Google Messages continues to evolve, and with RCS support having taken care of the bigger things, Google is constantly working on seemingly minor things to improve the messaging experience.
Android Authority combed through some code to unearth possible work-in-progress features and was able to find two. They even managed to get them working on their phone to show us how they would work.
Old vs new message box. | Image Credit – Android Authority
The first one is relatively insignificant. At the moment, when you text someone, the message appears in a static blue oblong box, with the status indicators below it. In the future, this box may appear as an expanding animation, with delivery checkmarks inside of it.
It’s as small a change as they come, but it sure adds a little something. Besides, it’s little additions like these sprinkled throughout that separate good apps from mediocre ones.
Next up is a change to image reactions and replies. A future version of Google Messages may let you add threaded replies to media attachments. When you tap on an image or video, you will have the option to add comments meant for the attachment. These will not appear in the general chat area and hence not clutter up the main view.
Google Messages threaded replies feature. | Image Credit – Android Authority
Additionally, you will also be able to react with emojis after tapping on media. Currently, you must long-press on an image or a video in the full chat summary to be able to add reactions. This, again, is not a ground-breaking change, but it surely is a thoughtful one.
Neither of these features has been officially confirmed and there’s no stopping Google from abandoning its work on them. However, code strings often accurately predict future messages, and we sure hope Google ends up shipping the nested replies feature at least.
