{
  "id": 170917,
  "title": "I love Google Messages, but I still miss these 5 iMessage features",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/i-love-google-messages-but-i-still-miss-these-5-imessage-features",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-05T09:30:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Android Authority",
    "slug": "android-authority",
    "url": "https://www.androidauthority.com/ios-messages-features-missing-google-messages-3692925/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Google Messages has improved significantly in recent years, with RCS now being the default messaging protocol on most Android phones. Features like read receipts and typing indicators function as expected, making it a worthy rival to iMessage. Samsung even stopped preloading its own Messages app on Galaxy devices in favor of Google's. However, despite Google's progress, there are still several key features it has yet to fully implement. One such feature is the ability to copy only a portion of a message, which is available in iOS 27. This can be quite cumbersome as users have to copy the entire message, tap a notification, and then manually select specific text to copy. Another irritant is the permanently visible voice recording button next to the text box. While some people regularly use voice messages, for those who don't, this button takes up valuable space and can be easily confused with the voice-to-text button. Currently, there is no way to hide it if the feature isn't needed. Additionally, Google Messages still lacks inline text formatting options, such as bold, italic, underlined, or strikethrough text. This is a basic feature found in almost every other messaging app on Android and would greatly enhance the usability of Google Messages. Lastly, Google Messages still does not support seamless multi-device synchronization like iMessage. While Google Messages now syncs conversations between Android devices and the web client, it still doesn't offer the same level of cross-device consistency as Apple's iMessage. These features, while seemingly minor individually, contribute to a more polished and thoughtfully designed messaging experience. Google Messages still feels like a functional tool rather than a polished, enjoyable app.",
  "summary": "Google Messages still has a few frustrating gaps.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}