Google has been working on adding dual-SIM support for RCS chats in Google Messages for quite a while. Code related to the feature first appeared in a beta version of the app in January this year, after which the feature briefly rolled out for a few users. Google subsequently pulled the feature, but it might now be ready for rollout.

According to a recent report on Reddit (via 9to5Google), dual-SIM support for RCS chats has appeared again with the latest Google Messages beta (version 20240813_00_RC00) for a Nothing Phone 2 user in India. A screenshot of the RCS chat settings page shared by the user shows two connected SIM cards underneath the option to enable RCS chats.

The screenshot also includes a new “Backup format for sending attachments” setting with a description stating “SMS with a link.” This setting seems to be related to the Google Photos integration that was removed from the Messages app last year, which allowed users to upload media to the cloud and share it as a link to avoid compression. It’s not clear if this feature is making a comeback, as it’s not live in the beta release.

Dual-SIM support for RCS chats, on the other hand, is live in the beta release and will likely reach users on the stable channel with a future update. However, Google has yet to announce the rollout officially, so we may have to wait a while before it’s widely available.

If you have read receipts enabled in Google Messages, then you know they normally appear below the text bubble when you’re in an RCS conversation. But it looks like Google could be considering moving them to another place.

In Google Messages, read receipts are sandwiched between the time/date and RCS encryption lock icon located underneath the text bubble. Read receipts come in four states: a timer, single check, double check, and color-filled double check. These states mean the message is being sent, the message was sent, the message was received, and the message was read, respectively. While the placement of read receipts is fairly visible, they could move to an even more prominent place.

Spotted by 9to5Google, it appears Google has begun testing a redesign in the Messages app. That redesign relocates read receipts, placing them inside the text bubble instead of below it. You can see in the images below a screenshot of the current version on the left and the redesign on the right.

In the redesign, the read receipts appear in a circle sitting inside the text bubble. The circle is slightly lighter than the text bubble itself, allowing it to stand out. According to the outlet, this redesign allows read receipts to appear on every message instead of only appearing below the most recent message. The publication says there’s only been one report of this redesign, so far.

This isn’t the only change that has come to the app recently. Just last week, it was discovered that Google was pushing out face filters for some users.

If you have read receipts enabled in Google Messages, then you know they normally appear below the text bubble when you’re in an RCS conversation. But it looks like Google could be considering moving them to another place.

In Google Messages, read receipts are sandwiched between the time/date and RCS encryption lock icon located underneath the text bubble. Read receipts come in four states: a timer, single check, double check, and color-filled double check. These states mean the message is being sent, the message was sent, the message was received, and the message was read, respectively. While the placement of read receipts is fairly visible, they could move to an even more prominent place.

Spotted by 9to5Google, it appears Google has begun testing a redesign in the Messages app. That redesign relocates read receipts, placing them inside the text bubble instead of below it. You can see in the images below a screenshot of the current version on the left and the redesign on the right.

In the redesign, the read receipts appear in a circle sitting inside the text bubble. The circle is slightly lighter than the text bubble itself, allowing it to stand out. According to the outlet, this redesign allows read receipts to appear on every message instead of only appearing below the most recent message. The publication says there’s only been one report of this redesign, so far.

This isn’t the only change that has come to the app recently. Just last week, it was discovered that Google was pushing out face filters for some users.

Today, Google is pushing out the latest Android Feature Drop. This is a quarterly collection of new features for Android-based devices. While there are some cool things on the list this quarter, one stands head and shoulders above the others: the ability to edit messages in the Google Messages app!

This is a staple feature of many other messaging platforms, so the fact that Messages is finally getting it is a big deal. In fact, we’ve been hearing this was in the works since last year, so it’s been a long time coming. Check out how it works in the GIF below:

Google has announced a bunch of new updates that are rolling out to Android devices, including the ability to edit RCS messages after they’re sent in Google Messages, the ability to quickly connect Android or ChromeOS devices to your phone’s hotspot, and new tools for quickly controlling Google Home smart devices. But there are a […]

The post Google’s Android updates include instant hotspot connections, support for editing RCS messages, and more appeared first on Liliputing.

A while back, it was reported that Google was removing the “Nudge” feature from Messages. Now it appears the tech giant is preparing to bring the feature to the app.

Nudges were first introduced in 2018 as a function for Gmail before expanding out to Google Messages in 2021. In Messages, the feature would prompt you to reply to messages and encourage you to follow up on outgoing messages by pushing unfinished conversations to the top of your conversations list. The feature was also used to remind users about birthdays if a date was stored in the contacts app.

