Google Messages’ Newest Features for October 2025
▼ Summary
– Google Messages is slowly rolling out new features like MLS encryption for cross-platform E2EE RCS and a redesigned image viewer with grouped photos and blurred backgrounds.
– Read receipts have been redesigned to appear in circles on message bubbles, with swiping for timestamps and encryption status, and a white background update in January 2025 for better visibility.
– Recent stable updates include a fullscreen account menu redesign, spam link detection with global warnings, and Key Verifier for identity protection via QR codes.
– The app has undergone a Material 3 Expressive redesign with updated UI elements like pill-shaped buttons, solid colors, and a standalone gallery option.
– The Wear OS app has been modernized with subtle changes, including pill-shaped input options and grouped suggested replies, aligning with the new read receipts design.
For those keeping a close eye on their messaging experience, Google Messages is rolling out a significant set of updates and features throughout late 2024 and into 2025. While the platform is known for its extensive A/B testing, which can delay widespread availability, a number of compelling new capabilities are now either in active development or have recently launched to all users.
A major development currently in beta testing is the integration of the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol. This upgrade, part of Universal Profile 3.0, paves the way for true cross-platform end-to-end encrypted RCS conversations between Android and iOS devices. To see if a chat is using this new protocol, you can long-press a message and open the Details page. Look for the “Encryption Protocol” section; a value of “1” indicates the new MLS encryption is active.
The way you view images is also getting a facelift. A redesigned image viewer now groups photos sent simultaneously and presents them in a fullscreen mode with a blurred background. This new viewer includes previews of the adjacent images and a convenient bottom row for quickly adding reactions.
Another area receiving attention is the read receipt system. Following an earlier update, a new redesign places read receipts inside a small circle at the bottom-right corner of message bubbles and images. You can swipe left on a message to view all timestamps and its E2EE status, or swipe right to reply or quote it. This feature began its rollout in August 2024. In a subsequent tweak from January 2025, Google changed the circular background to white, making the read receipts stand out much more clearly against the message bubble.
Several features have now graduated from testing and are available to everyone in the stable version of the app.
A fullscreen account menu has replaced the previous overlay, offering a more immersive Material 3 Expressive design for accessing Settings, Your profile, Archived messages, and other options.
To combat phishing and malicious links, a new spam link detection system is now active globally. If you receive a message suspected to be spam, the app will display a warning before you can click on any embedded links, giving you the chance to mark the message as “not spam” if it’s a false positive.
Security is further enhanced with the launch of Key Verifier. This tool helps protect you from scammers attempting to impersonate your contacts. It allows you to verify the identity of the person you’re messaging by comparing public encryption keys, which are represented as scannable QR codes. If a friend’s verification status suddenly shows as unverified in your Google Contacts app, it could be a sign their account has been compromised, such as in a SIM swap attack. You can access this feature from a chat’s Details page by tapping “Verify encryption.”
The app’s visual identity has been refined, with the app bar now displaying “Google Messages” alongside the full-color logo in light theme. The chat interface itself has been updated with rounded corners at the top and solid color backgrounds, replacing the previous bubbly designs. The ‘plus’ menu is now a distinct container with larger, background-less pills.
Functionality has been improved with the introduction of a standalone gallery. You can now access your photo gallery separately from the camera by tapping the ‘plus’ menu and selecting the new “Gallery” option, which takes over the entire screen.
The visual refresh extends to other parts of the app. The Emoji, GIFs, and Stickers pickers now use connected button groups, and the “Search messages,” “New chat,” and Settings pages all feature a heavier use of containers for a cleaner look. Buttons for Call, Video, and Contact info have also been redesigned as larger, more prominent pills.
Finally, the Wear OS app is being modernized ahead of the Wear OS 6 update. The changes on the smartwatch are subtle but meaningful. The conversation view now houses the emoji, microphone, and keyboard buttons inside a cohesive container, and suggested replies like “Yes” or “No” are grouped together. This redesign also incorporates the new circular read receipts.
(Source: 9to5 Google)
