Google Messages adds customisation as beta features surface

The officially documented changes are the least glamorous but most dependable.[1] Google’s Help page says Chat theme lets users apply custom photos, preset wallpapers and colour themes to a conversation.[1] The changes are local to the user, so your carefully selected wallpaper will not necessarily inflict itself on everyone else.[1]

Google also documents a touch-and-hold menu for messages.[2] Depending on the content, users can react with emoji, edit, copy parts of a message and perform other actions across text, images, videos, links, files, locations and contact cards.[2] That matters because it is not presented as an RCS-only trick; the long-press behaviour covers more than one messaging standard.

RCS remains the bigger under-the-bonnet upgrade.[3] Google lists high-resolution media, typing indicators, read receipts and group-chat controls, while warning that availability depends on region, carrier and whether everyone in a conversation has RCS enabled.[3] Google separately announced a beta path for end-to-end encrypted RCS between Android and iPhone, requiring iOS 26.5, a supported carrier and the latest Google Messages version.[4] Encryption is being enabled automatically over time, rather than arriving as a single global switch.

According to 9to5Google, beta testing has also exposed two possible attachment-grid designs, read-receipt experiments that move timestamps and encryption details behind a swipe, and a future Google Messages for Web sign-in flow that could replace QR pairing.[5] The outlet has further reported that iOS 27 may bring inline replies and actual-emoji reactions to photos.[6]

That last group needs a large asterisk. No matching official Google announcement was located for those specific beta behaviours, and the iOS 27 claims should not be treated as confirmed features.[5][6] Nor should reports about Samsung Messages migration in the US be generalised into a worldwide shutdown. Google’s own Play listing says feature availability varies by market and device, with some features requiring beta enrolment.[3]

The useful news is already here: themes make chats less sterile, long-press actions reduce fiddling and RCS is finally making cross-platform messaging less embarrassing. The beta experiments are worth watching, but they are not reasons to change phones or declare the messaging wars over. Treat 9to5Google’s sightings as a peek behind the curtain, not a contract. Use the stable tools now, keep RCS expectations tied to your carrier and region, and wait for Google to publish the rest before celebrating.

[1] https://support.google.com/messages/answer/14790371?hl=en

[2] https://support.google.com/messages/answer/17499346?hl=en

[3] https://support.google.com/messages/answer/13508703?hl=en

[4] https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/platforms/android/android-ios-end-to-end-encrypted-rcs-messaging

[5] https://9to5google.com/2026/08/29/new-google-messages-features

[6] https://9to5google.com/2026/06/22/ios-27-android-replies