Google Messages rolled out a big redesign for its text field back in January, with the field being split into two lines rather than just one. The idea here was to give users easy access to the multiple shortcuts available in the messaging app while also trying to retain the same text field size. However, this change didn't go down well with many of the app's users. Back in April, we learned that the company may be working on a reversal of this particular text-field redesign. It now looks like the single-line text field is rolling out to some users with the Google Messages beta release.

Google has several messaging apps, but the Google Messages app is and remains one of the best texting apps for Android. Many of us use it for our SMS and RCS needs, and it gets the job done without a lot of fuss. Google was spotted working on a message editing feature for Google Messages in February, which now seems to be rolling out to beta users.

X user Jhowkira2000 mentions (via AssembleDebug on X) that Google Messages’ message editing feature is now available on some of their devices on the beta track.

Google Messages is preparing a small but useful new feature that will prevent you from seeing messages from blocked contacts anywhere on the app.

Wish you could know who that unknown sender who just contacted you out of the blue is? Google appears to be working on a feature for Messages that will tell you that person’s name in the text message notification you receive.

While looking through the latest beta version of Google Messages (messages.android_20240506_01_RC00.phone_samsung_openbeta_dynamic), we discovered a change to the notification you receive whenever you get a new message. If you get a text from a number that’s not saved in your contacts list and they have profile discovery enabled, that notification will include the sender’s name. You can see an example in the picture below.

Google has been working on quite a few new features for the Messages app as of late. A few weeks ago, it was discovered Google could let users turn off expressive animations. More recently, however, we spotted a redesigned Selfie GIF feature. Now we have found that Google could make a change to the UI to introduce a new gallery picker for group messages.

In the latest beta for Google Messages (messages.android_20240506_01_RC00.phone_samsung_openbeta_dynamic), we have uncovered a change to the app’s UI. When you tap the new camera icon on the main page (which the stable channel of Messages doesn’t have yet), it takes the user directly to their photo gallery before starting a new group message.

Google has several messaging apps, but the Google Messages app is and remains one of the best texting apps for Android. Many of us use it for our SMS and RCS needs, and it gets the job done without a lot of fuss. Google was spotted working on a message editing feature for Google Messages in February, which now seems to be rolling out to beta users.

X user Jhowkira2000 mentions (via AssembleDebug on X) that Google Messages’ message editing feature is now available on some of their devices on the beta track.

Google Messages is preparing a small but useful new feature that will prevent you from seeing messages from blocked contacts anywhere on the app.

Wish you could know who that unknown sender who just contacted you out of the blue is? Google appears to be working on a feature for Messages that will tell you that person’s name in the text message notification you receive.

While looking through the latest beta version of Google Messages (messages.android_20240506_01_RC00.phone_samsung_openbeta_dynamic), we discovered a change to the notification you receive whenever you get a new message. If you get a text from a number that’s not saved in your contacts list and they have profile discovery enabled, that notification will include the sender’s name. You can see an example in the picture below.

Google has been working on quite a few new features for the Messages app as of late. A few weeks ago, it was discovered Google could let users turn off expressive animations. More recently, however, we spotted a redesigned Selfie GIF feature. Now we have found that Google could make a change to the UI to introduce a new gallery picker for group messages.

In the latest beta for Google Messages (messages.android_20240506_01_RC00.phone_samsung_openbeta_dynamic), we have uncovered a change to the app’s UI. When you tap the new camera icon on the main page (which the stable channel of Messages doesn’t have yet), it takes the user directly to their photo gallery before starting a new group message.

Google has several messaging apps, but the Google Messages app is and remains one of the best texting apps for Android. Many of us use it for our SMS and RCS needs, and it gets the job done without a lot of fuss. Google was spotted working on a message editing feature for Google Messages in February, which now seems to be rolling out to beta users.

X user Jhowkira2000 mentions (via AssembleDebug on X) that Google Messages’ message editing feature is now available on some of their devices on the beta track.

Google Messages is preparing a small but useful new feature that will prevent you from seeing messages from blocked contacts anywhere on the app.

Wish you could know who that unknown sender who just contacted you out of the blue is? Google appears to be working on a feature for Messages that will tell you that person’s name in the text message notification you receive.

