Google Messages is absolutely feature-rich. The selection of RCS app settings makes it a fantastic default messaging app for Google Pixel or any Android phone. This guide will walk you through everything we think you should set up in Google Messages on your Android device.
Enable Chat Features in Google Messages
Many options are enabled in Google Messages the first time you open the app. Not included in this group is Google’s “chat features” section, which includes options like read receipts and typing indicators.
Since Google Messages handles both SMS/MMS and RCS messages, the app can implement features that would otherwise be reserved for messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. These features work well for Android users, and until Apple implements the RCS standard, they will.
- Open Google Mail.
- Press your profile picture and press Message settings.
- Select Chat Features.
- Faucet Enable chat features and confirm.
With this you can enable the features you want to enable. Read receipts are useful, as well as typing indicators, although this feature makes it easier for others to see when you’re replying.
Chat categories and OTP deletion
One of the best things Google Messages can do is automatically delete OTPs – one-time passwords – after 24 hours. OTPs can clutter up your inbox and make it hard to see important conversations.
Another feature that helps eliminate clutter is organizing posts by category. This tool will automatically divide personal and professional messages into separate sections. There is a default “All” view, which shows you all your chats. Categories have been great since their introduction, and Google Messages reliably sorts your chats into the right section just about every time.
- Open Google Mail.
- Press your profile picture and press Message settings.
- Hit Organization of messages.
- Enable View posts by category and Automatically remove OTPs.
Do you want bubbles?
Bubbles are enabled by default when you first set up your Android device and Google Messages. With this, active chats appear as persistent bubbles overlaid on any app you use. Some choose to turn them off because they take up space in other apps and can get in the way.
If you want to keep them, that’s perfectly fine because they have their value for some. Anyway, here’s how you can manage bubbles in Google Messages:
- Open Google Mail.
- Press your profile picture and press Message settings.
- Faucet Bubbles.
- Choose to allow bubbles under certain conditions or turn them off completely.
Suggestion: Here’s what you can do with RCS and Google Messages, and why it’s worth trying
Enable voice transcription
Voicemails are all too often helpful, but they can be frustrating if the recipient can’t exactly listen to them at the time. Fortunately, Google Messages can automatically transcribe these voicemails. This makes it easier for both sender and receiver, so one doesn’t have to worry about typing and the other doesn’t have to put headphones in a cluttered space.
- Open Google Mail.
- Press your profile picture and press Message settings.
- Select Transcription of voice messages.
- Activate the feature.
To note: Messages are transcribed locally and the sensitive data they contain is not sent online.
Enable suggestions in chat
Suggestions in Google Messages are actually a subset of several optional features that fall into a single category. These features will work when Google Messages decides more information is needed in a conversation. For example, if you mention your location, Google Messages will offer to send your current location. These AI-based tools are extremely useful because we often forget that certain features exist, hidden under many options.
Suggestions come in many forms: smart replies, suggested actions, suggested stickers, and nudges. Smart Replies will give you a simple, short response to send if you’d rather not type. Suggested actions can take the form of location sharing, creating an event, and even a GIF search suggestion.
- Open Google Mail.
- Press your profile picture and press Message settings.
- Faucet Hints.
- Activate the type of suggestions you want be inable.
Change your swipe actions
Swipe actions are very useful in most messaging apps. Gmail was one of the first to integrate it, and since then many other applications have followed. With Google Messages, you can set swipe actions to two options: archive and delete. We wish there was a “Mark as read/unread” option, although that hasn’t hit Google Messages yet. Additionally, you can simply disable swipe actions.
- Open Google Mail.
- Press your profile picture and press Message settings.
- Hit Swipe Actions and choose what each direction does by pressing Personalize.
Enable iPhone Reactions
Although iPhones do not use RCS messaging, Google Messages is able to translate iPhone reactions into emoji. For example, if an iPhone user were to react to your message with a laughing crying emoji, instead of sending “[user] reacted with [emoji] at [message]”, you’ll see the actual emoji without the unnecessary paragraph describing what happened.
- Open Google Mail.
- Press your profile picture and press Message settings.
- Find and press Advanced.
- Enable Show iPhone reactions as emojis.
All in all, there are a few options that are definitely worth trying out and setting up with Google Messages. The RCS app has easily become one of our favorite messaging apps on just about any Android phone – especially the Pixel series – hands down.
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