What you need to know
- Google Messages is testing a new Smart Reply option that lets you edit preset responses before sending them.
- The feature changes Smart Reply behavior from instant sending to inserting the reply into the text field first.
- A new toggle in Settings > Suggestions lets users choose between Tap to send and Tap to draft replies.
Google Messages is adding a new Tap to draft option for Smart Replies that will make it easier to edit preset responses before sending them.
Google Messages has been testing several quality-of-life improvements over the past few months. The company recently started experimenting with the ability to copy only a part of a message, and also added real-time location sharing.
Now Google appears to be working on another feature that tweaks how Smart Replies behave, something that arguably should have existed from the start.
As spotted by 9to5Google, Google Messages beta version 20260303 includes a new toggle inside the Smart Reply settings that changes how the feature works. Right now, when Google Messages shows Smart Reply suggestions as preset chips above the text field, tapping one of those replies sends the message instantly.
I honestly wonder why it took Google this long to add this. It feels like a feature that should have been there from day one. Now that it is here, I can see myself using Smart Replies much more often.
With the new behavior enabled, tapping a Smart Reply chip will instead insert the text into the message field so you can edit it before sending. The message will no longer be sent immediately. Instead, it will appear in the text box so you can modify it before hitting send.
The feature is already live in the beta version. I was able to access it on my Google Pixel 10a running the latest Google Messages beta. You can find the setting under Settings > Suggestions. Turning the toggle off keeps the old Tap to send behavior, while turning it on switches the feature to Tap to draft.
The way Google implemented this in the UI feels a bit strange. A dropdown option might have made more sense than using a toggle here.
For now, the feature is limited to the Google Messages beta. We'll update you once it starts rolling out to the stable version of the app.
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