11 Google Messages options, suggestions, and tips

Google Messages is the default SMS and messaging choice on many Android phones. If it isn’t on the telephone already, it is only a fast obtain from the Google Play Retailer. Its unobtrusive UI is clear and in addition features a library of non-obligatory options that make mild work of your messaging wants, too.

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

1 Allow RCS messaging

Ship your texts over information as a substitute of over SMS

From the primary display screen in Messages, faucet your profile icon on the suitable facet of your telephone and choose Messages settings. From there, faucet RCS chats and tick the Activate RCS chats choice. There are additionally a number of further 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 greatest options.

RCS chats, to place it merely, ship your texts over information as a substitute 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’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 characteristic.

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2 Confirm your end-to-end encryption

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

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 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 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 a substitute of RCS in the event you choose. Nevertheless, it will 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 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 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 your entire chats into bubbles or solely those you choose.

When enabled, Chat bubbles will present up as, nicely, bubbles on the facet of your display screen. You’ll be able to rapidly faucet the bubble to open up the chat and reply. This can be a little bit of a polarizing characteristic, as many of us don’t love 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 pictures in full decision

Pictures 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 sooner. If you happen to do not thoughts an extended sending time, you’ll be able to ship your pictures 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 pictures sooner choice and untick the choice.

Your pictures will take a bit longer to ship, however the recipient will get the full-size image as a substitute of 1 with decreased high quality. If you happen to discover that your pictures 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 sooner pictures 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 search 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 choice and choose it. From right here you could have 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 stated, however you do not have the time to sort out a full message at that second.
• Steered 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 characteristic that checks your message draft and provides alternate concepts for what you typed. It is in beta, nevertheless it does assist in the event you’re caught on what to say.
• Steered stickers: A extra enjoyable and fewer sensible characteristic that can counsel emotive stickers primarily based on what you say. So, once I textual content my spouse “I really like you”, it will 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 out there. Thus, if you need 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 nicely in Google Messages once 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 it’s your decision 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 features 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 in all 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 choice.
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 your entire texts.

As soon as achieved, you’ll be able to safely and rapidly textual content out of your net browser freed from cost. The great factor is that you just solely must 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 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

The power to schedule texts is constructed into Messages by default, you simply have to know the best way to 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 might have 4 choices. The primary three are predetermined occasions and the ultimate choice helps you to choose your date and time. As soon as achieved, 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.

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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 suitable 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 doable 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 prime 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 listing of messages. This works very equally to pinned messages in Discord, so you need to 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 prime of the listing

Very like particular person messages, you may also pin vital conversations to the highest of your message listing. Pinned conversations will stay on the prime of the listing, even in the event you get textual content messages from different folks. You’ll be able to pin a number of conversations as nicely to maintain your most vital contacts on the prime.

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 prime of the display screen to pin it. Pinned conversations have a pin icon in the suitable margin to let you already know 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 a wide range of different, smaller options that may make your life somewhat 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: While 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 through Google Meet. Word that each events must 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 may react to a message with an emoji. Word 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 characteristic) customers will see the response on the message itself.