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Google may be removing its iconic ‘G’ logo from Messages (APK teardown)

Adamya Sharma / Android Authority TL;DR The Google Messages app could be getting a branding tweak that removes the famous “G” logo. It seems that the company plans to use the full “Google” wordmark in the app’s header going forward. The new Google Messages branding seems to be consistent with other Google apps, such as Photos, Calendar, Drive, and more. Google is constantly making subtle changes to the look and feel of its core apps, and we’ve discovered that Google Messages may be in line f

RCS chats not connecting? Google Messages may soon make it easier to diagnose (APK teardown)

Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Google Messages may be about to add a “Details” button to help diagnose issues with RCS chats connections. The button was spotted within a recent beta version of the app, and includes a “Submit feedback” option. Google has previously advised users to provide this kind of technical info if they’re having problems with the feature. If you’ve ever found RCS chats registration stuck on “Connecting” or “Verifying” in Google Messages, you know how frustrati

Google Messages is splitting Gallery and Camera into separate options

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google Messages is separating Gallery and Camera in the latest beta. Both options now have their own dedicated buttons. Tapping on Camera still brings up the camera with the gallery below. Google is making a change to the Messages app in the latest beta. The change should make accessing your gallery or camera a little more intuitive. When you go into Google Messages and tap on the plus icon in the text field, you’ll see a group of options like GIFs,

macOS Tahoe 26: All the new features in Messages

9to5Mac is brought to you by CleanMyMac: Tidy up your Mac and iPhone today! Try 7 days free and use our code 9TO5MAC15 for 15% off. Also check out CleanMyPhone for your iPhone! macOS Tahoe 26 will be released to everyone later this year, and it brings a handful of notable new features to the Messages app. There are new customization options, upgraded search functionality, group message improvements, and more. Head below for all the new features coming to the Messages app on Mac later this year

People Are Rizzing on Tinder Using ChatGPT, Then Showing Up to Dates Completely Tongue-Tied

Online dating apps have become a leading way to meet romantic partners, turning dating from an in-person experience into an often tedious, touchscreen-focused exercise. And with the advent of generative AI, that bleak landscape of modern dating is continuing to evolve in dystopian — and perhaps predictable — ways. As the Washington Post reports, a 31-year-old named Richard Wilson was startled when his date "had none of the conversational pizzazz she had shown over text." Her messages had incl

iOS 26’s Messages app has a solution coming for unwanted texts

Apple’s Messages app got a lot of new features last year, but iOS 26 continues the trend of big upgrades, including a handy solution for all those unwanted spam texts you keep getting. Messages can automatically screen your texts for spam in iOS 26 iOS 26’s Liquid Glass design may be getting the most attention, but the iPhone’s next big update also has lots of new app features coming. These include changes to Apple Wallet, Music, Notes, Reminders, Photos, and more. Apple’s Messages app is get

CBP Wants New Tech to Search for Hidden Data on Seized Phones

United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is asking tech companies to pitch digital forensics tools that are designed to process and analyze text messages, pictures, videos, and contacts from seized phones, laptops, and other devices at the United States border, according to documents reviewed by WIRED. The agency said in a federal registry listing that the tools it’s seeking must have very specific capabilities, such as the ability to find a “hidden language” in a person’s text message

Android users can now (kinda) edit messages sent to iPhones, but not yet vice-versa

iPhones and Android smartphones started to play more nicely together after Apple finally opted to support the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard. Prior to this, messages between the two platforms had to use the ancient and insecure text messaging service. Not all RCS features are supported as yet, with the all-important strong encryption waiting for RCS 3.0 support in iOS 26. Another RCS 3.0 feature is the ability to edit outgoing messages after sending them, and that one has started a

Google Messages is hiding a useful text formatting feature from users

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR It turns out Google Messages supports text formatting, but currently, only the integrated Gemini chatbot can use it to format its own replies. The hidden feature uses Markdown syntax, as seen when the Gemini chatbot formats its own text with symbols like double asterisks for bolding. A full rollout may be challenging due to cross-platform compatibility needs, as text formatting isn’t a standard part of the RCS specification. Google Messages was a sim

