Google Messages Might Add a New Nav Drawer, Google Photos Uploader Soon

Google has been adding various new features to its Messages app on Android to make it a worthy competitor to iMessage. We recently saw the Mountain View giant roll out the support for iMessage reactions in Messages for beta users. Now, the company is working on a couple of new Messages app features to improve the user experience and help you share photos and videos easily.

Google Messages Might Gain Two New Features

According to a recent report by 9to5Google, the Messages app on Android might soon get a new navigation drawer and a Google Photos integration. The publication discovered the new features inside the latest APK of the Messages app.

New Navigation Drawer

Google is reportedly testing a new navigation drawer for the Messages app to help users easily navigate the app. Currently, the Messages app features an overflow menu at the top right to house various options, including starred messages and archived messages.

However, in the new UI discovered during the APK teardown, Google has replaced the overflow menu with an account picker button at the right of the search bar at the top. Along with the new account picker, Google has also added a three-bar button to bring out the navigation drawer from the left.

Many of the options from the overflow menu has been moved to the new nav drawer, including Messages, Starred, Archived, and Spam & Blocked. Furthermore, the navigation drawer also contains various settings such as Device pairing, Choose theme, Mark all as read, and Donate messages.

Google Photos Uploader

Other than the new nav drawer, the APK teardown revealed that Google is working on integrating the media uploader function of Google Photos into Messages. It will allow users to share photos and videos as Google Photos links, preserving their quality and resolution.

As per 9to5Google, users will get a new promo message when they open the media picker UI in Messages. Once the feature is enabled, they will see selected photos or videos appear with a Google Photos badge in the text field, along with the size of the media file. Then, users can send the file as a Google Photos link.

It will enable the recipient to view an image or a video in its original quality rather than a compressed version that’s sent through the MMS system. Plus, users will get a shortcut to manage share links in the Google Photos app.

Now, it is worth mentioning that none of these features are currently available for the public as of now. Moreover, as 9to5Google mentions, Google could very well scrap the features in the future without rolling them out on the stable version of Messages. So, stay tuned for further updates and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.