Google just confirmed a batch of new updates for Google Messages alongside the Android 16 rollout, and honestly it’s about time. The biggest one? Custom icon support for RCS group chats. Yep, we’ve known this was coming since teardown leaks late last year and a limited test last month, but now it’s official. Soon you’ll be able to swap out those boring default icons for your group chats and actually give them a bit of personality.
But the update I’m personally more excited about is notification snoozing. I’ve been waiting for this feature for ages. Google Messages will finally let you snooze chat notifications for 1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours, or forever — with a handy clock icon to show which chats are on mute. Even better, you’ll still get pinged if someone @mentions you in a group chat. This is one of those small quality-of-life features that should’ve been standard long ago, but hey, better late than never.
Lastly, Google’s adding RCS tags next to contacts who actually have RCS enabled. This might seem like a minor tweak, but trust me — it’s a godsend for anyone who juggles dual SIMs, multiple contacts, or just wants to be sure they’re not sending important stuff via regular SMS. Clean, simple, and useful.
No official rollout date yet, but it’s expected to hit devices in the next few days. Honestly though, while it’s great to see Google polishing Messages with long-requested features, part of me still wonders why it took them this long for such obvious upgrades. Either way, I’ll take it.
