11 Google Messages options, ideas, and tips

Google Messages is the default SMS and messaging possibility 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 likewise 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. Nonetheless, SMS continues 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 price giving Google Messages a attempt — listed here are just below a dozen neat ideas and tips to make your expertise higher.

1 Allow RCS messaging

Ship your texts over knowledge as a substitute of over SMS

From the principle display 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 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 knowledge 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 may 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

Test for this on a chat-by-chat foundation as properly

One of many essential 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 may examine for this on a chat-by-chat foundation as properly.

Open any chat you are inquisitive about and faucet the 3-dot menu icon within the high proper nook of your chat. Choose Particulars. On that display, you may 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 case you desire. 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 operate a few years in the past, and it will definitely turned a typical function on Android. Messages helps chat bubbles, and you’ll allow it fairly rapidly. From the principle Messages display, faucet your profile image and choose Messages settings. Within the subsequent menu, faucet Bubbles. From right here, you may choose to show your whole chats into bubbles or solely those you choose.

When enabled, Chat bubbles will present up as, properly, bubbles on the facet of your display. You may rapidly faucet the bubble to open up the chat and reply. It is a little bit of a polarizing function, as many of us don’t love having further stuff on their display. Thus, if you wish to flip it off, comply with 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 belongings you ship in order that they ship quicker. Should you do not thoughts an extended sending time, you may 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 decreased high quality. Should you discover that your photos are taking means too lengthy to ship, you may 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 could have 4 choices that I am going to run via 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, reminiscent of Google Maps, Google Meet, and Google Calendar. So, for instance, if somebody needs to make plans with you subsequent week, Messages could recommend 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, however it does assist in case you’re caught on what to say.
• Steered stickers: A extra enjoyable and fewer sensible function that may recommend emotive stickers primarily based on what you say. So, after I textual content my spouse “I like you”, it’s going to present me an animated sticker of a bear blowing kisses. It is a good means so as to add some character 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 may 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 properly in Google Messages while you get them arrange. By default, swiping a message on the principle web page left or proper sends it to the archives. Nonetheless, you could 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 offered with the power 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 don’t 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, reminiscent of two-factor authentication texts or textual content updates about shipped packages after I obtain my supply. As soon as accomplished 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 free of charge

Google / Pocket-lint

Google Messages is one in every of 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 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 digital camera app or a QR code scanner of some kind.
5. As soon as authenticated, the webpage will reload with your whole texts.

As soon as accomplished, you may safely and rapidly textual content out of your net browser freed from cost. The great factor is that you just solely should do the setup course of as soon as per gadget. As soon as it is arrange, you may navigate to messages.google.com on the identical net browser to instantly load your messages once more.

8 Schedule a textual content to ship later in Google Messages

You have got 4 choices

The flexibility 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 need to ship later. From there, lengthy press the ship button. A window will seem that may allow you to schedule the textual content.

You have got 4 choices. The primary three are predetermined occasions and the ultimate possibility enables you to decide your date and time. As soon as accomplished, 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 essential messages in Google Messages

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

It’s attainable to avoid wasting, pin, or in any other case mark a message as essential in Google Messages. To take action, discover the message you need to save. Faucet and maintain the message to pick it after which faucet the star icon on the high of the display 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 utilize it to avoid wasting info 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 need 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 essential conversations in Google Messages

Will stay on the high of the checklist

Very like particular person messages, you may also pin essential conversations to the highest of your message checklist. Pinned conversations will stay on the high of the checklist, even in case you get textual content messages from different individuals. You may pin a number of conversations as properly to maintain your most essential contacts on the high.

The method is sort of straightforward. Merely long-press any dialog you need to pin. As soon as chosen, faucet the pin icon on the high of the display to pin it. Pinned conversations have a pin icon in the suitable margin to let you recognize 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 ideas and tips

Smaller options

Google Messages has a wide range of different, smaller options that may make your life a bit simpler when enabling them. We’ll rapid-fire via just a few of those smaller options beneath.

• 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 website 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: Once you go into any chat, there’s a telephone icon and a video digital camera 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. Notice that each events should have Google Meet for video calls to work.
• Assign per-conversation notification tones: Open the chat you need to customise and faucet the 3-dot menu button. Choose Particulars, then Notifications. On the subsequent display, you may 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. Notice that SMS and iMessage customers will obtain a separate textual content letting them know you reacted to a particular message, however Google Messages (and apps that assist this function) customers will see the response on the message itself.