How can Google improve its Messages app?

By Joe Maring
published

Google Mesages on a Pixel 3
Google Mesages on a Pixel 3 (Image credit: Joe Maring / Android Central)

For a lot of Android phones out there, Google Messages is the default texting/messaging app that comes preinstalled out of the box. We've seen a lot of changes and upgrades to Google Messages over the years, with the most recent update adding RCS functionality to give us typing indicators, read receipts, high-quality image sharing, and more.

However, for all of the improvements Google has added to Messages, there are still missing components here and there that are very apparent to a lot of users.

Some of our AC forum members recently started talking about how they'd like Google to further improve Messages, saying:

I like the clean and minimal look of the app but theres very little you can change inside the app. No color changes is a little annoying. Also, you cant change with the swipe function does on a conversation. You swipe left or right and both of them ask if you want to archive the conversation. You cant switch it to have one "delete"? Edge lighting doesnt work with it??? I cant schedule a text?????

seanmwaple

I like Samsung messages better. Scheduling delivery of messages, pinning of contacts, synced text messages on my tab S4. RCS support will be great addition.

srgonu

It's the beauty of Android. Google's is plan and simple and pretty lightweight. But anyone can make something more powerful, more capable (within the limits of the SDK and the Play Store rules). Why doesn't Google's have extra features beyond what is needed for a minimal messenge app? If you're looking for the real answer, you'd have to ask Google. All we can do here is guess.

Ry

only feature I would like to see it's them adding scheduling to send messages later.

Rahim Esmail

What do you think? How can Google improve its Messages app?

Join the conversation in the forums!

Joe Maring
Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.

8 Comments
  • Look at iMessage or FB messenger and copy those features. Whala. That's how you solve that
  • No. There is nothing FB that anybody should copy. Ever.
  • Scheduling as I get up before the rest of my family and it's a nice feature to have. Also pinning important messages would be nice. Basically by Textra and incorporate their features into messages.
  • Add the ability to pin messages from frequent contacts to the top.
  • Teach it to use Google Voice by default, the same way Phone app does, would be useful.
  • I would use the Google messaging app exclusively if they added:
    1. Scheduling of texts
    2. Pinning conversations to the top
    3. The ability to mark a text as read by swiping it out of notifications
  • Honestly if Google just copied Textra's features it'd be the best.
  • I thought I would install it just to have a look, Not that impressed, it is ok if you want all the stuff that comes with it, but I just want a simple SMS messenger, I also thought I would have a peak and see how many people on my list is using RCS, not many, while i did not go through the whole list, I did go through the ones I thought may be using RCS and out of 10 I found 1 and i think that is more to do with that his phone is new and no doubt Android messages is default. mi know it is only a small sample, but it is my sample and at the end of the day it is my phone :) The SMS app that comes with my phone is simple, it works the way I like, It is Huawei's messaging, I heard they are going to change to Android owns own or was before Trump started being a twit. Thankfully they will not do that on my phone as it is getting too old.
    When it is time to replace my phone, hopefully not for a while, I may have a look at XIAOMI, a mate of mine got one, and they seem ok, the only problem is they have gone for this silly notch and stupid screen ratio as well. I am going back to my old text app.