. The primary three are predetermined instances and the ultimate possibility allows you to decide your date and time. As soon as carried out, 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 indicate the upcoming textual content. Faucet the ship icon to the appropriate 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 doable to save lots of, pin, or in any other case mark a message as necessary in Google Messages. To take action, discover the message you wish to save. Faucet and maintain the message to pick out 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 simply did it efficiently.

To view your starred messages, open your chat with that particular person 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 use it to save lots of info 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 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 necessary conversations in Google Messages

Will stay on the prime of the listing

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Very similar to particular person messages, you can even pin necessary conversations to the highest of your message listing. Pinned conversations will stay on the prime of the listing, even if you happen to get textual content messages from different folks. You’ll be able to pin a number of conversations as nicely to maintain your most necessary contacts on the prime.

The method is kind of straightforward. Merely long-press any dialog you wish 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 appropriate 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 ideas and tips

Smaller options

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Google Messages has quite a lot of different, smaller options that may make your life somewhat simpler when enabling them. We’ll rapid-fire by 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 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 cellphone icon and a video digital camera icon within the prime 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. Observe that each events should 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. 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 assist this characteristic) customers will see the response on the message itself.

With the above ideas and tips, it is best to be capable to use Google Messages like an skilled. Joyful texting!