11+ hidden Google Messages options you actually must be utilizing

Google Messages is the default SMS and messaging possibility on many Android phones. If it isn’t on the telephone by default, it is rapidly downloadable from the Google Play Retailer. It not solely presents you with a clear, unobtrusive UI for sending messages however features a library of elective options that may make gentle work of your messaging wants.

A number of people have certainly gravitated towards apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and even Discord for some people. Nonetheless, SMS continues 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 value giving Google Messages a try to listed below are some neat ideas and methods to make your expertise higher.

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1 Allow RCS messaging

Ship your texts over knowledge as a substitute of over SMS

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From the primary display in Messages, faucet your profile icon on the precise aspect 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 a substitute of over SMS. Thus, you not have the 160-character restrict or the MMS dimension limitations. You can even react to messages like you may 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 characteristic.

2 Confirm your end-to-end encryption

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

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One of many foremost 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 shall be end-to-end encrypted. You possibly can verify for this on a chat-by-chat foundation as effectively.

Open any chat you are interested in 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 a substitute of RCS if you happen to want. Nonetheless, 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 a typical characteristic on Android. Messages helps chat bubbles, and you may allow it fairly rapidly. From the primary Messages display, faucet your profile image and choose Messages settings. Within the subsequent menu, faucet Bubbles. From right here, you may choose to show all your chats into bubbles or solely those you choose.

When enabled, Chat bubbles will present up as, effectively, bubbles on the aspect of your display. You possibly can rapidly 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 further stuff on their display. Thus, if you wish to flip it off, comply with the directions above and easily flip it off.

4 Ship photographs in full decision

Pictures 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. Should you do not thoughts an extended ship time, you may ship your photographs 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 photographs sooner possibility and untick the choice.

Your photographs 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 photographs are taking method too lengthy to ship, you may at all times head again into the settings and reverse the change to ship sooner photographs 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 Solutions possibility and choose it. From right here you have got 4 choices that we’ll run by way of rapidly.

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 sort out a full message at that second.

2. Steered actions
   – This feature integrates Google Messages with different Google apps, equivalent to Google Maps, Google Meet, and Google Calendar. So, for instance, if somebody desires 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. Steered stickers
   – A extra enjoyable and fewer sensible characteristic that may counsel emotive stickers primarily based 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 method so as to add some character to your messages.

Every of the above choices is individually accessible. Thus, if you need one or two of them, however not the entire batch, you may 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 whenever you get them arrange. By default, swiping a message on the primary web page left or proper sends it to the archives. Nonetheless, you might not need that, or it’s your decision completely different swipe instructions. Altering it’s fairly straightforward.

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 offered with the power to customise your left and proper swipes. The choices embrace archive, delete, and mark a message as learn or unread. You can even 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 rapidly coping with texts that I do not intend to maintain long-term, equivalent to two-factor authentication texts or textual content updates about shipped packages after I obtain my supply. As soon as accomplished 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 certainly 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
   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 all your texts.

6. Be aware
   – 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 accomplished, you may safely and rapidly textual content out of your net browser freed from cost. The great factor is that you simply solely should do the setup course of as soon as per system. As soon as it is arrange, you may 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 might have 4 choices

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The power to schedule texts is constructed into Messages by default, you simply have to know entry it. Thankfully, 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 may allow you to schedule the textual content.

You might have 4 choices. The primary three are predetermined occasions and the ultimate possibility permits you to decide your date and time. As soon as accomplished, 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 precise 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 avoid wasting, 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 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 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 avoid wasting info you might 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 prime of the listing

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Very similar to particular person messages, you too can pin essential 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 individuals. You possibly can pin a number of conversations as effectively to maintain your most essential contacts on the prime.

The method is sort 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 precise 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 methods

Smaller options

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Google Messages has quite a lot of different, smaller options that may make your life a little bit simpler when enabling them. We’ll rapid-fire by way 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 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
   – If 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. Be aware 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 may 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. Be aware 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 methods, it is best to be capable of use Google Messages like an knowledgeable. Completely satisfied texting!