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The tabs used to filter conversations in Google Messages have vanished

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By Alan Friedman

Published: Apr 22, 2023, 10:05 PM

The tabs used to filter conversations in Google Messages have vanished

Underneath the search bar at the top of the Google Messages UI on Android used to be organizational category tabs that would allow users to run through chats and messages from "All," "Personal," and "Business." This was a quick way to view only those messages that you wanted to see at a given time. Selecting "All" would show, well, all of the conversations you had in your messages conversation list while Personal and Business are pretty self-explanatory.

As 9to5Google noted, this feature first surfaced in 2021 in India and Google said that it was to "roll out first to English users around the globe." Now, the organizational category tabs are gone for many Messages users. They have simply vanished from the Google Messages UI as though they were deleted by the Magic Eraser. One interesting note though; 9to5Google said that all of the Pixel models it saw missing the feature were running Beta versions of Android and we don't know if they meant the Android 14 Beta or the QPR3 Beta.

Personally, my Pixel 6 Pro also does not show the category tabs anymore and my phone is running Android 13 QPR3 Beta 3 (which does have some issues of its own). Is this the end of the organizational category tabs or is this a bug? Google is usually pretty good at telling users when it is removing a specific feature and why it is being removed. Still, it is possible that the tabs were not being employed that often by users and Google just felt it was better off to remove them.

Google removes organizational category tabs from the Google Messages app. Image credit 9to5Google

We should make it clear that not all Android users who favor using the Google Messages app are missing the organizational category tabs and Android users employing their carrier's third-party messaging apps (like Verizon Messages, T-Mobile Messages, or AT&T Messages) wouldn't be impacted at all. But most Android users know that RCS (Rich Communication Service), available with the Google Messages app, helps to deliver a better Android messaging experience.

If you don't have the Google Messages app (ahem, more precisely Messages by Google app) on your Android phone, feel free to tap on this link and install it from the Play Store.

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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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