I turned off these 8 Google Messages features, and the app is so much better now

Like most apps, Google Messages has evolved over the years to become one of the smartest messaging services out there. Whether it is read receipts, Gemini, typing indicators, or bubbles, you will find it on the texting app. While most users find these features helpful, some, like me, find them annoying and sometimes intrusive.

Consequently, I tried spending a week with the features disabled, and I was surprised by how my phone’s screen stopped looking chaotic, notifications felt less demanding, and, for once, I felt like my device was doing what I wanted. I can now text my contacts easily, securely, and privately with minimal data sharing and interruptions.

Here are the eight Google Messages features I have turned off — and why I’m not switching them back on anytime soon.

The Gemini button

If you’ve been using Google’s apps or following its latest developments, you may have noticed one thing standing out: AI is creeping into almost all its apps. Be it Google Drive, Gmail, Docs, and now even Google Messages. Currently, when you launch the Google Messages app, the Gemini icon floats above the “Start a new chat” button, and tapping it starts a new conversation with Gemini. You can brainstorm ideas, draft messages, and plan events.

While some people may find these features handy, as someone who prefers a clean phone interface, I do not find them very useful. Additionally, it is better to keep AI out of an app that I use to send or receive personal messages. If I want to use Gemini, I will use the Gemini app, not via Google Messages.

If you feel the same way and want to disable Gemini in your Google Messages app, tap the profile icon in the app, select Message settings, tap Gemini in messages, and then tap the Show Gemini button toggle.

Once you complete the process, the floating Gemini button will disappear from the app. Google will also archive any chats you have had with the bot.

Profile sharing (name & picture visibility)

Google Messages has a feature known as “Profile sharing,” which allows your Google profile details, such as name and photo, to appear to a contact you message using RCS. Granted, this is a good concept as it allows other users to identify you. However, if you value your privacy and do not want to share your personal information with casual contacts, it might be annoying.

Fortunately, Google allows you to limit or customize the picture and name that appear on your profile. It gives you three visibility options: People you message (profile is visible to the people you text), only your contacts (profile is visible to your contacts), or No one (Your name and picture are not visible even after sending messages). Using these settings, you can limit your visibility to suit your preferences.

To change this, launch the Google Messages app, tap the profile picture or name initial at the top-right-hand corner, then tap Your profile. Next, change the Show name and picture setting to your preference. Alternatively, you can disable the entire feature by turning RCS off. Open Google Messages, tap your profile icon, and head to Message Settings. Next, toggle off Turn on RCS chats. Once complete, your messages will fall back to SMS/MMS format. That means RCS visuals and identity sharing will not be supported.

Outgoing message sounds

Notifications are an important part of messaging. However, I find the sounds or chat microtones for outgoing messages unnecessary and disturbing. This is especially true if you are having a dialogue with colleagues or in a room with other people.

If you feel the same way and want a quiet messaging experience, open the Google Messages app, tap your profile icon, and then navigate to Message settings. From here, look for the Hear outgoing and incoming message sounds setting and toggle it off. This will turn off both outgoing and incoming message notification sounds for a more peaceful and distraction-free experience.

Floating chat heads (bubbles)

Ever had a chat head or bubble pop up on your phone’s screen when you are deeply immersed in a movie, game, reading, or working? That is what Google Messages bubbles do. When you receive a message, a floating avatar showing the sender appears on the screen. When you tap, it opens a window that lets you reply directly without switching apps.

It is designed to make it easier for users to respond to messages and other functionalities seamlessly, but I find it distracting. In addition, messages popping up on your screen can be easily seen by people around you, sometimes even when you are using the phone. To disable the feature in the app, tap the profile icon and tap on Message settings. Tap Bubbles and then select Nothing can bubble.

After that, the floating avatars will stop cluttering your home screen. However, you will still get other notifications in your notification shade and status bar.

Follow-up reminders

Message follow-up reminders in Google Messages basically remind you to respond to a message thread that has gone quiet for a while. They usually appear in your inbox, no pop-up or a separate function, but a message moved back to the top of your inbox with a suggestion below it asking if you would like to follow up.

This is helpful for some and confusing or annoying for most of us. I prefer to reply on my own schedule and dislike it when an app keeps reminding me what needs attention. If we are in the same boat or you just want a basic texting app, tap your profile icon, tap Messages settings, tap Suggestions and actions, then tap Nudges. Next, toggle off Suggest message reminders.

If you also wish not to be reminded about the birthdays of contacts saved on your phone, tap the toggle next to Birthday reminders.

Read receipts and typing indicators

When you have read receipts and typing indicators enabled, your contacts can see whether you have read their messages. They can also see whether you are typing. While this can be useful, not everybody wants these features enabled for various reasons.

If you are a busy person like me and need to focus on what you are doing first, without feeling pressured to respond to texts, or do not want the sender to feel ignored, you might prefer disabling these features.

To turn the feature off, tap the profile icon in your Google Messages app, head to Message settings, and then navigate to RCS chats. Next, scroll down to Send read receipts and toggle it off. To turn off the typing indicators feature, follow the above steps to navigate to RCS chats and then toggle off Show typing indicators.

From now on, senders will no longer see whether you are typing or have read their texts. But they still know if their messages have been delivered.

Sensitive content warnings

Google Messages features a sensitive content warning for messages that can identify and blur nude content. On paper, this is very important as it helps protect children from harmful content or helps you avoid opening nude content in public. However, at a personal level, the few times the feature has been activated on my phone have been an exasperation. For example, I recently sent a work colleague a picture of an art portrait I wanted to buy for the office. Google Messages falsely identified it as nudity and blurred it. This brought suspicion into a conversation that was completely professional.

In addition, the tech giant must scan every image you send or receive via the app to decide what to block and what not to block. Although Google says the images are processed at the device level, I am still wary. If you are too, or simply want the app to stop scanning images, launch the app, tap the profile icon, tap Message settings, then select Protection and safety from the menu. Tap Manage sensitive content warnings, then switch off Warnings in Google Messages.

The setting will disable sensitive warnings only for signed-in adult (unsupervised) accounts. For supervised child accounts, only an adult can do it via Family Link.

Smart Reply and suggested actions

The Smart Reply feature is designed to help users save time by suggesting short and relevant replies to messages. It uses machine learning to analyze messages and generate context-aware replies you can use as responses without having to type. This is useful most of the time, but there are scenarios where I find its responses generic and irrelevant in sophisticated conversations. For example, a few weeks ago, my wife sent me the message “The Laptop is not booting, I am stuck, cant work,” and one of its suggested responses was “Sounds good!”

To avoid accidentally sending such a weird reply, I have the setting switched off. To do the same, tap your profile icon in Google Messages (or last time!), navigate to Message settings, and tap Suggestions and actions. Next, tap Suggestions and toggle off Smart Replies.

These eight settings may seem like a non-issue, but they have made using my phone more personal and less stressful. I can now text whom I want as easily, privately, and flexibly as I can, with minimal interruptions and pressure.