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Google Messages prepares for quick photo and video editing integration
Nov 9, 2026 — 8:18 AM ET
- Google Messages beta v20261106 contains code for an “Edit media” button that would appear before sending.
- Rather than build a media editor into the messaging app, Google Messages will use an intent-based system to hand off photos and videos to stock media editor apps like Google Photos.
- Edited files will return directly to the chat draft via a separate output URI, eliminating manual app switching and file reattaching.
Google Messages has been on a redesign spree lately, tweaking everything from its pinned chats interface to even its app icon. Now, Google appears to be addressing a lingering pain point in how the messaging app handles outgoing media. An upcoming Google Messages update could finally allow you to edit photos and videos right before you send them.
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Google Messages previously included a rudimentary markup tool that let users scribble and add quick text overlays to images. However, Google phased that out with the big Google Messages redesign many months ago. Beyond that, the app never supported essential adjustments like cropping photos or trimming video clips before sending, so you had to rely on another gallery app to prepare your media before sending it through Google Messages.
According to code spotted within Google Messages v20261106 beta, Google is laying the groundwork for a dedicated Edit media button. An onboarding tooltip titled “Edit before you send” will explain that users will be able to “Crop, trim, or adjust photos and videos in your phone’s default editing app.”
<string name="media_editor_onboarding_tooltip_title">Edit before you send</string>
<string name="edit_media_button_content_description">Edit media</string>
<string name="media_editor_onboarding_tooltip_body">Crop, trim, or adjust photos and videos in your phone’s default editing app</string>Instead of building a bulky, standalone editor directly into Messages, Google appears to be opting for a seamless intent-based system. Under the hood, the app will check your device for compatible photo and video editing apps, identify the selected media format, and hand off the file to your phone’s default editor (such as Google Photos). The system will create a separate output URI, allowing the edited file to return directly to Google Messages without forcing you to manually switch apps, save duplicates, or reattach media.
<string name="media_editor_unavailable_tooltip_body">To edit photos or videos, install an editing app</string>
<string name="media_editor_unavailable_tooltip_title">"Editing isn't available"</string>Google Messages also appears to be accounting for devices without a compatible editing app. In such a situation, an alternative tooltip titled “Editing isn’t available” will prompt users to install an editing app before they can edit photos or videos.
Even without a built-in editor, merely making it easier to hand off your media to a gallery app for editing and returning to the Messages screen when done will make the experience a lot smoother when you need to make a quick, small adjustment. It would save you from manually exiting Messages, switching to a gallery app, making your edits, and then finding your way back to your active conversation.
There is no official word yet on when this integration will roll out to users in the beta branches. It could take a few weeks or months of testing before the feature graduates to the stable branch. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more, but it’s best to be abundantly patient when it comes to upcoming Google Messages features.
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