While looking through the latest beta version of Google Messages (messages.android_20240506_01_RC00.phone_samsung_openbeta_dynamic), we discovered a change to the notification you receive whenever you get a new message. If you get a text from a number that’s not saved in your contacts list and they have profile discovery enabled, that notification will include the sender’s name. You can see an example in the picture below.

Google has been working on quite a few new features for the Messages app as of late. A few weeks ago, it was discovered Google could let users turn off expressive animations. More recently, however, we spotted a redesigned Selfie GIF feature. Now we have found that Google could make a change to the UI to introduce a new gallery picker for group messages.

In the latest beta for Google Messages (messages.android_20240506_01_RC00.phone_samsung_openbeta_dynamic), we have uncovered a change to the app’s UI. When you tap the new camera icon on the main page (which the stable channel of Messages doesn’t have yet), it takes the user directly to their photo gallery before starting a new group message.

Keeping your Android apps up to date is important. Not only do updates bring new features, but they also sometimes incorporate new security protocols to keep you and your device safe. However, it looks like Google is now going to take updates very seriously — so seriously that it might just be a huge annoyance.

Let’s take Google Messages updates, for example. For a long time now, if there’s been an update for Messages, you would get a notification about it when you open the app. The notification would take up about half the screen and could be easily closed. Once you close it, that’s it — you wouldn’t get notified about it again until there’s another update.

Magic Compose uses generative AI to suggest responses to text messages. It launched in May 2023 but is only available in a limited capacity through the Google Messages app. Unlike the Pixel 8's AI features, it isn't limited to specific devices. We show you how to activate and use Magic Compose in Google Messages and how to sign up to test the feature. While it's available on any device, we recommend the Google Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro for the best AI experience.

Update: March 1, 2024 (12:35 PM ET): A spokesperson from Google has reached out to Android Authority and provided the following statement:

– Ensuring that message-issuing/receiving devices are following the operating measures defined by the RCS standard is one of the ways Google Messages prevent spam and abuse.

– As we fight spammers and fraudsters, we take into account different indicators. A large volume of RCS spam comes from automation, which typically relies on modifications to the sending device.

– Our spam prevention techniques constantly evolve in response to the changing behavior of spammers. We will continue to look for ways to prevent spam and fraud while minimizing the number of users affected.

Original article: March 1, 2024 (4:46 AM ET): We’ve all seen Google wax poetically and relentlessly on how RCS messaging is the next best thing since sliced bread and how Apple should adopt the standard on its iPhones to bring a great messaging experience to all users. We agree with the sentiment, and even Apple has committed to including RCS in iMessage this year, likely with the impending iOS 18 update. But as much as Google wants others to use RCS, the company is blocking rooted Android phones and custom ROM users from using it on their devices.

While Google actively advocates for the adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging as the future of mobile communication, recent reports highlight a seemingly contradictory ...

The post Google Messages App Blocks RCS on Rooted Android Devices appeared first on Gizchina.com.

Google has spent the last few years pushing RCS as the future of instant messaging, thanks to support for features that are missing from SMS such as typing notifications, read receipts, high-res photo sharing, and support for sending messages over WiFi as well as cellular networks. But… many Google Messages users recently noticed that they […]

The post Lilbits: Google Messages blocks RCS on rooted phones, HDMI Forum blocks AMD’s open source high-res/refresh rate drivers appeared first on Liliputing.

Google Messages finds its way as the default texting app on plenty of flagship Android smartphones, thanks to Google’s GMS requirements. It is a good app, too, so most users don’t mind using it for daily communication. Regular Google Messages can look forward to more exciting features, such as potential camera effects and a cleaner overall look.

TheSpAndroid spotted several flags within Google Messages that point to upcoming features. For one, Google Messages has its own camera activity nestled within itself, separate from the camera app on your phone.

This camera could soon get some effects features. There isn’t more information on what the effects could be, but Google will most likely offer you the choice to toggle the effects.

Google Messages has a top contacts feature that surfaces some recently and frequently contacted people when you click on the search icon within the app. This feature may disappear in the future, though the flag sounds more like something used for internal debugging purposes.

Similarly, a new flag removes the draft message preview from the main screen. This gives a cleaner look to the app’s main screen but hides away a genuinely helpful feature. Drafts at the top of the list are a reminder to action them, and letting them dissolve back into the chat list will likely lead to many more messages that are only mentally sent but not actually sent. We presume this could also be a flag used for internal debugging purposes.

We will have to wait and see which of these changes Google considers permanent for Google Messages. Camera effects would be nice to have, depending on how they pan out to be.