Google Messages continues to pile on new functions, and this time, it’s around media that things are moving. With the latest beta update of the app, Android Authority discovered a feature that could change the way we interact with photos and videos in chats.
Clearer conversations with threaded responses
Until now, it was possible to react to an image with an emoji by holding down on it. Now, an option to leave a comment appears directly when opening an image shared in chat. At the bottom of the screen, a small icon provides access to a dedicated response thread, where you can view or add comments specific to this content.
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This could greatly improve the clarity of conversations, especially in group chats where messages often overlap. No need to scroll endlessly to find who said what about a photo: everything is centralized in a thread visible in one click.
Although this feature is not yet available to the general public, it shows that Google is seeking to enrich interactions within Messages. Some adjustments are still necessary, notably to make artificial intelligence (Gemini) more effective in the context of these discussion threads, but the idea is there.
-Beyond threaded responses, Google Messages also refines visual details. A new animation for sending and receiving messages has been spotted in beta v20250115 of the app. Messages, whether sent via RCS or SMS, now appear with a subtle transition: they gently expand to fill the space, a welcome discreet elegant touch.
This animation helps make the application more enjoyable. We feel that Google is seeking to go beyond basic functions to offer a more modern and refined experience. The search engine has no choice: competition is very keen in the messaging sector, it is a matter of not being left behind.
The arrival of RCS for iPhone users last year marked a turning point for the application, and Google is working hard to capitalize on this momentum.
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