Advertising texts in Google Messages aren't what we want — these 5 fixes are

Earlier this summer, we learned Google Messages was adding a new feature that lets users chat about upcoming features. Many Android Authority readers agreed this felt like an unnecessary feature when there are so many other things we’d like to see improved.

The good news is that Google seems to have plenty of other upgrades in store, hopefully not too far off. Recent APK teardowns and similar deep dives reveal the app may soon undergo a major UI shuffle centered on an improved search experience. This got me thinking about what other fixes or feature upgrades we are desperate to see arrive in Google Messages.

With that in mind, here are five upgrades I’d really like to see from Messages sooner rather than later.

A better web client

Google Messages has a web client that lets you send and check messages on other devices, like your laptop, but that doesn’t mean it does the job perfectly. While the app handles the basics just fine, you’re missing a lot of features compared to the app. The web app doesn’t allow you to change custom chat themes or bubble colors, and even features like advanced emoji and photomojis are severely limited. For example, you can view existing photomojis, but there’s no way to create or use new ones with the web app.

Probably the biggest downside to the web app is that it’s entirely dependent on your phone. While the older QR connection method is being phased out in favor of your Google Account, the experience still requires your phone to be on and connected to the internet. I’d love to see Google invest in cloud-based routing, as Apple does with iMessage, to deliver a system that’s independent of your phone.

Disappearing messages

I get that messenger apps like this are mostly about traditional texting, but Google has a real opportunity to set itself apart from Apple iMessage here by adopting disappearing messages. This would be a brilliant move, as it’s not very often Google Messages has a feature that iMessage doesn’t.

Apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat obviously already have these features, but adding them into a mainstream texting app would really set Google’s experience apart. While SMS and other standards obviously wouldn’t work here, RCS is more than capable of handling the job in theory. You’d likely only be able to use the feature with others who use RCS via Google Messages, but that would still give the app a much-needed edge.

RCS cross-compatible editing and unsending

While Google Messages technically allows editing and unsending messages, the feature is mostly limited to RCS users in the app. As you likely know, there aren’t many RCS clients beyond Messages and iMessage, but the latter app offers much more basic RCS support.

The reason for the feature disparity is that the version of RCS used by Apple might be based on the same universal standard, but it’s not required to implement every optional part of the package, since it largely relies on the GSMA standard requirements. Right now, that means Android users can edit messages sent within the last fifteen minutes, but iPhone users will just get a notification saying something like “message edited to:”, instead of fully replacing the original text.

I’d obviously love to see unsending and editing as fully cross-compatible features, but is this even something Google has control over? Yes and no. While Google continues to modify and update its RCS profile, it’s really the GSMA standard that sets the rules here. If the GSMA eventually made some of the optional features required, it’s certainly possible. This isn’t something Google can change directly, but it is probably something they could push for, as it would ultimately benefit both Android and iOS users.

Better customization features for chats

While it’s true Messages recently added the ability to change chat backgrounds and colors to some degree, the options are fairly limited. There are color themes that can change the text bubble and background colors; you can even use custom images and more. That said, the number of choices is limited to just a few base colors, and there’s no easy way to ‘share’ your theme with your contact. Imagine a feature where Google Messages alerts the recipient when a custom theme is available in the current chat, with an easy way to activate it.

I’d also like to see more granular controls for font types and sizes. While you can change the text size, you are currently stuck with the system-wide default font here. Right now, you can only customize individual chats, but I’d like to see Google expand on this. Imagine if there were a central theming feature that would apply to the entire app experience. It could let you pick bubble colors, background color or image, and fonts across both individual messages, group messages, and even within the general UI.

Personally, I’d also love a better dark theme. The current theme uses a lot of gray, which works, but late at night I would love the option to switch to a midnight dark theme or something similar.

Smoother multi-device syncing

Last but not least, Google needs to work on device syncing. Not only is the web client often slow to sync, but I’d also like to see improved multi-device support. Google makes it easy to switch to a new phone, but it’s really more of a one-time transfer. There’s no manual way to initiate a message sync, and that’s a shame.

It’s true that most of us only use one device regularly, but there are exceptions. Those in the tech industry change devices more frequently; the same goes for developers who want to test multiple phones for capability. I’ve even heard of some folks with larger foldables that have a smaller, cheaper alternative phone they swap to when they don’t want to risk damaging their higher-end device. In the age of eSIM, switching your number between two phones is easier than ever, and the same should be true of syncing your messages. I can’t imagine this would be a hard fix for Google, either. Whether this was an automatic or manual process, it would help those who constantly flit between devices.

The above are just five possible improvements I’d love to see in Google Messages, but it’s far from an exhaustive list of potential upgrades or fixes. Anything else you’d like to see from Messages? Tell us about it in the comments.