Google Messages to let users edit what they've recently sent
What's the story
Google is said to be developing a new feature for its messaging app, allowing users to edit recently sent messages, according to TheSpAndroid blog post. This feature, currently hidden in the latest beta version (20240213_01_RC00), is anticipated to allow users to edit messages sent within the past 30 minutes. It can be accessed by toggling a few flags. The latest news comes as users eagerly await the release of several features in the popular messaging app.
Steps
How the editing feature works
To use the editing feature, users will need to long-press on a sent message, revealing a pencil icon along with options like copy, delete, and star. Clicking the pencil icon will open a text editing box titled "Editing message." After making the changes, a checkmark will replace the send button. The latest beta also shows that Google will display both the original and edited messages for reference.
Scenario
Edited text to be sent separately in certain cases
According to TheSpAndroid's findings, if a user edits a message and the recipient doesn't have the feature enabled, the edited text will be sent as a separate message. However, it's speculated that Google Messages might process the edit behind the scenes, and display it seamlessly to recipients with the feature enabled, similar to how emoji reactions work with iPhones today.
Insights
Additional gesture features anticipated
Besides the editing feature, the latest beta version of Google Messages also brings a double-tap gesture that will remove a reaction. The discovery follows an earlier APK teardown that revealed an Instagram-like gesture for reacting to messages. As Google continues to improve its messaging app, users can expect more advanced features and enhanced functionality in future updates.