11 Google Messages options, ideas, and methods

Google Messages is the default SMS and messaging possibility on many Android phones. If it isn’t on the cellphone 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 cellphone quantity. So, it is nonetheless value giving Google Messages a attempt — listed below are slightly below a dozen neat ideas and methods to make your expertise higher.

1 Allow RCS messaging

Ship your texts over knowledge as an alternative of over SMS

From the principle display in Messages, faucet your profile icon on the suitable facet of your cellphone 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 an alternative of over SMS. Thus, you now not have the 160-character restrict or the MMS dimension limitations. You can too react to messages like you’ll be able to 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 characteristic.

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2 Confirm your end-to-end encryption

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

One of many major 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 may examine for this on a chat-by-chat foundation as effectively.

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, 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 an alternative of RCS when you want. Nonetheless, this may 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 perform a few years in the past, and it will definitely turned a regular characteristic on Android. Messages helps chat bubbles, and you may 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’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, effectively, 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 characteristic, 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 images in full decision

Photographs 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 sooner. Should you 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 principle Messages web page, faucet your profile image, after which choose Messages settings. As soon as there, discover the Ship images sooner possibility and untick the choice.

Your images will take a bit longer to ship, however the recipient will get the full-size image as an alternative of 1 with lowered high quality. Should you discover that your pictures are taking approach 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 tougher

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 have got 4 choices that I am going to run by rapidly.

• Good Reply: Suggests fast replies when somebody texts you. It is helpful if you wish to acknowledge one thing somebody mentioned, however you do not have the time to kind out a full message at that second.
• Urged 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 could recommend 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, but it surely does assist when you’re caught on what to say.
• Urged stickers: A extra enjoyable and fewer sensible characteristic that can recommend emotive stickers based mostly on what you say. So, after 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 approach so as to add some persona to your messages.

Every of the above choices is individually accessible. Thus, if you would like 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 effectively 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, chances are you’ll not need that, or you might have considered trying totally different swipe instructions. Altering it’s fairly simple.

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 power to customise your left and proper swipes. The choices embody archive, delete, and mark a message as learn or unread. You can too flip the swipe capabilities 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 executed 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 certainly one 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 cellphone. For this one, we’ll use the QR code because it does not require a Google account. Faucet the Pair with QR code possibility.
3. The web site will generate a QR code.
4. In your cellphone, scan the QR code utilizing your digicam 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 executed, you’ll be able to safely and rapidly textual content out of your net browser freed from cost. The good factor is that you simply solely need to do the setup course of as soon as per gadget. As soon as it is arrange, you’ll be able to 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 may have 4 choices

The flexibility to schedule texts is constructed into Messages by default, you simply have to know the 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 may have 4 choices. The primary three are predetermined instances and the ultimate possibility allows you to decide your date and time. As soon as executed, 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 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 necessary messages in Google Messages

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

It’s doable to avoid wasting, pin, or in any other case mark a message as necessary 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 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 particular person 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 need to use it to avoid wasting data 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 necessary conversations in Google Messages

Will stay on the prime of the checklist

Very like particular person messages, you may as well pin necessary conversations to the highest of your message checklist. Pinned conversations will stay on the prime of the checklist, even when you get textual content messages from different folks. You may pin a number of conversations as effectively to maintain your most necessary contacts on the prime.

The method is kind 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 to pin it. Pinned conversations have a pin icon in the suitable margin to let you understand 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 methods

Smaller options

Google Messages has a wide range of different, smaller options that may make your life a bit of simpler when enabling them. We’ll rapid-fire by a number 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: Once you go into any chat, there’s a cellphone icon and a video digicam icon within the prime proper nook. Tapping the previous will provoke a cellphone name in your dialer and tapping the latter will provoke a video name by way of Google Meet. Observe that each events need to 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, 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. Observe 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 characteristic) customers will see the response on the message itself.