5 options I wish to see on Google Messages as a very long time consumer

I’m a creature of behavior — after I discover one thing I like, I are likely to keep it up. I’m not ashamed to select favorites, whether or not it’s primarily conserving a Google Pixel in my pocket (after I can) or a Garmin GPS watch on my wrist. The identical goes for apps — particularly ones I take advantage of each day for issues like messaging and checking the climate. Whereas I’m presently deciding on a brand new favourite climate companion (due to the debut of Google’s Pixel Climate), I’ve trusted the identical messaging platform for years: Google Messages. It’s been my mainstay throughout Google Pixels, Samsung Galaxy units, and even my time on the Motorola Razr and OnePlus Open.

And but, I do know that Google Messages isn’t good. I do know that you need to hand over a number of options for those who swap from Samsung Messages to Google Messages, and I do know that it merely doesn’t work on iOS. However, within the spirit of development, I believe that my favourite messaging app might stand to be taught from its opponents. Listed here are 5 issues I believe Google Messages ought to copy and paste.

First, I’d love for Google to tug sticker creation from Apple’s iMessage. Sure, it’s a foolish characteristic, however I’ve discovered it to be a helpful one. If a good friend sends you a picture over iMessage, you may merely press and maintain on the topic, anticipate a wave-like impact to run throughout the display, and switch it right into a sticker — it’s that simple. Then, it can save you that sticker and add an impact, like a thick define or a shiny end that appears just like the reflective stickers academics handed out in class.

When you’ve constructed up a little bit library of stickers, you can begin utilizing them to answer messages, very like for those who have been laughing at or liking a message. I’ve switched virtually completely from emoji reactions to stickers — there’s simply one thing funnier about reacting with the likeness of somebody you realize. Granted, it doesn’t need to be somebody you realize — Apple will allow you to make stickers out of memes, cartoons, and absolutely anything else, and it has fairly good edge detection, too.

For what it’s price, Google Messages helps a Photomoji characteristic — I simply assume Apple’s model is healthier. Google Messages will allow you to decide a photograph out of your library and choose a topic to ship, however it doesn’t save its stickers fairly as properly. The place iMessage will save your sticker with its authentic define for reactions, Google appears to compress its stickers right into a small circle, making all of them uniform in form however rather more difficult to see.

If I have been Google, I might at the very least take into account copying Apple’s freeform sticker borders and possibly including the elective results, too. It’s much more pleasurable to create and ship a sticker in iMessage than in Google Messages.

I’ve additionally realized that although Google may be my go-to search engine, it doesn’t have one of the best method to looking out via your previous messages. Proper now, if you sort in a key phrase to seek for it in Google Messages, you may solely see a small a part of every message containing the time period, making it a lot tougher to select the context you’re searching for. Certain, you’ll get loads of outcomes, however you may spend simply as lengthy tapping backwards and forwards between them.

So, I believe Google must revamp its search characteristic to match Samsung Messages. It may not present as many outcomes at anybody time, however Samsung Messages pulls up every message in its entirety so you may test the context of what you’re looking for. In any other case, the 2 messaging platforms supply the identical searchability — placing a search button inside the settings of every chat — Google simply must refine its outcomes. And, now that Samsung is shifting away from its personal messaging platform in favor of Google Messages, I’d prefer to see a few of these options dwell on and make life higher throughout different variations of Android, too.

After all, any search characteristic beats Apple’s present method to look inside Messages — you simply can’t do it.

Up subsequent, Google must earn its digital inexperienced thumb. Each Apple and Samsung presently retailer your deleted messages in a digital recycling bin, and I might love for Google Messages to do the identical. In any case, I prefer to hold a clear inbox, which frequently means unintentionally deleting a recipe I requested my mother for or purging occasion info like the place to be and when to be there within the identify of managing my messages. Whereas the simple reply might be for me to be taught not to do this, I’d prefer to see Google give me some digital backup, too.

And sure, I do know you could already archive conversations as a part of Google Messages, however I seldom assume to take action. They both exist in my inbox or get deleted — I’m sure to neglect a few third location like an archive. A recycling bin, nonetheless, exists in a not-quite-deleted capability, so I’d solely have the ability to rescue messages for 30 days or so. It’s the identical method that Google’s rivals take, and I’ve to think about that if I don’t want one thing inside that month-long interval, it most likely wasn’t that essential to start out with.

Heading again to iMessage, I believe Google ought to reclaim its rightful place because the king of extensions. Proper now, Google Messages is fairly simple, permitting you to connect GIFs, photographs, recordsdata, and different issues when sending a message. It’s a superb setup that pales in comparison with Apple’s elective extensions. Because it stands, you may connect the entire above when sending an iMessage, however it’s also possible to ship polls to your mates whereas planning an occasion, ship flight info out of your airline of selection, and even play video games with fellow iPhone-toting pals.

Truthfully, I by no means thought that final one — the flexibility to ship video games backwards and forwards — could be the characteristic to push me over the sting, however right here we’re. I used to be pushed into putting in GamePigeon by a number of pals, and it’s change into a straightforward strategy to cross the time with head-to-head variations of Cup Pong, 8 Ball Pool, and a naval warfare sport that appears suspiciously like Battleship. Is it a helpful extension in my each day life? Not likely, however it makes sitting on the DMV ready for an appointment go by a lot quicker.

Maybe I’m so stunned Google Messages doesn’t presently help extensions as a result of I at all times consider Google because the king of add-ons. It’s really easy so as to add totally different extensions to fine-tune your Chrome expertise, whether or not fixing your writing with Grammarly or managing logins with LastPass, that it solely appears pure for Google to make them extra moveable. In truth, Google doesn’t supply extensions as a part of its cell Chrome expertise, both, so possibly it simply must embrace them throughout the board. It might actually give Google Messages extra flexibility — hopefully with extra helpful options than my favourite little video games.

And at last, Google must lean on one in all its previous taglines — be collectively, not the identical. Because it stands, each dialog you might have in Google Messages seems the identical. The app will comply with your default machine theme — both mild or darkish — however that’s about as enjoyable because it will get. I’d prefer to see Google embrace a little bit little bit of colour and decide up the totally different colour choices you get in Samsung Messages.

See, Samsung doesn’t simply allow you to select between mild and darkish — you may customise your conversations with a number of totally different colour profiles, change the opacity of your chat bubble, and even set a singular picture for the background of any dialog. Doing that in Google Messages would make life a lot simpler, just because I might put somebody’s face because the background of their dialog and by no means have to fret about texting the flawed individual once more.

Sadly, Samsung Messages doesn’t allow you to change the colours of the chat bubbles themselves, which signifies that each message comes from a inexperienced bubble. I’m undecided if I’d prefer to see Google add that flexibility or if it’s safer to belief it to select a colour that’s seen throughout all of its backgrounds. Nevertheless, altering from a boring black or white background is a should.

On the finish of the day, possibly Google will hearken to me and breathe new life into Google Messages, however then once more, possibly it received’t. Both method, it has me locked in due to its place because the default messaging app throughout a lot of the Android panorama.