Google Messages looks to be getting an update to its group chat function that would allow you to add custom icons to your group chats.
If the new feature, which has already been spotted by some users, is fully rolled out, it would mark the latest upgrade in Google’s messaging service for Android after the announcement of four new design upgrades last week.
9to5Google first spotted the change in Google Messages, sharing that a handful of users have noticed that they have the freedom to set their own group chat icons. However, while some users apparently have access to the new feature, the upgrade isn’t available for everyone yet, and no official roll-out date has been announced.
You can check to see if the feature is available for you by opening a group conversation and tapping the top bar to reveal the group details. If a pencil icon appears at the right of your group chat’s existing image, it means you can set your own icon.
Elsewhere, a recent Reddit post notes that GIFs can’t be set as group chat icons, and adds that you can’t return to the previous icon once you’ve set a new custom one.
Right now, group chat icons in Google Messages only show up to four circle profile images, which doesn’t make it easy to differentiate chats. The addition of custom group chat icons would introduce a smoother way to distinguish between chats, as opposed to relying solely on group chat names, and would definitely be an improvement to Google Messages’ ecosystem.
Google Messages is catching up to WhatsApp
In comparison to rival services, and in particular WhatsApp, Google Messages has fallen behind when it comes to implementing relatively minor upgrades to improve the users experience. Since January, though, Messages has been subject to some minor design changes and functionality improvements, giving the service a long overdue makeover.
One of the first changes, introduced earlier this year, allowed users to once again set names and profile images for their contacts, reversing an earlier change that had annoyed many users. This was followed by the discovery of code hinting that group chat read receipts were coming to Google Messages.
Another APK teardown in March pointed at the possible addition of WhatsApp-style group chat mentions, and in April more group chat muting features were teased in another teardown. So it looks like Google is making up for lost time in attempting to bring its messaging service up to speed – let us know what you think of the latest changes in the comments below.
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rowan.davies@futurenet.com (Rowan Davies)