Microsoft: DNS issue blocks delivery of Exchange Online OTP codes

Microsoft is working to fix a DNS misconfiguration that is causing one-time passcode (OTP) message delivery failures in Exchange Online for some users. Recipients may receive a single-use access code via a separate email to open an encrypted message in Gmail, Yahoo, or other email clients without a Microsoft 365 subscription. This OTP message allows them to view the encrypted email on the Office 365 Message Encryption portal. However, as the company explains in a new service alert published in

Gemini may soon let you send images in texts, thanks to RCS (APK teardown)

Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR Gemini on Android currently sends only text messages through Google Messages. If you ask Gemini to send an image via Google Messages, it will only send a blank URL in the text, as MMS is not supported yet. New code suggests Gemini will soon support RCS through Google Messages, potentially enabling image sharing. Gemini on Android can be used like a good old digital assistant to send text messages to one of your contacts. Once Gemini accepts the command, i

FBI: Cybercriminals steal health data posing as fraud investigators

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned Americans of cybercriminals impersonating health fraud investigators to steal their sensitive information. As the federal law enforcement agency cautioned in a Friday public service announcement, scammers posing as "legitimate health insurers and their investigative team members" are emailing or messaging potential victims to pressure them into providing personal or health data that can later be used for fraudulent purposes. "These criminals

Delivery message alerts could be coming to Now Brief (APK teardown)

Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR Now Brief may soon alert you about package deliveries. The feature will remind you how many messages you received about deliveries for that day. Since debuting on One UI 7, Samsung has continued to flesh out the Now Brief feature. Earlier today, we reported that Samsung is working on adding info cards for parking spot reminders, smart home alerts, and wearable battery warnings. Now we have found that it could gain another pretty useful type of alert. Auth

WhatsApp Deploys AI, for Those Incapable of Comprehending Straightforward Messages From Their Friends and Family

WhatsApp Deploys AI, for Those Incapable of Comprehending Straightforward Messages From Their Friends and Family We are once again asking: who asked for this? Summary Judgment WhatsApp is now offering AI summaries of text threads for those too lazy to read through their messages themselves. In a press release, the Meta-owned messaging app framed the new AI summarizing function as an optional feature that can help busy users keep up with their texts. "We've all been there — rushing between m

Google clears the air about that Gemini email, says ‘this update is good for users’

Google has clarified what Gemini’s upcoming July 7 update for Android devices really means and how it’ll affect Android users. The company responded to an email query from Android Authority, confirming that Gemini will soon be able to help with everyday tasks like sending messages, making phone calls, and setting timers, even if Gemini Apps Activity is turned off. This initially sparked confusion after Google sent out a vague email to users, stating that Gemini would soon be able to “help you u

Google clears the air on Gemini email, says ‘this update is good for users’

Google has clarified what Gemini’s upcoming July 7 update for Android devices really means and how it’ll affect Android users. The company responded to an email query from Android Authority, confirming that Gemini will soon be able to help with everyday tasks like sending messages, making phone calls, and setting timers, even if Gemini Apps Activity is turned off. This initially sparked confusion after Google sent out a vague email to users, stating that Gemini would soon be able to “help you u

WhatsApp rolls out Meta AI-powered message summaries in the U.S.

A couple of weeks ago, WABetaInfo spotted signs that Meta was gearing up to bring AI-generated summaries for WhatsApp messages. Today, the feature is officially live for users in the U.S. Here’s how to use it. Summarization is perhaps one of the most useful applications of generative AI, especially when it comes to quickly catching up on transactional information. Which is why, provided it’s well-implemented, using AI to condense notifications and group chats can genuinely save time. Which is

Meta is adding AI-powered summaries to WhatsApp

Meta announced on Wednesday that it’s adding an AI-powered summaries feature to WhatsApp. The optional new feature uses Meta AI to summarize unread messages in a chat. This summary would only be visible to you, not others in your chat, the company notes. The feature builds on the AI technology that Meta released in April, which allowed the company to implement AI features that don’t impact encryption or user privacy. “Message Summaries uses Private Processing technology, which allows Meta AI

