Summary
- Google Messages updates may soon complicate switching SIM cards by integrating the feature into conversation details.
- The new SIM swap UI requires more steps but still allows for selecting preferred numbers per-conversation.
- The change is currently in beta and hasn’t impacted the stable version of Google Messages yet, where SIM selection is available in the message composition field.
Google Messages shoulders a big responsibility on our favorite Android devices as the default SMS app, with support for RCS built-in. The app’s developers are constantly pushing the envelope for ease of use and to integrate the occasional new feature like Magic Compose, but occasionally the efforts take a few steps backwards instead. A fine example of this regression in design affecting dual-SIM users just came to light.
Related
SMS hasn’t changed drastically in the past few years, and Google Messages has all the time on its hands to optimize the user experience. If you have two SIM cards installed in your device, you might know how easy it is to switch between your numbers. A SIM swap icon is prominently displayed right in the message composition field, and the app also remembers your preferred SIM for every chat thread. Convenient as this may be, the developers at Google seem inclined to remove this button, and add another step to the process.
Reputable app researcher and tipster @AssembleDebug on X (formerly Twitter) tells Android Authority that the latest beta version of the Messages app gives us a glimpse of the new SIM switching flow. Instead of offering a quick toggle button in the composition field, the app offers the SIM selection setting under the conversation details section where you manage other particulars like the chat theme, notification preferences, and encryption settings.
The granularity of your preferences remains
This could just be a test
Old SIM swap UI (left); New location for the same setting (right)
On the one hand, tucking the cellular provider selector into the detailed conversation settings page needs a few more taps to get to, but on the other hand, you still get to choose the preferred number for each conversation. Your selection made in this details page won’t affect SIM preferences for other conversations. Unless otherwise defined, they will all still use the SIM you selected as the default, under Settings → Network & Internet → Calls & SMS → SMS.
That said, the change is still available to beta testers only, and it hasn’t affected the stable version yet. If you’re dual-wielding SIMs, we suggest revisiting your selection before hitting Send the next time you’re in Google Messages.