Google Messages beta shows off new gallery picker UI

Google Messages has been getting some much-loved TLC as of late, and multiple small updates are in the works to make the user experience more enjoyable. Today alone, we reported that users will soon be able tocreate Selfie GIFs for conversationsandlong-press chat bubble icons to quickly access conversations, akin to Apple’s Peek and Pop. Yesterday, we wrote about a fun “Voice Moods” feature that will let users choose one of nine different visual themes to accompany their voice recordings. Now, we’ve gotten indications that Messages is getting a visual and interface enhancement when sending images to contacts.

google messages logo overlay around AP logo and messages text in light and medium semi transparent background

Gestures even WhatsApp doesn’t have yet

Google messages hero made by Android Police

It’s typical nowadays to find out information about Google products before they go live in a stable, public build, courtesy of Google sleuth@AssembleDebug. This is no different, as in the latest Messages beta, a new camera logo appears above users’ conversations to the left of the search icon (viaAndroid Authority). When pressed, it opens up the phone’s photo gallery and camera, and upon selecting an image, users can select which contact(s) to send the picture(s) to. Functionally, the icon inverts the typical flow of sending pictures to one or multiple contacts at a single time. Instead of typing in contact names first and then sending images individually, this addition can speed up the already-quick process of sending pictures to friends and family.

Lots of updates in not a lot of time for Google Messages

It’s important to note that, if Google does implement this feature in an upcoming stable version of Messages, it seems like this would be an additional way to access the gallery picker and wouldn’t replace anything that people have gotten used to. For those that have used Snapchat over the years, picking or taking pictures and then selecting contacts to send them to is normal. Visually, the camera icon looks slick and unobtrusive.

As we said already, Google Messages is going through a ton of change in recent times. you’re able to nowchange your conversations’ text bubble colorand useemoji reaction effects. More industry-shaking than anything, however, has been Google’s focus ongetting Apple iMessage to add support for RCS messaging. It has been a primary focus of Google’s marketing over the past year, and even if it was theEuropean Union’s pressure that got Apple to adopt RCS, it hasn’t stoppedGoogle from bragging about how the new messaging standard is coming to iPhones this fall. It’s abig deal that will allow for modern texting features between Android and iOSdevices for the first time.

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