Google Messages gets a major gesture and menu refresh

What you need to know

• Long-pressing a message now triggers a floating menu right beside the bubble on Google Messages — complete with a blurred background and shortcuts for copying, starring, or replying.
• You can finally drag selection handles to grab specific snippets like codes or addresses instead of being forced to copy the entire message.
• Swiping left across a chat reveals all message timestamps and encryption statuses at once, while swiping right lets you reply instantly.

Google Messages is making some subtle changes to the basic gestures that Android users have relied on for years. Google appears to be changing how you copy text, check timestamps, and reply to individual messages, alongside the new long-press menu.

The biggest visual change is the new long-press menu. Google Messages now places a floating menu next to the selected bubble instead of pushing controls to a toolbar on top. You have quick access to Reply, Forward, Copy, Star, Delete, Select more, and Info, while images add options like Save and Remix, as spotted by a Reddit user (via Android Authority). As you open the menu, the background of the conversation also blurs.

Copying text is also getting a very useful upgrade, as was previously discovered through an APK teardown. Instead of copying the whole message when you just need a phone number, address or snippet, you can press again and select a specific piece of text. Google has confirmed that the touch-and-hold actions work on text, images, videos, links, files, locations and contact cards.

Gesture changes may take longer to become muscle memory. Swiping left anywhere in a conversation will now show message timestamps and the RCS encryption status, while replying requires a right swipe directly on the message bubble (via 9to5Google). Tapping a message still displays read receipts, and Messages briefly displays timestamps after a tap to tip you off to the new behavior.