Google is always trying out new features that can enhance the user experience, but not all of them make it to the final version of a product or service. In many instances, the features are never rolled out to the public, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes. Google’s developing features are often masked behind flags, and one person has uncovered new work being done onMessages.
As spotted byTheSpAndroid, Google has four flags in the latest Messages APK that suggest it’s working on allowing users to edit sent texts. The flags indicate that the edited message would be reflected on both the sender and recipient’s end, but the feature is not functional just yet. Additionally, it’s unclear if message editing will continue to be developed or launched for all users, and the feature has not been confirmed by Google.
The company has madeseveral updates to Messagesover the past few months, and many of them seem to be in an attempt to rival similar services. For example, a feature called Photomoji has been developed, which allows users to leverage AI to make stickers out of photos. More visual effects have been added as well, such as on-screen animations that can be queued up when typing key phrases like, “It’s snowing.”
Apple’s iMessage isn’t the only rival that Google is pulling inspiration from, however. ATelegram-like featurewas spotted in flags, for instance, that allowed users to long-press on a message and trigger a reaction animation. That being said, such features have been seen on other messaging services as well, including WhatsApp. Generally speaking, it has seemed like Google has been playing catch-up.
The increasing adoption of Rich Communication Service (RCS) will likely impact the competition between messaging apps, regardless. With Apple launching RCS support for iOS in 2024, there will be fewer compatibility issues in terms of everything from character limits to media quality. If UI features become streamlined to work across different operating systems, it could make it easier for companies to focus on development.
The recent code indicating that Google is working on a message editing feature showed up in a Messages beta build on November 19. Because it’s still hidden behind flags and cannot be enabled, there’s a good chance that it won’t go official for at least a few weeks — if it launches at all. Even if it doesn’t go live, it’s clear that Google is invested in making Messages a more appealing, versatile messaging app. It’s these types of features that could help the company keep up with developments from its Big Tech competitors.
