Tushar Mehta / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Strings in the latest Gmail update hint at some new Google Chat features in testing.
- Notification summaries in Gmail might work independently of Android 16’s system-wide version, bringing the feature to more devices.
- Gmail may also offer auto-generated conversation summaries and finally notify you when someone reacts to your Chat messages.
Little by little, Gmail is slowly turning into more of a one-stop hub than an inbox. Google has been weaving Chat into the app for a while now, allowing you to send direct messages, jump into group conversations, or hang out in team Spaces. And it looks like that integration is about to go even deeper. In the latest Gmail update (v.2025.08.18.796307704.Release), we spotted lines of code pointing to three possible new Chat features: notification summaries, proactive conversation summaries, and emoji reaction notifications.
Code
<string name="hub_notification_summaries_setting_subtitle">Enable summaries in notification</string>
<string name="hub_notification_summaries_setting_title">Notification Summaries</string>Starting with the strings above, they call out what appears to be a “Notification Summaries” toggle with the description “Enable summaries in notification.” That might not sound like much, but it’s interesting because Android 16 is already working on its own system-level notification summaries powered by Gemini Nano. Having a separate setting inside Gmail suggests Google may be testing a version that works even if your phone doesn’t get the Android-wide feature. It’s not clear if these strings are related, but if not, Chat messages could be summarized directly in Gmail, no matter which device you’re on.
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Code
<string name="hub_proactive_summarization_description">Proactively show summaries in conversations with many unread messages</string>
<string name="hub_proactive_summarization_setting_subtitle">Proactively show summaries in conversations with many unread messages</string>The next pair of strings above suggests that proactive summarization is on the way, which would “proactively show summaries in conversations with many unread messages.”
Right now, Workspace accounts can already use Gemini to summarize long threads, but you have to manually ask for it by long-pressing on a chat. This new setting would skip that step and automatically pop up a recap when a group chat gets busy. That could be a real time saver if you come back to dozens of unread messages.
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Code
<string name="hub_reaction_notifications_setting_subtitle">Enable notifications for reactions to your chat messages</string>
<string name="hub_reaction_notifications_setting_title">Chat reaction notifications</string>The third hint in the strings above is something people have been asking for in Google’s forums for years: reaction notifications. As things stand today, if someone reacts to your message with an emoji, you don’t get any kind of alert. A new setting labeled “Chat reaction notifications” suggests Gmail will finally let you know when someone gives you a thumbs-up, laugh, or other quick response.
These lines of code don’t guarantee any of this will go live, and even if it does, the features might end up looking different. Still, notification summaries, proactive recaps, and reaction alerts would all make Gmail a stronger home for Chat and fix some of the little annoyances people have been putting up with for a while.
⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
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