Google Messages Rolls Out Merged Camera and Gallery UI, Adds Image Quality Selection in Beta: Report

Users will reportedly be able to select between HD and HD+ options while sending media in Google Messages.

Written by Shaurya Tomer, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 22 November 2024 13:50 IST

Google Messages Rolls Out Merged Camera and Gallery UI, Adds Image Quality Selection in Beta: Report

Photo Credit: Google

HD+ option will keep the media's original quality intact, the report suggests

Highlights

Changes are reported in Google Messages beta version 20241118_03_RC00
The new UI is said to be dominated by the camera viewfinder
Users can select between HD and HD+ options when sending images

Google Messages has rolled out a redesigned user interface (UI) for sending photos and videos via rich communication services (RCS) that merges the camera viewfinder and the gallery picker, according to a report. Instead of the combined view including the camera UI, up to four recent images, and the folders option, the viewfinder now takes up most of the space, with the gallery images appearing at the bottom of the screen.

Redesigned UI in Google Messages

In a report, 9to5Google highlighted the changes rolled out with Google Messages beta app version 20241118_03_RC00. Tapping the gallery icon is now said to bring up the new UI, which is dominated by the camera viewfinder. Further, Google also brings the ability to select the media quality before sending them to others via RCS.

With its rollout, users may reportedly be able to select between HD and HD+ options. While the former is claimed to be optimised for chats with reduced quality, the latter sends media at its full resolution without any compression applied. However, the company says sending media in HD+ resolution will consume more data and take a relatively longer time to be sent. The media quality will be applied to the current as well as future chats, the report adds. Images selected at higher resolution will be marked with an “HD+” tag at the bottom.

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Once the rollout of this feature is complete, the report suggests that Google will remove the Send photos faster option from the app's settings. Gadgets 360 staff members were unable to access both of these features on the Google Messages beta app. The report adds that these are not widely rolled out yet.

A similar feature was reported in the Google Messages beta app version messages.android_20241029_00_RC00.phone_samsung_openbeta_dynamic earlier this month. It is still being tested and is not available to the public yet.

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Further reading: Google Messages, Google Messages app, Google Messages App Update, Google Messages Update

Shaurya Tomer

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Shaurya Tomer is a Sub Editor at Gadgets 360 with 2 years of experience across a diverse spectrum of topics. With a particular focus on smartphones, gadgets and the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), he often likes to explore the industry's intricacies and innovations – whether dissecting the latest smartphone release or exploring the ethical implications of AI advancements. In his free time, he often embarks on impromptu road trips to unwind, recharge, and ...More