New Google Messages Update: Enhanced Text Field with Shortcuts Bar

Google recently celebrated a milestone of 1 billion RCS users and rewarded them with new features in the Google Messages app. Now, the company is keeping the excitement going by introducing a new update that showcases a redesigned text field complete with a dedicated shortcut bar. This means the main text field will now occupy most of the space and provide a separate section for the shortcuts. This update is set to streamline the user experience and bring in a fresh design approach to the app.

The previous version had the RCS/text box occupying two-thirds of the space, making it slightly cumbersome to access the plus, gallery, and Magic Compose buttons once users started typing. With the latest update, Google Messages will sport a left-aligned text box featuring an emoji button, gallery button, Magic Compose, and the new plus icon all enclosed within a circle positioned inside the text field. The voice recorder has also undergone a revamp, now placing Moods in a separate space outside the text field.

9To5Google mentions that some users find it odd that the text field in Google Messages is now left-aligned despite the messages being displayed on the right. There’s also a new UI that emerges once the typing mode is activated, splitting the text box into two lines and relocating the shortcuts to a lower bar. Although this change aims to enhance usability, it may take some time for users to become accustomed to it. While the redesigned text field with a dedicated shortcut bar is already visible to some Google Messages beta users, it’s not yet widely available. If you’re part of the Google Messages beta program, stay tuned for these new updates.