11 Google Messages options, suggestions, and tips

Google Messages is the default SMS and messaging possibility on many Android phones. 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 in addition features a library of non-obligatory options that make gentle work of your messaging wants, too.

Many people have certainly gravitated towards apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and even Discord. 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 attempt — listed here 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 principle display screen in Messages, faucet your profile icon on the suitable 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 extra 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 greatest options.

RCS chats, to place it merely, ship your texts over information as a substitute of over SMS. Thus, you now not have the 160-character restrict or the MMS dimension limitations. You may as well react to messages like you possibly can in iMessage and also you get entry to extra 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 predominant 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 can 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 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 a substitute of RCS if you happen to choose. Nonetheless, this may disengage encryption.

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3 Allow or disable chat bubbles

Shortly 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 turned a normal function on Android. Messages helps chat bubbles, and you may allow it fairly rapidly. From the principle Messages display screen, faucet your profile image and choose Messages settings. Within the subsequent menu, faucet Bubbles. From right here, you possibly can choose to show your entire chats into bubbles or solely those you choose.

When enabled, Chat bubbles will present up as, effectively, bubbles on the aspect of your display screen. You possibly can rapidly faucet the bubble to open up the chat and reply. It is a little bit of a polarizing function, as many people don’t love having further stuff on their display screen. Thus, if you wish to flip it off, observe the directions above and easily flip it off.

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4 Ship photographs in full decision

Images will take a bit longer to ship

By default, Google Messages reduces the picture high quality of stuff you ship in order that they ship quicker. If you happen to do not thoughts an extended sending time, you possibly can ship your photos in full decision. To take action, as soon as once more head to the principle Messages web page, faucet your profile image, after which choose Messages settings. As soon as there, discover the Ship photographs quicker 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. If you happen to discover that your photos are taking method too lengthy to ship, you possibly can all the time 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 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 Options possibility and choose it. From right here you’ve 4 choices that I will run by means of rapidly.

• 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.
• Prompt actions: This feature integrates Google Messages with different Google apps, corresponding to Google Maps, Google Meet, and Google Calendar. So, for instance, if somebody desires to make plans with you subsequent week, Messages could 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 if you happen to’re caught on what to say.
• Prompt stickers: A extra enjoyable and fewer sensible function that can counsel emotive stickers primarily based on what you say. So, once I textual content my spouse “I like you”, it will 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 out there. Thus, if you would like one or two of them, however not the entire batch, you possibly can 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 once you get them arrange. By default, swiping a message on the principle web page left or proper sends it to the archives. Nonetheless, chances are you’ll not need that, or you might have considered trying totally different swipe instructions. Altering it’s fairly straightforward.

As per the norm, head to the principle 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 introduced with the flexibility to customise your left and proper swipes. The choices embody archive, delete, and mark a message as learn or unread. You may as well 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, corresponding to two-factor authentication texts or textual content updates about shipped packages after I obtain my supply. As soon as finished 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 at no cost

Google / Pocket-lint

Google Messages is certainly one of solely a few methods to textual content out of your PC at no cost. 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 would 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 type.
5. As soon as authenticated, the webpage will reload with your entire texts.

As soon as finished, you possibly can 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 machine. As soon as it is arrange, you possibly can 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’ve 4 choices

The power to schedule texts is constructed into Messages by default, you simply must know the right way to entry it. Fortuitously, you already know the place it’s. Open any chat and sort 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 finished, 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 indicate 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 potential to save lots of, 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 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 use it to save lots of info chances are you’ll 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 listing

Very similar to particular person messages, you can too pin vital conversations to the highest of your message listing. Pinned conversations will stay on the high of the listing, even if you happen to get textual content messages from different folks. You possibly can pin a number of conversations as effectively to maintain your most vital contacts on the high.

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 high 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 quite a lot of different, smaller options that may make your life slightly simpler when enabling them. We’ll rapid-fire by means of a couple of of those smaller options under.

• 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.
• Voice or video name somebody from throughout the chat: Whenever 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. Be aware that each events should 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 subsequent display screen, you possibly can 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. Be aware 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.