Google has begun expanding the new menu design it has been testing for a long time for its messaging app, Google Messages. This update aims to improve ease of use, especially with one hand.

Previously, long-pressing a message brought up a toolbar at the top of the screen. This toolbar contained three options, while other options were hidden in a three-dot menu.

New Design and Functionality

The new design adds a blur effect to the background to highlight the message. A comprehensive list of options, including reply, forward, copy, star, delete, select more, and save for info and media, now appears directly below the message or image.

If there isn’t enough space on the screen for the entire list, the selected item is moved to the top of the screen and presented to the user with a moving animation. The emoji bar, however, remains unchanged in this new design.

One of the most notable features of this update is the improvement in the text copying process. Users can now copy only a selected portion of a message by long-pressing it a second time, instead of the entire message.

How to Access the Update?

This menu design is being rolled out with Google Messages beta version 20260731_00_RC00. Since the update is being distributed as a server-side change, it may not be immediately effective for some users.

If you don’t see the new interface now, you can trigger the update by forcing the Google Messages app to stop via the app information. Google continues to improve the interface to make the messaging experience more practical.

Do you find this new menu design of Google Messages useful?