Like most Google apps, Messages A/B tests many features. However, it takes the RCS/SMS client a rather long time to actually launch these capabilities in stable even after they are announced. From various reports, Google itselfand devices we’ve checked, this is the current state of Messages.
Update 11/29:
Still rolling out (beta)
Table of Contents
These are Messages features that Google announced or have been spotted in the wild by beta users.
[New] Link preview redesign
Link previews, including YouTube, are getting a new design that has a taller cover image. The page title is also 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. The YouTube PiP is also back, but there’s no way to open the full app.
@mentions in group RCS chats
This lets you get a person’s attention in group conversations even “if their notifications are muted.”
MLS encryption
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).
You can check 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 “Encryption Protocol” section. Value “0” is the existing E2EE, while value “1” is the upcoming approach.
Image viewer redesign
Google is testing a revamp of how images appear in a threadwith photos sent at the same time now grouped together. The fullscreen image viewer has also been redesigned with a blurred background and preview of the last and next image, while you can react from the new bottom row.
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Read receipts redesign
Following the last redesign in early 2023, another revamp 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 left to reply/quote a message. This started rolling out in August 2024, with more people receiving it in November.
| Ellipsis | Sending |
| Single check with ring | Sent |
| Double check with ring | Delivered |
| Double check solid circle | Read |
In January 2025Google 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.
L-R: Current, redesign, latest
Recent launches (stable)
[New] Remix with Nano Banana
When you long-press on an image in your conversation or select/take a new one to send, there will be a “Remix” button in the bottom-left corner. This lets you transform it with a prompt using the Nano Banana model.
RCS must be enabled, with an initial rollout in English to: Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and United States. Google says there’s a “daily limit of image generations per user.”
Tweaked camera + gallery icon
A small tweak sees the gallery icon in the text field drop the corner camera. There are no changes to the combined viewfinder and gallery.
Old vs. new
Google Messages now has a fullscreen account menu to access Settings, Your profile, Archived, Spam & blocked, Mark all as read, and Device pairing. The previous overlay design allowed you to see the background, with the app now fully Material 3 Expressive.
Old vs. new
Spam link detection
If a message is suspected to be spam, Google will “warn you when you click on any links within it and stop you from visiting the potentially harmful website.” Available globally, you have the option to make the message as “not spam.”
Key Verifier
As previewed in May, Key Verifier will “help protect you from scammers who try to impersonate someone you know” in Google Messages. This tool lets you “verify the identity of the other party through public encryption keys.” These contact keys take the form of a QR code that can also be accessed via the Google Contacts app.
For example, if an attacker gains access to a friend’s phone number and uses it on another device to send you a message – which can happen as a result of a SIM swap attack – their contact’s verification status will be marked as no longer verified in the Google Contacts app, suggesting your friend’s account may be compromised or has been changed.
In Messages, go to the Details page and tap Verify encryption to get “Your QR code” or “Scan contact’s QR code.”
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