Topics: ai chat messages meta new

Google Messages will help you shame your friends into finally turning on RCS (APK teardown)

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR To take full advantage of RCS messaging features, everyone in the chat needs to have RCS enabled. Google Messages is working on a feature that would prompt you to send friends without RCS a message asking them to turn it on. Messaging on Android is better than it’s ever been, and a big part of that is due to the arrival of Rich Communication Services (RCS) support. While that’s absolutely helped start pulling down some of the walls between Android and

iOS 26 will fix CarPlay’s most annoying Messages problem

It’s turning out to be a huge year for CarPlay, surprising many of us after years of middling updates. Among the host of new CarPlay features coming in iOS 26, there’s a key fix for what’s long been the most annoying Messages issue for me: the lack of tapbacks support. CarPlay in iOS 26 brings support for Messages tapbacks Ever since Apple unveiled the “next generation of CarPlay” in 2022, new updates for the standard CarPlay experience have been fairly underwhelming. But things are starting

PSA: WhatsApp for iPhone now also lets you copy part of a message

If you got excited by yesterday’s news that iOS 26 will let you copy parts of a text message in Messages, but aren’t running the beta and don’t want to feel left out, here’s some good news: you can already do that on WhatsApp. Since version 25.16.81, WhatsApp has offered partial text selection on iPhone, letting you highlight and copy just the specific section of a message you want. To use it, long-press the message bubble, then press and hold again on the text itself. This brings up the famil

Google Messages just pulled the plug on its new unsubscribe button for some users

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google is removing a new Messages feature that made it easier to unsubscribe from automated business texts for users in the U.S. and Spain. The feature added a prominent unsubscribe button to chats, which sent a “STOP” command for the user after they provided a reason for unsubscribing. It’s unclear why the feature is being removed only in the U.S. and Spain but not other countries. Businesses, charities, and political campaigns send millions of auto

Here’s everything new in the Messages app with iOS 26

iOS 26 was unveiled by Apple today, and it includes several new features for the Messages app. Here’s what’s coming to the iPhone later this year. iOS 26 upgrades Messages with new design, group chat features, and more Apple’s Messages app is getting a handful of solid upgrades in iOS 26. Messages gains the new ‘Liquid Glass’ redesign that impacts the app, of course. Buttons have been updated, UI elements have a fresh look, and overall the app reflects iOS 26’s aesthetic well—familiar, yet ne

New Apple Music feature in iOS 26 will make singing K-pop lyrics a breeze

With iOS 26, Apple is making Apple Music a lot more fun to sing along with, especially for fans of international music. The update will introduce two features designed for listeners who enjoy songs in languages they don’t necessarily speak fluently. Here’s how it’ll work. Translation beyond Messages At WWDC25, Apple introduced several live translation tools, meant to make communication across languages easier in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone. But one of the more unexpected and delightful uses

WhatsApp is getting AI-powered summaries for unread chats

When Apple’s AI summaries for notifications work, they can be pretty useful. However, with Apple Intelligence limited to select devices, most iPhone users still can’t take advantage of it. Now, WhatsApp is testing its own in-app, AI-powered feature that summarizes unread messages in chats, groups, and channels. Here’s how it works. As uncovered by WABetaInfo (via Tecnoblog), WhatsApp’s AI summaries are being tested on Android, and are opt-in through a feature called Private Processing. Once ac

Google Messages preps a mini search makeover (APK teardown)

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google is working on several tweaks to the search interface in Google Messages. Perhaps the most notable change is that search filters now make better use of empty space. Google Messages offers pretty robust search functionality, allowing you to sift through texts with a number of filters. Now, it looks like Google is preparing a search UI tweak for an upcoming version of the app. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading

Instagram adds a whole slew of new DM features in latest update

Instagram is rolling out an update for its messaging system that adds several new tools. These features could allow Instagram to better compete with direct-messaging rivals like Apple iMessage and various third-party platforms. First up, there’s music-sharing. The update lets users share tunes in both one-on-one messages and group chats. Just open up the sticker tray and tap on the “Music” option. This will open up a search bar of Instagram's audio library. There are a couple of caveats here. T