These new Google Messages features make Android texting better for everyone

Summary

Google Messages is the go-to texting service for Android users.

Google is in the process of rolling out two new Messages features: an Unsubscribe button to block spam, and a visually refined landscape interface.

Google Messages has evolved considerably in recent years, and is now a genuinely solid texting platform.

Over the past several months,

Google
has been steadily integrating new features into its native Messages platform for

Android
, and the initiative doesn’t appear to be losing steam anytime soon. The company is reportedly beginning the rollout of a dedicated Unsubscribe button to combat spam text messages (via 9to5Google), while also testing out a refreshed landscape orientation interface in a new app beta build (via Android Authority.)

Google outlines the functionality and availability of its new Unsubscribe feature in an online support document. The button itself is designed to automatically surface on-screen when clicking on a text thread that has been flagged as spam. Once tapped on, Google will go through the process of initiating the unsubscribe request without the need for user input.

The Unsubscribe function can also be manually accessed by navigating to the ellipsis (3-dot) button in the top right-hand corner of a chat thread, followed by tapping on the new Unsubscribe entry within the dropdown menu. According to Google, the feature is currently available in the following markets, and with the following restrictions:

RCS for Business messages in the United States, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

SMS or MMS messages in the United States from short codes (phone numbers with 5-6 digits) and alphanumeric senders.

Google Messages has become the de facto texting platform for Android – here’s why that matters so much.

Meanwhile, the impending interface change to Google Messages’ landscape orientation hasn’t been officially announced or confirmed by the company. Rather, we know of its existence within version messages.android_20250427_01_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic of the app due to an APK teardown, courtesy of Android Authority.

In its current in-testing state, this aesthetic tweak appears to improve the UI proportionality of

Google Messages
when using a phone-sized screen in its landscape orientation. For reference, in the current stable build of the app, there’s a strange left-justified offset across the chat thread — Google appears to be on track to iron out this oversight in the near future.

Google Messages

Google’s default messaging application, which is installed on many Android phones out of the box. The company’s custom RCS implementation brings with it end-to-end encryption.

Google Messages is jumping from strength to strength

It’s taken far too long to get here, but text messaging on Android is finally a well-rounded experience

As mentioned, Google has been making strides in improving the functionality of its Messages app for some time now. After years of scrambling and squandering various Apple iMessage competitor initiatives, the search giant has finally settled on a platform that’s worth its salt.

In many ways, Google Messages has evolved into the de facto text messaging app for Android, with its cross-device syncing capabilities, its built-in

Rich Communication Services
(RCS) chat technology, and its incorporation of Gemini-powered artificial intelligence tools.

Most recently, the company

has been working to incorporate
such features as a sensitive content warning system, real-time location sharing, and in-line PDF previewing into the Google Messages experience. As a platform, Messages is making inroads against competitors like

iMessage
and

WhatsApp
, but I do hope to see even more improvements made down the line.

I hope to see the day Google relents on its anti-competitive stance when it comes to RCS texting.

In particular, I’d love to see the reintroduction of the text message auto-categorization feature that we only briefly got a tease of back in 2020. Aside from this, I’d love to see the addition of a send delay setting, as well as the ability to customize the backdrop and color accents on a per-conversation level. Perhaps most importantly, I hope to see the day Google relents on its anti-competitive stance when it comes to RCS texting, by creating a robust API for

third-party Android texting apps
to tap into.