What you need to know
- A new feature has quietly launched on the Google Messages app.
- The setting aims to send images faster by reducing the resolution.
- This could be beneficial for users with data caps or limited storage.
Google Messages has a new feature rolling out to some users, which promises to send images faster.
The "Send photos faster" toggle appears to be rolling out to users (via 9to5Google), as it has shown up on several of our devices. As it implies, the idea behind the feature is to reduce the time it takes for a photo to be delivered to the recipient. The way it does this is by reducing the resolution of the image.
I was able to test it out with Android Central's Nick Sutrich by sending the same image twice, once with the setting toggled on and again with it toggled off. With the setting turned on, the image appeared to send at two-thirds the resolution and half the file size. However, Sutrich noted that he could not discern a visual difference between the two images, which is a good sign.
This feature could benefit some users since Google pushes heavily for RCS in its messaging app. When using RCS for messaging between Android phones, media is sent at a higher quality than if it were sent through MMS. This new toggle could reduce the data used to send images, which may be beneficial for users that may have poor data reception. It could also benefit the recipient by cutting down the file size for budget Android devices with low storage.
Oddly enough, the setting is toggled on automatically. You can toggle it off by tapping your Google Account thumbnail and navigating to Message settings. The feature should sit underneath the toggle for Bubbles if you have it.
We've spotted the feature on our devices using beta versions of Google Messages, although not every device on the latest version has received the toggle.
