For all its utility, Google Messages has been missing one big feature: the ability to easily search for group chats and send a new message to them. That’s about to change. Users running the Google Message beta (version 20240820_00_RC00) can test this feature for themselves, but it’s not yet available for everyone.
When you start a new conversation, the “To” field displays your contacts. Before this beta, the field would display only individual people. Even if you had an existing group chat, you wouldn’t be able to send a message straight to it from the new message screen. The new feature means you can look for specific group names and participants; in addition, it displays the last message sent to the group.
- 1. The old screen
- 2. The new screen
When you compare the two screens above, you’ll see that “Test” now displays three options instead of the previous two. If you tap the chevron beside a group chat, it will expand the chat. The last time this screen was updated was in October of last year when Google removed the “Top contacts” section.
Early adopters seem happy with the changes. Some fans commented that they stopped naming group chats because they couldn’t be searched, but now groups will have much more utility.
Google Messages has received quite a few updates in recent months, likely to help maintain its position in the market over other apps like Samsung Messages. Although some of the updates have been minor UI redesigns, the attention to detail and improved user experience are a sign that we shouldn’t pick our favorite messaging app just yet — Apple’s Messages might have some serious competition.
