Google Messages got a fresh new icon and a couple of new features back in October, and now the messaging app is set to get a highly-requested feature.
According to a recent blog post, Google Messages will soon receive end-to-end encryption for group chats, making your group conversations much more secure.
Google Messages has only been offering end-to-end encryption for one-on-one conversations only. But Google says it will soon start rolling out end-to-end encryption for group chats to some users.
The feature will initially go live for users enrolled in the open beta program over the coming weeks. Currently, the company has not provided a release timeline for all Google Messages users.
However, we expect end-to-end encryption for group chats to reach all users before the end of the year.
Also Read: Google Messages Features That’ll Improve Texting on Android
In addition to end-to-end encryption for group chats, Google will also update the reactions feature in the Messages app, allowing users to react to RCS messages with any emoji.
The ability to react to RCS messages with any emoji rolled out on the beta channel late last month and should make its way to all users on the stable channel in the coming days.
Android 13 For Android Tvs Also Is Here
Along with these Google Messages updates, the alphabet owned company is also releasing Android 13 for Android TV. The latest release brings new APIs to help developers deliver high-quality experiences across different devices, including:
- Improvements to the AudioManager API allow developers to anticipate audio attribute support for the active audio device and select the optimal format without starting playback.
- Users can now change the default resolution and refresh rate on supported HDMI source devices for a more reliable playback experience.
- HDMI state changes are now surfaced to the MediaSession lifecycle, allowing TV dongles and other HDMI source devices to save power and pause content in reaction to HDMI state changes.
Furthermore, Android 13 for Android TV brings new accessibility and input controls.
The release adds support for different keyboard layouts to the InputDevice API and a new audio descriptions API in Accessibility Manager that lets developers “query the new system-wide audio description preference setting” to provide audio descriptions as per a user’s preference automatically.
