Google wants you to switch to its messaging app It copied a WhatsApp function to convince you
Google has been working on its own RCS-based messaging app for years, aiming to make it the messaging standard on Android, much like iMessage is in Apple’s ecosystem. Little by little, it has been adding features that users have been asking for, some of which are inspired by features already present in other competing messaging apps.
Not long ago, we mentioned that the feedback on the Google messaging app was about to arrive. Now, Google has decided to improve this addition to its app, inspired by one of the latest innovations that arrived on WhatsApp and Hub: the option to reply to messages with any emoji.
As discovered by 9to5Google , the latest version of Google's messaging app introduces a new button in the reactions menu, which allows you to open the emoji panel to select any of the available emojis.
The emoji can be used to reply to a message, and the most commonly used emojis will appear at the top for quicker access. It's worth noting that Google Messages has been allowing you to reply to messages from your iPhone for some time now, and this option will also be available in those cases.
The process is similar to WhatsApp in this sense, which makes sense, as one of Google's goals is to attract a growing number of WhatsApp users, and many will probably want to get acquainted with the new controls and options.
For now, this option is only available in the beta version of the Google Messages app, but it will end up reaching all users of the app as the days go by.
- Application link: Google Messages