Google Revamps 10 Hidden Messages Gestures in Android Update

Q: Why is Google changing hidden gestures in Messages now, and will the new menu actually make texting faster or just add more taps?

Google is changing these hidden gestures now because Messages has accumulated a lot of “power-user” features that were hard to discover and awkward to use. The old design split actions between a top toolbar, overflow menus, taps, and swipes. The redesign brings those controls closer to the message bubble, makes them more visible, and better fits Google’s broader push to make Messages feel like a modern RCS app rather than a basic SMS inbox. For many users, the new menu should make common tasks faster. Long-pressing now puts reply, forward, copy, star, delete, info, and multi-select in one floating menu instead of forcing users to reach to the top of the screen or dig into a three-dot menu. That is especially useful one-handed. The most practical improvement is selective copying: users can now grab just part of a message, such as a code, phone number, or address, instead of copying the whole bubble. But it will not feel faster to everyone immediately. Google has changed muscle memory: swiping right is now for reply, while swiping left shows timestamps and encryption status. Some users will see that as extra effort, especially if they were used to tapping for timing details or swiping left to reply. So the likely answer is mixed: the redesign reduces friction for less-visible actions and improves discoverability, but in the short term it may add a learning curve and a few extra gestures for longtime users. Over time, heavy users are likely to benefit most.

Q: Google Messages now lets you copy part of a text and reveals timestamps with a swipe—but which features only work in RCS chats?

The RCS-only features are message editing, read/delivery status, and in some chats the extra RCS indicators shown with the left-swipe gesture, such as the encryption lock. Google’s redesign applies broadly across Messages, including partial-text copying and the new swipe to reveal timestamps. But the features tied specifically to RCS are narrower. Tapping a sent message shows delivery and read receipts only in RCS chats, not standard SMS or MMS threads. Editing is also limited to supported RCS conversations. The added reporting says it works best in Android-to-Android chats, has a 15-minute edit window, and may behave differently in cross-platform threads. The swipe-left gesture itself works more generally to show timestamps, but in some RCS-supported chats it can also surface the RCS encryption lock or status. Reactions and photo-based reactions may depend on chat support as well, but the clearest RCS-only functions named in the update are editing and read/delivery status, along with those extra RCS status indicators.

3 articles · Updated · Computerworld · Sep 30

Google is rolling out a Google Messages update on Android that changes how hidden shortcuts work across chats and the main inbox, forcing users to relearn several long-press, swipe and tap actions.
Inside conversations, a long-press on a message now opens a pop-up with reactions, copy, edit, info and multi-select options, while a right swipe triggers inline reply and a left swipe reveals timestamps.
RCS-dependent shortcuts also surface more status details: tapping a sent message can show delivered and read markers, and the new info view can show whether a message was edited after delivery.
Outside the chat view, users can long-press the send button to schedule messages, customize left- or right-swipe actions for conversation threads, and long-press inbox items to pin, snooze, archive, delete or block.
The overhaul highlights Google's habit of burying useful controls behind gestures, making power features more flexible but less visible unless users know where to tap or swipe.