Google is notorious for killing off chat apps. We’ve seen Hangouts, Allo, Duo, and Google+ Messenger go to the graveyard over the last decade. It’s honestly been a mess. But right now, the messenger app from google—officially known as Google Messages—is actually sticking. It’s become the default experience for almost every Android phone on the planet.
Most people just think of it as the place where those annoying verification codes from their bank land. That’s a mistake.
If you’re still using it for basic SMS, you’re missing out on what Google is trying to do to compete with iMessage. It’s not just about texting anymore; it's about RCS (Rich Communication Services). RCS is the reason your bubbles turn dark blue, you see typing indicators, and you can send high-res photos without them looking like they were taken with a potato.
What’s Actually Happening with RCS?
The big shift happened when Google stopped waiting for carriers like Verizon or T-Mobile to fix texting. Carriers were dragging their feet. Google basically said, "Fine, we’ll do it ourselves." They rolled out their own Jibe platform to handle RCS directly.
This changed everything.
Now, when you use the messenger app from google, you're getting end-to-end encryption. That’s huge. It means Google can’t read your texts, and neither can the government or your ISP. It’s standard for one-on-one chats and is increasingly the norm for group chats too. If you see a little lock icon next to your send button, you’re encrypted.
But there’s a catch.
Encryption only works if both people are using RCS. If you text your friend who has an iPhone, it used to fall back to the old, insecure SMS standard. However, 2024 and 2025 changed the game because Apple finally caved and brought RCS support to iOS. It’s not perfect yet—Apple still keeps the bubbles green to let you know you’re "different"—but the functional gap is closing. You can finally leave a group chat with an iPhone user without deleting the whole thread. Finally.
The Gemini Integration
Google is obsessed with AI. You know this. It was only a matter of time before Gemini (their AI model) crawled into your texting app.
Honestly, it’s kinda weird at first. You’ll see a "Chat with Gemini" option right above your recent conversations. You can ask it to draft a difficult text to your boss or suggest a restaurant for a date. Is it useful? Sometimes. Is it a bit intrusive? Probably.
But the real power isn't in chatting with the bot itself. It’s the "Magic Compose" feature. It looks at the context of your conversation and suggests replies in different tones. You can make your text sound "Excited," "Chill," or even "Shakespearean" if you’re feeling particularly dramatic. It’s a bit of a gimmick, but for those of us who overthink every "haha" versus "lol," it’s a lifesaver.
Small Features That Actually Matter
Most tech reviewers ignore the tiny stuff. But the tiny stuff is why you stay.
Take "Nudges," for example. The messenger app from google will occasionally move a conversation to the top of your list if it thinks you forgot to reply to an important question. It’s like a digital guilt trip, but it works.
Then there’s the organization. The app automatically sorts your messages into "Personal" and "Transactions." This is a godsend for anyone who gets flooded with delivery notifications or one-time passwords (OTPs). You can even set the app to automatically delete those OTP codes after 24 hours. No more clutter.
Using It on Your Desktop
One thing people constantly ask is how to text from a PC.
It’s not as seamless as iMessage on a Mac, but "Messages for Web" is solid. You go to the site, scan a QR code with your phone, and boom—you’re texting from your mechanical keyboard. The best part is that it doesn't require a specific browser. It works on Chrome, Safari, Edge, whatever.
It’s worth noting that your phone has to stay powered on and connected to the internet for this to work. It’s essentially "mirroring" your phone rather than being a standalone cloud client like Telegram. It’s a bit of an old-school way of doing things, but it’s stable.
The Privacy Reality Check
We have to talk about data. It’s Google.
While the messages themselves are encrypted (if you’re using RCS), Google still collects metadata. They know who you talk to and when. They aren't reading the content of your "What do you want for dinner?" texts, but they see the patterns.
If you are a privacy extremist, you’re probably better off with Signal. Signal doesn't even store metadata. But for the average person, the messenger app from google strikes a decent balance between convenience and security. It’s certainly better than the stock SMS apps that used to come pre-installed on Samsung phones back in the day.
Speaking of Samsung—they’ve basically abandoned their own "Samsung Messages" app in favor of Google’s. This is a massive win for consistency. It means the Android ecosystem is finally unifying under one messaging standard instead of being fragmented into a million different pieces.
Why Some People Still Hate It
It’s not all sunshine. The app can be buggy.
Sometimes RCS just... disconnects. You’ll see a "Connecting..." status at the top of your screen that stays there for hours. Usually, toggling Airplane Mode fixes it, but it’s annoying. There’s also the issue of "Emoji Reactions."
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For years, if an iPhone user "liked" your text, you’d get a separate text saying "John liked 'See you at 5'." It was incredibly stupid. Google fixed this on their end by translating those texts back into actual emoji reactions. Now, they’ve even added the ability to react to any text with any emoji, which is great, but it can still look wonky when communicating with older devices.
Actionable Steps to Master Google Messages
Don't just let the app sit there on default settings. You should actually go in and tweak a few things to make it suck less.
First, check your RCS status. Open the app, tap your profile picture, go to "Messages settings," then "RCS chats." Make sure it says "Connected." If it doesn't, you're just sending old-school texts that can be intercepted.
Second, turn on "Auto-delete OTPs." It's under "Message organization." Your inbox will thank you.
Third, try the "Device Pairing." If you spend eight hours a day at a desk, there is zero reason to be picking up your phone every time it buzzes. Use the web interface.
Lastly, play with the "Photomoji." You can long-press a message, hit the plus icon, and create a custom reaction from your own photos. It’s a fun, albeit slightly chaotic, way to personalize your chats.
The messenger app from google has finally grown up. It took them long enough, and they killed a lot of good apps along the way, but what we’re left with is a powerful, encrypted, and genuinely smart communication tool. Use the RCS features. Turn on the organization filters. Stop settling for plain old SMS.
Your Android phone is capable of a lot more than just sending green bubbles; it’s time to actually use the tech you’re paying for.