This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Google Messages gets new Tap to Draft toggle. | Image by PhoneArena
The number of upgrades Google Messages has received recently clearly indicates that it is currently at the top of Google's priority list. The latest update to the app brings a much-needed behavior change to its smart reply feature. Here's everything you need to know about this change and why I think it should have been this way since the day it was introduced.
Have more control over your messages
In 2018, Google rolled out the smart reply feature to its messaging app. When enabled, the app reads the last message you received and then uses on-device AI to suggest relevant responses. For instance, if you receive a message asking about your health, the feature might suggest replies like "I'm doing great" or "I'm not feeling good today."
While this sounds great on paper, I've always felt that this feature needs a slight behavior change. You see, whenever you tap one of the suggested smart replies, Google Messages automatically sends it. It's like you show a little interest in a particular shirt in a clothing store, and the shopkeeper instantly creates a bill for it.
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Instead, it should work like this: when you tap a smart reply, it loads into the text field, and then you can send it manually if you want or edit it and add extra details if needed. Fortunately, Google has realized this is the ideal approach and introduced a new "Tap to Draft" option in its messaging app.
It can be enabled by navigating to Message Settings > Suggestions > Tap to Draft. If you've disabled its toggle, the previous behavior takes over – a smart reply will be sent automatically when you tap it.
Which recent Google Messages upgrade do you love the most?
It was actually a much-needed change
Tap to Draft toggle in Google Messages. | Image by PhoneArena
Ever since its introduction, I have used the smart reply feature almost daily. Even so, I often tapped on one of the suggested replies, thinking the app would let me edit it, only to end up sending a follow-up text to clarify or add extra information I had initially intended to include in an already sent smart reply.
Some of you might say that you use Google Messages' edit function to add pertinent information to an already sent smart reply. But don't you think that's extra labor that could have been easily avoided if the tech giant had taken the approach of drafting the smart reply instead of sending it automatically?
Fortunately, after several years, Google has finally realized that the majority of users would prefer to draft a smart reply before sending it instantly. As a result, the company has introduced this change. I've spotted the new "Tap to Draft" option in the beta build 20260303_00_RC00. It will likely become available in the stable version of the app in the coming days.
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Aman Kumar is a tech news writer with a long-standing passion for smartphones. Aman specializes in everything smartphones, from AI features like Pixel’s Camera Coach to understanding ideal hardware combinations. He loves breaking down complex features in a simple, clear way and hopes manufacturers bring back bold designs like the Nokia N-Gage. When he’s not writing, he’s either gaming on PUBG or talking fitness as a dedicated gym enthusiast.
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