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TL;DR
- Google Messages’ redesigned pinned chats UI is finally rolling out to some beta users, months after we first enabled it manually.
- The redesign features large contact photos for pinned conversations. It’s unclear if the richer message previews we spotted in September are included.
- Google is also testing a new Search FAB that ditches the Gemini icon, though availability remains limited.
Google Messages‘ redesigned pinned chat interface is finally starting to make its way to users. We’ve detailed the UI change extensively in reports in the past, though back then, we had to manually enable the UI to get it working. That is no longer the case.
The new look is now beginning to roll out to beta users, bringing the iMessage-like layout, with large contact photos that stand out prominently at the top, to a much wider audience.
For reference, we first got the redesign working in August. We subsequently offered a look at what message previews might look like within pinned chat icons. We’re uncertain if the richer previews have made their way to beta users with the latest update, but the revamped pinned UI most definitely has, as confirmed by several users on the r/GoogleMessages subreddit.
Reddit user SweetInsanity-
For what it’s worth, the change doesn’t seem to have rolled out to all. “I am on beta and haven’t gotten that yet. Last update for me was yesterday with the change icon,” wrote one user. Elsewhere, a user confirmed having access to the new UI via version 20261030_00_RC00 of the Google Messages app, while a different user, running the same build, reported being stuck on the old UI.
Even in beta, availability remains limited, suggesting a server-side switch for the UI. Simply installing the new beta will not necessarily give you access to the new pinned chats UI.
Apart from the new pinned chat UI, at least one beta user has also reported seeing a new floating action button (FAB) for Search (via 9to5Google). The button appears at the bottom of Google Messages’ home screen right alongside the Start Chat pill.
As seen in the images above, the new FAB sports an expanded and a collapsed look. The Gemini icon also remains absent. Considering how our readers feel about Gemini in Google Messages, that’d be a great change, though we know that Google isn’t doing away with AI. We spotted this change back in September, so we know that the Gemini icon will be relocated to the header, essentially replacing the existing Search icon.
It’s unclear if and when the new search FAB will make its way out more widely. Google hasn’t confirmed or acknowledged either interface change, so we’ll have to wait and see if they make it to the stable version of the app.
