Summary Google Messages is evolving into a social app with new features like full screen animations triggered by specific messages or emojis. The latest update brings back Screen Effects, Reaction Effects, Animated Emoji, and a setting to turn them off if they're distracting. New triggers like "Booo," "Congratulations," and "Hahahaha" prompt fun full-screen animations, alongside holiday greetings and more surprises.
Google Messages has been on the route to becoming a full-blown social app with engaging new features and animations to keep users for more than just RCS support. To this effect, we saw a fullscreen Screen Effects feature roll out to a handful of users as a test intermittently in the last year. Now, Google is bringing it back to help Messages cement its place as one of the best chat apps for Android, and we suspect there's no going back this time.
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Back in February, Google introduced Screen Effects triggered by the content of your messages and Reaction Effects set off by emoji reactions in your conversations. They display for a few seconds before disappearing, but you can turn them off if they distract you. After several sightings during the development phase, we last saw these screen effects in February, but Google seems to have withdrawn the facilities since.
Interestingly, a report from 9to5Google claims the feature has returned alongside version 20240621_00_RC00 for users installing updates from the Play Store, as well as those running the beta version of the app. Judging by the stable channel availability, it might be safe to say these changes are here to stay. This includes the full quorum of features like Screen Effects, Reaction Effects, and Animated Emoji, along with a switch in Messages settings to turn them all off.
More effects are available now Close
Various full-screen animations (Source: 9to5Google)
When effects were available earlier this year, the app delivered noteworthy reactions to texts containing "I love you" and "sounds good." However, these aren't available anymore, but Google promised more than 15 triggers. For now, the sleuths at 9to5 have found full-screen animations for other triggers -- "Booo" with at least three o's shows tomato splatter, "Congratulations" sets off balloons and confetti cannons, and "Hahahaha" with at least four Ha's makes a tube man show up.
Other interesting triggers include "rise and shine" for a full-screen sun animation and a rather weird "going to the beach" which brings out various beach-goer supplies and waves across your screen. Wishing people on Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and simple birthday greetings also seem to have asssociated full-screen reactions. More screen effects remain undiscovered, so just keep texting, try to use unfamiliar phrases, and you might just find some if Google has delivered on its commitment.