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Google is testing a new swipe action for its Messages app as we speak. Yes, a single one. Three are available at the moment, and a new one seems to be on the way, and it’s arguably more useful than the rest.
Google Message may soon get a new swipe action, and arguably the most useful one
We’re talking about the swipe to mark read/unread action. Google seems to be testing this change in a limited server-side update, via a beta channel. This will easily mark your conversations read or unread via a single swipe.
This option is available in a bunch of apps, including Google’s Gmail app, for example. I personally use it a lot, on a daily basis, and I know many other people who do to. So, it’ll surely come in handy in Messages as well.
If this new option is available to you, you’ll see it in the ‘Messages Settings’ under ‘Swipe actions’. Once again, do note that you need to have the beta app installed, but that doesn’t guarantee anything. This seems to be a server-side change, it’s not connected to a proper app update.
There are three options for swipe actions at the moment
At the moment, there are three options for swipe actions in Google Messages. You can choose between the ‘Archive’ and ‘Delete’ options, or you can choose to disable swipe actions altogether. The read/unread option would surely be a welcomed addition.
Google Messages were not exactly feature-rich back in the day, but Google is constantly improving the app. The company is betting on its RCS functionality, and Google Messages becoming iMessage for Android, in a way.
Google is trying to get Apple to adopt RCS, so that we can all communicate cross-platform via the RCS standard, which Google sees as SMS 2.0. Apple has been reluctant to do that, as iMessage allows it to keep people tied down to its ecosystem.
