Google Messages could be getting 3 useful upgrades soon – including a Gemini change

1. Phones
2. Android

Google Messages could be getting 3 useful upgrades soon – including a Gemini change News By James Rogerson published 26 November 2025

Changed text, a bigger button, and a new option

Comments (0) ()

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Google)

• Three possible changes to Google Messages have been spotted in beta code
• These include a larger icon for Google Gemini and new text for location sharing
• There's also a new 'Open' option when saving media

Google Messages is already a competent messaging app, but it could soon be getting three changes, which might improve it in small but useful ways.

We’ve learned about these from Android Authority, which spotted these changes in code from a recent beta build. None of these tweaks are actually active yet, but their presence in the code suggests they could be coming soon.

• Amazon Black Friday deals are live: here are our picks!

First up then, there’s a change to what happens when you save a shared media file such as a photo. Right now, when you save it you’ll just see a message pop up to confirm that it has been saved, but that message might soon gain a tappable ‘Open’ option, which then lets you open the file.

You may like

• Google Maps is getting a big Gemini upgrade for drivers – here are 4 new features coming soon
• Google Messages is getting another essential chat feature it should have had a long time ago
• Gemini Live could soon get this useful Google Maps upgrade – and it looks perfect for smart glasses

That might be a niche addition, since you’ll already be looking at whatever the file is, but opening it in another app could reassure you that it has actually been saved. You can see how this would look and work in the video below.

Early preview: Google Messages new file-save behavior - YouTube Watch On

Gemini and location sharing

Next up, there’s a possible change to Gemini coming, with the icon to launch Gemini potentially set to get far bigger.

Right now, it’s a small floating icon in the bottom right corner of the screen, and its position will seemingly remain the same after the change, it just won’t be so small. It’s unclear why Google would do this, but perhaps the company is hoping it will make people more likely to use Gemini. And for those who already use it a lot, a larger button might be easier to tap, so that could be seen as a slight upgrade.

Image 1 of 2The current button size (left) and the larger button (right)(Image credit: Google / Android Authority)The current text (left) and the possible new text (right)(Image credit: Google / Android Authority)

Finally, Google might change the text for the location sharing option. Right now, if you press the plus sign to the left of the text entry box, one of the options you’ll see will be labeled ‘Location’, but Android Authority has found that this might be changed to ‘One-time Location’.

Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox

Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

This is presumably to make it clearer that this will share just your current location, rather than your ongoing location. But to confuse matters, the site has also found that in the code the option will be described as ‘enable_live_location_sharing_extension’, with the ‘live’ there making it sound more like an ongoing thing. So whether there will be more changing than just the text is unclear.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that any of these changes will actually materialize, as right now Google is just testing them. But if they do launch, we’d expect they will do so soon.

Today's best Android phone dealsSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra SG$1,155ViewSee all pricesGoogle Pixel 10 Pro SG$1,799ViewSee all pricesGoogle Pixel 10 Pro XL SG$1,775ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

TOPICS Google AI CATEGORIES Android James RogersonSocial Links Navigation

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Google Maps is getting a big Gemini upgrade for drivers – here are 4 new features coming soon    Google Messages is getting another essential chat feature it should have had a long time ago    Gemini Live could soon get this useful Google Maps upgrade – and it looks perfect for smart glasses    Google Photos is expanding with 3 new photo editing and organization features – and one of them is strikingly similar to a popular Instagram tool    Google Gemini Live gets its 'biggest update ever' with 5 new upgrades – here's how to try them    Your Pixel phone might be getting a big customization upgrade soon    Latest in Phones iOS 26 lets you disable a major annoyance in the Wallet app – here’s how    If the latest foldable iPhone price rumor is correct, the iPad Mini 8 will be the only sensible choice    OnePlus 15R launch date confirmed – and it's arriving alongside two other devices    Loads more Android phones could soon work with AirDrop    One of the key Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra specs could be getting a boost    These three relatively affordable products could start off Apple's 2026    Latest in News Struggling with high storage costs? Time to get deleting, as study finds up to 50% of data could be unused    Google Messages could be getting 3 useful upgrades soon – including a Gemini change    Businesses are struggling to implement "responsible AI" - but it could make all the difference    Garmin posted a teaser for a new wearable 'coming soon' – then deleted it    HBO Max debuts Lanterns' first teaser at behind-closed-doors event    Claude Opus 4.5 is now live and "meaningfully better" at everyday tasks    LATEST ARTICLES

1. 1Google Messages could be getting 3 useful upgrades soon – including a Gemini change
2. 2Garmin just teased a new device it's calling the 'future of wearables' – and it's coming soon
3. 3Struggling with high storage costs? Time to get deleting, as study finds up to 50% of data could be unused
4. 4Lanterns trailer reportedly reveals a fourth Green Lantern might show up – and they'd be a perfect fit for James Gunn's DC Universe
5. 5Businesses are struggling to implement "responsible AI" - but it could make all the difference