Google hasn’t taken its chat apps seriously for a long time, but things are looking different with Messages. The company hit the right nerve with theopen RCS protocol, which is interoperable with many other apps (including iMessage, coming in 2024), much like the ancient SMS standard. The company has announced that it now has one billion active RCS users on Messages, and it’s celebrating this milestone with a grab bag full of new features.
The big theme with Google’s updates is customization, with a focus on closing the gap to competing services. It looks like a lot of these are targeting iMessage and other competitors, with some custom sticker creation options and splashy animations aimed at creating an enticing messaging experience of its own.
AI-supported Photomoji
No Google app is spared from getting AI features, and the same looks to be true for Google Messages. Google has announced Photomoji, which allow you to turn photos you’ve taken or found into stickers using an “on-device Google AI.” In a photo, you will be able to select an object or subject you’d like to turn into a sticker, which the AI will take care of. These creations will be saved in an extra tab, so you may reuse them. In groups, friends and family can also reuse your creations.
This sounds a lot likea feature Apple introduced with iOS 17, allowing you to lift a subject from an image and use them as a sticker. It works pretty well, so it remains to be seen how Google will set itself apart from Apple with the help of AI.
Voice moods and improved audio quality
To make voice messages more personal and give them more impact, you will be able to choose between nine different animated themes that you can add before sending. They essentially set the tone for the message before your receiver listens to it. Google says you “can sprinkle heart-eye emoji, fume with fireballs or break out the party popper” with the moods. On top of that, the company says it’s improved the voice quality with a higher bitrate and sampling rate.
Screen effects, custom bubbles, and animated emoji
There are many more visual updates. So-called new “screen effects” behave a lot like Easter eggs, automatically showing up when you type certain key phrases. Google offers “It’s snowing” or “Love you” as some examples, but encourages you and your friends to try for yourself to find all 15+ new animations.
In a move reminiscent of Facebook Messenger, Google allows you to customize your chats depending on the person you’re writing with, visible to both you and them. you’re able to select a different chat color for every chat and change the background of the conversation. The company cheekily says that “it’s no longer about blue vs. green.”
This is supposed to make it easier to differentiate conversations at a glance, preventing you from sending embarrassing messages that were meant for someone else. The feature was already spotted experimenting with this option, but it’s now official.
Another tweak seems to be taken straight from Telegram’s book: Google is adding reaction effects, which add animations to a selection of often-used emoji. They’re available for the following: 👍❤️ 😂😮😡👎💩🎉😠😢. Similarly, Messages is poised to get animated emoji, another staple Telegram feature. Rather than just displaying an emoji sent as a standalone message, you’ll see animations for some of the more popular choices. Among them is the ❤️ emoji that “sparkles with a dazzling pink heart to properly express your excitement.”
Google Messages profiles
The company also made a feature official that was spotted while it was still in the works. Messages isgetting support for Profiles. This feature allows you to customize the way you appear for other users that don’t have you saved as a contact yet. you’re able to tweak your profile picture and name with it, letting you have a consistent appearance across Google services. Google says this might be particularly helpful in group chats where not everyone may have saved everyone else’s numbers.
