Google Messages has introduced a revamped user interface (UI) for sharing photos and videos through rich communication services (RCS), according to a recent report. The new design consolidates the camera viewfinder and the gallery picker, significantly transforming how users interact with multimedia content. The updated layout allows the viewfinder to occupy the majority of the screen, placing recent images and the folders option at the bottom.
Updated User Interface in Google Messages
A report from 9to5Google highlighted the updates included in the beta version of Google Messages, identified as 20241118_03_RC00. With the introduction of this version, tapping the gallery icon now reveals a UI that centers around the camera viewfinder. Additionally, the new version incorporates an option for users to choose the media quality prior to sending content through RCS.
This feature reportedly allows users to select either HD or HD+ quality levels. The HD option is designed for chats with lower quality, while the HD+ setting transmits media at full resolution without compression. The company has informed users that sending content in HD+ will utilize more data and may require a longer transmission time. The chosen media quality will apply to both ongoing and future conversations, with images sent in higher resolution marked with an “HD+” tag.
The report indicates that once this feature is fully implemented, Google plans to eliminate the Send photos faster option from the app’s settings. Staff members from Gadgets 360 reported that they could not access these features in the Google Messages beta app, suggesting that the rollout is not yet widespread.
A similar functionality was noted in an earlier beta version of Google Messages (version messages.android_20241029_00_RC00.phone_samsung_openbeta_dynamic) during the month. This feature remains under testing and is not available to the public at this time.
