Google Messages is changing the way you send photos and videos, so you'll have to get used to a completely redesigned interface.
For several months, Google Messages has been testing a brand new interface for the gallery that allows you to send photos and videos to a contact. This is now starting to roll out to all users, and it may change your experience with the app.
Until now, when you tap the media icon in a chat (next to the emoji icon), the screen splits in two. The top section displays the chat, and the bottom section displays the gallery, with the most recently captured photos and videos, as well as the live camera (which can be expanded to full screen if needed) and a button to access your smartphone's folders. Forget all that, that's about to change.
Google Messages takes its cue from the competition
The biggest change is the space given to the live camera. Like some other messaging or social media apps, it now takes up a large portion of the display, in the top section. When sharing a photo or video, users no longer have a view of their previously exchanged messages. A grid at the bottom displays your 3 to 6 most recent media. A scrollable panel allows you to remove the live camera from the screen so that all the space is occupied by the photos and videos available locally on your device. The Folders button has been moved to the very bottom.
Like on WhatsApp, it is possible to add a caption to a photo or video, specifies 9To5Google. An HD or HD+ icon indicates the image quality, which can be changed in the settings. HD allows for faster uploads and uses less data, while HD+ corresponds to the original quality.
The new UI is starting to be available to everyone on the stable version of the app, but the rollout seems to be gradual: we don't have access to it ourselves yet. So be patient if you're still using the old interface.
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