{"id":446290,"date":"2026-02-01T01:34:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T01:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/446290\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T01:34:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T01:34:19","slug":"what-new-google-messages-features-are-rolling-out-january-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/446290\/","title":{"rendered":"What new Google Messages features are rolling out [January 2026]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\"Google<\/p>\n

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<\/a>, and devices we\u2019ve checked, this is the current state of Messages.<\/p>\n

Update 1\/31:<\/p>\n

Still rolling out (beta)<\/p>\n

These are Messages features that Google announced or have been spotted in the wild by beta users<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[Updated] @mentions in group RCS chats<\/p>\n

This ability to get a person\u2019s attention in group conversations even \u201cif their notifications are muted\u201d has been slowly seeing a broader rollout in recent weeks. It\u2019s not yet widely available.<\/p>\n

\tAdvertisement – scroll for more content<\/p>\n

More<\/a><\/p>\n

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Instead of a toolbar, long-pressing on an image or message opens a floating menu, with Google partially centering what you\u2019re viewing. The background gets blurred, while you feel haptic feedback.<\/p>\n

More<\/a><\/p>\n

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MLS encryption<\/p>\n

Universal Profile 3.0 adds support for the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol that makes possible cross-platform (Android-iOS) RCS that is end-to-end encrypted (E2EE).\u00a0<\/p>\n

You can check<\/a> whether this is live for a conversation by long-pressing on a message and opening the redesigned Details page. The portion relevant to MLS is the \u201cEncryption Protocol\u201d section. Value \u201c0\u201d is the existing E2EE, while value \u201c1\u201d is the upcoming approach.<\/p>\n

Read receipts redesign<\/p>\n

Following the last redesign in early 2023, another revamp<\/a> places read receipts in a circle at the bottom-right corner of message bubbles (and images).You swipe left to see all timestamps and the end-to-end encryption status, while you swipe right to reply\/quote a message. This started rolling out in August 2024, with more people receiving it in November.<\/p>\n

EllipsisSendingSingle check with ringSentDouble check with ringDeliveredDouble check solid circleRead<\/p>\n

In January 2025<\/a>, Google tweaked the design to make the circular background white. In no longer matching the bubble color, the read receipts stand out a great deal more. <\/p>\n

L-R: Current, redesign, latest<\/p>\n

Recent launches (stable)<\/p>\n

[New] Toned down Nano Banana Remix<\/p>\n

When you long-press on an image, \u201cRemix\u201d in the bottom-left corner is now smaller. Meanwhile, the fullscreen viewer has moved the button to the bottom row to provide an unobstructed image. <\/p>\n

Other designs that Google tested removed the banana emoji, but Messages is now keeping that branding in place.<\/p>\n

More<\/a><\/p>\n

Old vs. new<\/p>\n

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Camera tweaks<\/p>\n

Google has reduced the height of the camera viewfinder, though it now extends into the status bar. This container features rounded corners. The gallery now shows two full image rows, while some users might see part of the next row.<\/p>\n

More<\/a><\/p>\n

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Bigger Gemini FAB<\/p>\n

The Gemini FAB (floating action button) is now larger since Material 3 Expressive<\/a> deprecated the small component size. It now matches the \u2018Start chat\u201d FAB when you\u2019re scrolling.<\/p>\n

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Link preview redesign<\/p>\n

Link previews, including YouTube, have a new design and taller cover image. The page title is larger with the domain accompanied by a favicon and more prominent background. However, Google has removed the article snippet in a downgrade to information density. <\/p>\n

YouTube Picture-in-Picture is also back with this redesign, but you cannot open the full app immediately even if you disable Messages\u2019 PiP system permission. You have to fullscreen the video in Messages and then tap the logo in the bottom-right corner.<\/p>\n

More<\/a><\/p>\n

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Leave unknown group chats<\/p>\n

Google will let you quickly \u201cLeave group\u201d when you\u2019re invited by an unknown number, with options to Block and Report. This alert card above the text field explains how \u201cUnknown sender added you\u201d with the number prominently listed followed by how many people are in the conversation. Messages will note if anybody you know is part of the thread.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Image viewer redesign<\/p>\n

After first testing in June<\/a>, Google has rolled out a redesign of the Messages image viewer. This fullscreen interface features a blurred background and the ability to swipe left\/right. Your photo or video is at the center, with a tap opening the full size. Various options are in the top-right corner, while the bottom row shows comments and frequent emojis.<\/p>\n

Google has also updated how images are grouped together in the conversation view.<\/p>\n

More<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Like other Google apps, Messages for Android A\/B tests many features. It can take the RCS\/SMS client a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":446291,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[49,48,61],"class_list":["post-446290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446290\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/446291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}