If you’ve ever sent a message to a busy Google Messages group chat and watched it disappear into nothingness, you’re not alone. This invisible, unverified message often remains hidden among other users’ texts, reactions, or GIFs, requiring you to resend it.
Well, Google has finally heard your silent cries. After months of beta testing, Google Messages has officially launched what could be one of the most useful features for group chats: mentions.
How do “@” mentions work?
As the name suggests, this feature allows you to tag someone in an RCS-enabled group chat with the “@” symbol. As soon as you tag someone in a group, they will receive a notification, even if they have muted the chat.
No more “sorry, I missed that” response from the one person your message was intended for. You can mention multiple people in a single message. In addition, Google allows you to edit the saved name of the recipient (in real time) directly in the text field.
In addition to mentions, Google Messages is also getting a new trash folder, solving the problem of a single panicked tap wiping out an entire conversation. Essentially, the new Trash replaces the immediate delete action with the familiar “Move to Trash.”
There is also a new Trash folder
It also includes a quick undo option that allows you to restore accidentally deleted messages. Conversations in the Trash are stored for 30 days before they are permanently deleted. However, on Android Go devices, the time window is set to seven days to save storage space.
Located under Archive in the top right profile menu, the Trash folder allows for one-tap restore to move threads back to your inbox (with full history). There’s also a permanent delete option if you’re really done.
Despite the announcement, it appears that the features are not officially available to a wider audience. If you can’t see them, your group chat chaos will have to wait a bit longer.
