Here are the first things you should set up in Google Messages on your Android phone

Google Messages is quite feature-rich. Choosing RCS settings makes it a great default messaging app for your Google Pixel or any Android phone. This guide will take you through everything we think you should set up in Google Messages on your Android device.

Enable chat features in Google Messages

A lot of the options in Google Messages are enabled right from the time you open the app for the first time. Google’s “Chat Features” section is not included in this group, which includes options such as receipt receipts and typing indicators.

Since Google Messages handles both SMS/MMS and RCS messages, the app can implement features that would have been reserved for messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. These features work fine for Android users, and until Apple implements the RCS standard, that will remain the case.

1. to open Google messages.
2. Click on profile picture and press Message settings.
3. Choose chat features.
4. Faucet Enable chat features and confirmation.

With that, you can switch between the features you want to enable. Read notifications are useful, as well as typing indicators, though this feature is more so that others can see when you’re responding.

Chat categories and delete OTP

One of the best things Google Messages can do is automatically delete OTPs – one-time passwords – after 24 hours. A one-time password (OTP) can clog your inbox, and it becomes difficult to see important conversations.

Another feature that helps remove clutter is organizing messages by category. This tool will automatically split personal and business messages into separate sections. There is a default “All” view, which shows you all your chats. Categories have been great since they were first introduced, and Google Messages reliably sorts chats into the correct section almost every time.

1. to open Google messages.
2. Click on profile picture and press Message settings.
3. He hits Organize messages.
4. switch on View messages by category And the One-time automatic deletion.

Do you want bubbles?

Bubbles is turned on by default when you first set up your Android device and Google Messages. With that said, active chats appear as static bubbles overlaid on whatever app you’re using. Some choose to turn them off since they take up space in other apps and can get in the way.

If you want to keep them, that’s totally fine since they have their value to some. Either way, here’s how to manage bubbles in Google Messages:

1. to open Google messages.
2. Click on profile picture and press Message settings.
3. Faucet bubbles.
4. Choose whether to allow bubbles in certain conditions or turn them off completely.

Suggested: Here’s what you can do with RCS and Google Messages – and why it’s worth a try

Turn on the transcription

Voice messages are often useful, but they can be frustrating if the receiving party can’t hear them at exactly that time. Fortunately, Google Messages can automatically transcribe these voice messages. This makes it easy for both the sender and the receiver, so you don’t have to worry about typing and the other doesn’t need to put your earbuds in a crowded space.

1. to open Google messages.
2. Click on profile picture and press Message settings.
3. Choose Transcribe voice messages.
4. Turn the feature on.

NB: Messages are copied locally, and sensitive data in them is not sent over the Internet.

Enable suggestions in chat

Suggestions in Google Messages are really a subset of several optional features that fall into one category. These features will work when Google Messages decides more information is needed in a conversation. For example, if you mention your location, Google Messages will suggest you submit your current location. These AI based tools are very useful because we often forget that certain features exist, hidden under many options.

Suggestions come in several forms: smart replies, suggested actions, suggested stickers, and alerts. Smart Replies will give you an easy, short reply to send if you’d rather not type. Suggested actions can be in the form of sharing a location, creating an event, and even a suggested search for a GIF.

1. to open Google messages.
2. Click on profile picture and press Message settings.
3. Faucet suggestions.
4. Toggle the type of suggestions you want to be inable.

Change your swipe actions

Swipe actions are very useful in most messaging apps. Gmail was one of the first companies to integrate it, and since then, many more applications have followed. With Google Messages, you can set swipe actions to two options: Archive and Delete. We wish there was a “Mark as read/unread” option, though that hasn’t made it to Google Messages yet. Additionally, you can just turn off swipe actions.

1. to open Google messages.
2. Click on profile picture and press Message settings.
3. He hits criticism of actions And choose what each direction does by clicking customize.

Turn on iPhone interactions

Although iPhones do not use RCS messages, Google Messages is able to translate iPhone reactions into emojis. For example, if an iPhone user were to reply to your message with a laughing crying emoji, instead of sending a “[user] Interaction with [emoji] to me [message]You’ll see the actual emoji without an unnecessary paragraph describing what happened.

1. to open Google messages.
2. Click on profile picture and press Message settings.
3. Find and click advanced.
4. switch on Show iPhone reactions in the form of emoji.

Overall, there are a few options worth trying out and setting up with Google Messages. RCS has easily become one of our favorite messaging apps on almost any Android phone — especially the Pixel series — hands-free.

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