What new Google Messages features are rolling out [August 2026]
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Google is rolling out several updates to the Messages app for Android, including new UI designs, improved RCS functionality for iOS-Android interoperability, and enhanced customization options. These features are currently in various stages of beta testing and stable release.
Why it matters
These updates reflect the ongoing effort to standardize messaging protocols and improve user experience across different mobile operating systems.
Like other Google apps, Messages for Android A/B tests many features. It can take the RCS/SMS client a rather long time to actually launch new functionality in stable. From various reports, Google announcements , and devices we’ve checked, this is the current state of Messages.
These are Messages features that Google announced or have been spotted in the wild by beta users .
Google is testing two designs, with the one on the right taking up more of your screen.
Long-press menu Instead of a top toolbar, long-pressing on a message or image opens a floating menu as the background blurs. Another press lets you copy just a part of the chat. Previously, you had to copy the entire message.
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