Google Messages has been on a steady update streak through 2026, and an August 8 tracker from 9to5Google now gives a full picture of what is rolling out, what is still in beta, and what recently landed in stable. The changes span everything from how you interact with individual messages to how conversations look — and a few of them are long overdue.
Here is a breakdown of everything currently in motion.
What's Still Rolling Out (Beta)
Customisable Attachments Grid
For the first time, <cite index="13-1">the Google Messages attachment sheet icons can be customised and made to take up a full page.</cite> Previously, the row of attachment shortcuts — camera, GIFs, files, and so on — was fixed. The new layout lets you reorder and pin the shortcuts you actually use, giving you faster access without digging through the sheet.
Redesigned Long-Press Menu
This is the most practically useful change in the current beta wave. <cite index="11-1">Google Messages is expanding its server-side rollout of the floating context menu and selective text copying to more beta users. The redesigned floating menu places actions like Reply, Copy, Edit, Star, and Delete in a clean vertical list right by the text bubble for easier one-handed use.</cite>
The second part of this update is equally welcome: <cite index="11-1">selective text copying introduces draggable handles, allowing users to highlight specific details without copying an entire message.</cite> If you have ever needed to grab just a phone number or a date buried inside a longer message, you will know exactly why this matters.
Chat Theme
<cite index="9-1">Google Messages is letting you more extensively customise conversations with "Chat theme," replacing "Change colors" from 2024. You can access this new option from the three-dot overflow menu.</cite>
The feature goes well beyond a simple colour picker. <cite index="17-1">The Colors carousel themes message bubbles. There are nine options, with Dynamic Color being the first option and responding to the background of your chat. The Wallpapers option lets you change the background of the conversation. In addition to uploading your own image, Google provides the following collections: Animals, Architecture, Black & White, Cityscapes, Landscapes, Macro, Space, Sunsets, and Textures.</cite>
Note that Chat theme changes are only visible on your end — the person you are messaging sees their own defaults.
iOS 27 Brings Quoted Replies and Photo Reactions to Android-iPhone RCS
One of the bigger cross-platform improvements is coming with Apple's next major release. <cite index="9-1">When iOS 27 launches this fall, Android-iPhone conversations over RCS will gain support for inline replies that include quotes, as well as photo reactions with the actual emoji instead of just the text description. This feature is currently in beta.</cite>
Quoted replies in cross-platform chats have been a long-standing gap between RCS and iMessage, so this is a welcome step toward feature parity for mixed Android-iPhone group chats.
Read Receipts Redesign (Second Iteration)
Google has been iterating on read receipts for a while now. <cite index="9-1">In recent weeks, Google Messages has mostly reverted to the two-circle read receipts underneath the message design after trying a single circle within the bubble. Google is now testing a variant that uses the old icons but moves the timestamp and encryption lock — you now view that information by swiping left, with direct replies accessed by a right swipe.</cite>
The swipe-to-reply gesture mirrors interaction patterns already familiar from WhatsApp, so the learning curve should be minimal for most Android users.
Messages for Web Dropping QR Code Pairing
<cite index="9-1">Going forward, Messages for web users will have to use Google Account sign-in. As of late April, the QR code method is still available.</cite> This change simplifies the pairing process and aligns Messages for Web with how most other Google services handle multi-device access, though users who preferred the QR method will need to adjust.
What's Already Live (Stable)
Samsung Messages Is Gone in the US
This one went live in July and has real consequences for Samsung users on Android. <cite index="15-1">Samsung is discontinuing its own Messages app in the US, automatically pushing users onto Google's RCS client. Users on Android 14 and later will have Google Messages automatically moved to their homescreen dock as part of the transition.</cite> This explains, in part, why Google has been polishing Messages so aggressively this year.
Bolder Voice Message Button
A small but noticeable visual tweak: the voice message button now uses a more prominent themed colour rather than blending into the compose field. It makes the button easier to spot at a glance, particularly in darker UI themes.
Tap to Draft (Smart Replies)
<cite index="17-1">This new option helps reduce accidental Smart Replies. After enabling in Settings > Suggestions & Actions > Suggestions, tapping a Smart Reply will place it in the text field to allow for further edits before you manually tap the Send button. "Tap to send" remains available and is the default behaviour.</cite>
If you have ever accidentally fired off a Smart Reply when you only meant to review it, this setting is worth enabling.
The Bigger Picture
<cite index="12-1">Google Messages has been on a tear when it comes to new features, which makes a lot of sense considering Samsung shut down its own Messages app on July 6. Clearly, there are some big shoes to fill here, so Google has now been polishing this thing up pretty quickly.</cite>
The beta features above — the floating menu, Chat themes, attachments customisation, and the iOS 27 RCS improvements — are all expected to reach stable builds progressively through the second half of 2026. Features that are server-side may roll out without an app update, so it is worth keeping an eye on your Messages settings even if you are not on the beta channel.
Beta features listed above may not be available to all users immediately. Stable rollouts are server-side and can vary by device and region.