11 Google Messages options, suggestions, and tips

Google Messages is the default SMS and messaging possibility on many Android telephones. If it is not on the telephone already, it is only a fast obtain from the Google Play Retailer. Its unobtrusive UI is clear and likewise features a library of non-compulsory options that make mild work of your messaging wants, too.

Many people have certainly gravitated towards apps like Fb Messenger, WhatsApp, and even Discord. 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 strive — listed below are just below a dozen neat suggestions and tips to make your expertise higher.

1 Allow RCS messaging

Ship your texts over knowledge as an alternative of over SMS

From the primary display screen 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. It’s also possible to react to messages like you’ll be able to 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.

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2 Confirm your end-to-end encryption

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

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 shall be end-to-end encrypted. You possibly can examine 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 high proper nook of your chat. Choose Particulars. On that display screen, you will 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 force-sending messages with SMS/MMS as an alternative of RCS for those who desire. Nevertheless, this can disengage encryption.

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3 Allow or disable chat bubbles

Rapidly faucet the bubble to open up the chat

Fb Messenger launched the chat bubbles perform a few years in the past, and it will definitely grew to become a regular function on Android. Messages helps chat bubbles, and you’ll allow it fairly rapidly. From the primary Messages display screen, 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 all your chats into bubbles or solely those you choose.

When enabled, Chat bubbles will present up as, effectively, bubbles on the facet of your display screen. You possibly can rapidly faucet the bubble to open up the chat and reply. This can be a little bit of a polarizing function, as many of us do not like having further stuff on their display screen. Thus, if you wish to flip it off, comply with the directions above and easily flip it off.

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4 Ship images in full decision

Images will take a bit longer to ship

By default, Google Messages reduces the picture high quality of belongings you ship in order that they ship quicker. In case you do not thoughts an extended sending time, you’ll be able to ship your photos in full decision. To take action, 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 quicker 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 diminished high quality. In case you discover that your photos are taking method too lengthy to ship, you’ll be able to at all times head again into the settings and reverse the change to ship quicker photos once more.

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5 Make use of the Suggestion options

Work smarter, not more durable

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 possibility and choose it. From right here you’ve gotten 4 choices that I am going to run by means of rapidly.

• 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 kind out a full message at that second.
• Prompt actions: This feature integrates Google Messages with different Google apps, akin 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.
• 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, nevertheless it does assist for those who’re caught on what to say.
• Prompt stickers: A extra enjoyable and fewer sensible function 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 method so as to add some persona to your messages.

Every of the above choices is individually obtainable. Thus, if you’d 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.

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6 Assign your swipe actions

Archive, delete, and mark a message

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. Nevertheless, you could not need that, or you might have considered trying completely 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 offered with the power 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.

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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, akin to two-factor authentication texts or textual content updates about shipped packages after I obtain my supply. As soon as achieved 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 free of charge

Google / Pocket-lint

Google Messages is one among 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 digicam app or a QR code scanner of some kind.
5. As soon as authenticated, the webpage will reload with all your texts.

As soon as achieved, you’ll be able to safely and rapidly textual content out of your internet browser freed from cost. The great factor is that you just solely need to do the setup course of as soon as per machine. As soon as it is arrange, you’ll be able to 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

The power to schedule texts is constructed into Messages by default, you simply have to know how you can 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 can allow you to schedule the textual content.

You’ve 4 choices. The primary three are predetermined instances and the ultimate possibility helps you to decide your date and time. As soon as achieved, 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.

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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 vital messages in Google Messages

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

It’s potential to avoid wasting, pin, or in any other case mark a message as vital 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 high of the display screen 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 should use it to avoid wasting data you could want later.

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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 vital conversations in Google Messages

Will stay on the high of the checklist

Very like particular person messages, it’s also possible to pin vital conversations to the highest of your message checklist. Pinned conversations will stay on the high of the checklist, even for those who get textual content messages from different individuals. You possibly can pin a number of conversations as effectively to maintain your most vital 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 screen to pin it. Pinned conversations have a pin icon in the proper 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 tips

Smaller options

Google Messages has quite a lot of different, smaller options that may make your life a bit of simpler when enabling them. We’ll rapid-fire by means of a number of of those smaller options under.

• 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.
• Voice or video name somebody from inside the chat: If you go into any chat, there’s a telephone icon and a video digicam 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. Observe that each events need to have Google Meet for video calls to work.
• 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 screen, you’ll be able to choose a customized notification sound for simply that contact. Repeat for any contact you need customized tones for.
• React to SMS and RCS texts: Lengthy-press any message you obtain in Google Messages and you’ll 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 selected message, however Google Messages (and apps that help this function) customers will see the response on the message itself.