Key Takeaways
- Google Messages beta UI takes a step back by reviving the old design with a disproportionate text field.
- In beta, some buttons are placed outside the text field, while they are inside in the stable version.
- Recent changes could be accidental; Google may return to the left-aligned text field shortly.
Google Messages is the default SMS and RCS app on Android, and is also regarded as one of the best chat apps by several other Android OEMs. Since the introduction of Gemini in various Google apps, the company has invested resources in updating the user interface of these apps so the AI feels like a cohesive part of the app. However, a recent beta for the Messages app took a few steps back and revived the old text composition UI.
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Google Messages was the hotbed of design changes just a few months ago when its developers added new features like inline read receipts, proper image captions that appear under the media file, and Material You theming for the Send button. However, our friends at 9to5Google recently spotted beta version 20241008_00_RC00 of the app reviving the big old rectangular message composition field.
Source: 9to5Google
Current beta UI in Google Messages
The old design’s revival makes the message text field disproportionately taller than required, and it places all the other buttons outside the text field, in a single line. So, you’ll see the Plus button on the far left, followed by the image attachment option, and Magic Compose on compatible hardware. Inside the text field, you’ll find the right-aligned options for the emoji picker and voice message recorder. In the stable version, the text field is left-aligned with the emoji picker on the left, and Magic Compose, media attachment, and the Plus option sitting inside it on the right. Only the voice recorder gets a separate round button, which doubles up as Send.
Current stable Messages UI
When you tap the text field to type, the options on the left in the beta are auto-hidden behind a chevron while the voice recorder option on the right is replaced by the Send button. The stable version behaves similarly, retaining the left-aligned emoji picker and collapsing everything else on the right under the Plus button, while the Send button behavior remains unchanged, outside the text field.
Is it Throwback Thursdays, or an honest error?
We don’t mind the occasional blast from the past, but Google is mostly committed to the new left-aligned text field in apps like Gmail and Google Chat, making the latest Messages beta an anomaly. So, this could be an accidental update and Google will likely return to the current UI in the next beta. However, when that might be isn’t very clear. I’d recommend switching on automatic updates for the app if you get the latest beta builds from the Play Store.