The Smart Replies feature in Google Messages has remained largely unchanged since its 2018 release. That was until earlier this year, when we learned about the Messages app working on a Tap to edit toggle in settings, designed to prevent accidental taps on the row of auto-generated replies.
A couple of months later, we saw this evolve into a single toggle to switch between Tap to send (default behavior) and Tap to draft that would add the suggestion to the compose box rather than sending it as a message right away.
Now, the folks at 9to5Google have come across what appears to be the final iteration of this Smart Replies enhancement. Tap to send and Tap to draft have been converted to radio buttons, thereby eliminating the toggle-based activation we saw in the previous implementation.
This upgrade is reportedly live in version 20260522_00_RC00 (stable) of Google Messages, though I’m not seeing it on my Pixel device just yet. When available, you should find the Tap to draft and Tap to send buttons within Messages settings > Suggestions & Actions > Suggestions.
This update makes Smart Replies useful again
The suggestions page will also include a toggle to enable or disable Smart Replies, followed by the Tap to draft and Tap to send buttons. 9to5Google notes that Tap to send is set as the default. I disabled Smart Replies in Google Messages a long time ago because I often found myself accidentally tapping the suggestion when I didn’t mean to.
For users who have continued to use Smart Replies despite this longstanding quirk, Tap to draft will finally make their lives a touch better, even if it adds an extra step to the process.
Based on the screenshots shared by 9to5Google, it looks like the Pixel 10-exclusive Magic Cue functionality will also make its way into the updated Suggestions menu in Suggestions & Actions.
I use Google Messages every day, but these missing features still frustrate me
Why does it feel a step behind other messaging apps?
Like most feature rollouts, there’s no guarantee you’ll see the new Smart Reply toggles right away. However, you can try your luck by force-closing the app if you’re already on version 20260522_00_RC00.
This won’t be the only major upgrade to land in the Google Messages app recently. A beta update in March revealed work on a dedicated Trash folder for your chats, with messages lasting for up to 30 days before they’re permanently removed. The Trash folder officially began rolling out broadly within the account switcher menu in April.
