Google has been making changes to the Google Messages app in an effort to make it easier to use. Some changes have already been made while others could be coming soon based on a deep dive into the Google Messages app version messages.android_20251121_00_RC01.phone.openbeta_dynamic. Spotted by Android Authority were three potential changes to the Google Messages app.
View shared media files immediately after saving them in Google Messages
Let's say that a buddy has shared a media file with you in a chat. If you save that media, you will get a pop-up notification at the bottom of the page confirming that you have saved that file. Google is reportedly working on making a change so you can open the media file up in another app and view it immediately. Yeah, I know. You've already viewed the file in the conversation you're having. But if you want to see it inside another app, Google is going to add an option allowing you to do just that when you save the media file.
Will this be useful to you? Well, it is a way to view the file again, by yourself, in an app that you've selected. And it is another way to confirm that you received the file. You see, if it plays after you request it to, you know it was saved on your phone. If it doesn't play, well then, something must have gone wrong.
Google relabels the Location button to make it clear that you are sharing your location at this moment only. | Image credit-Android Authority
Another change has to do with the location sharing feature on Google Messages. Tap the "+" button next to the left side of the text field in the app. Currently, you'll see a button called Location. A user can tap on that button to share his current location with a Android user running the Google Messages app. But what this button doesn't tell you is that this is supposed to be about sharing your current location at the moment, not following you as you travel throughout the city.
Gemini is important to Google and this reminds you when after you open the Messages app
To make this explicitly clear, in the update Google will relabel the name of the button from Location to One-Time Location. This way there is no question that this is your current location and cannot be used on an ongoing basis to show off your location. However, internally, the app refers to it as "enable_live_location_sharing_extension." Live location sharing sure sounds like ongoing location sharing to me. Perhaps Google has plans to add some more functionality to Google Messages' location sharing feature than what can be deduced at this moment.
Google makes the Gemini floating action button larger. | Image credit=Android Authority
Lastly, to make you understand, absolutely understand that Google's Gemini AI is everywhere, there is a small Gemini floating action button (FAB) on the right side of the display, right above the "chat" button. To emphasize even more the importance of Gemini, Google has increased the size of the FAB to match the "chat" button. We get it Google. Gemini is a big deal and is available inside many Google apps.
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Don't get me wrong. I love using Gemini as the virtual assistant on my Pixel. Now that Google is replacing the Google Assistant with Gemini, you better love it as much as I do. You get in-depth answers to every query you ask whether it is an important question or something inane. In my opinion, Gemini is exactly what a virtual assistant was supposed to be from the start. Sure, there is the pesky hallucination thing, but the few times it has occurred, it was so obvious and thus not an issue.
On my Pixel, Gemini will also handle system-related tasks such as setting alarms and timers. In my humble opinion, you should embrace Gemini being everywhere and not fight it.
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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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