Google Messages Prepares Major UI Overhaul

Google Messages is gearing up for another major user interface (UI) overhaul. According to an APK teardown by Android Authority, the app's layout will undergo significant changes, including a new placement of key buttons and features.

The Gemini button, which currently sits above the Start chat floating action button (FAB), will be moved to the top of the screen, replacing the existing Search icon. Meanwhile, the Start chat button is shifting from the bottom right of the screen to the center, with the Search button joining it at the bottom.

What's more interesting is how these buttons behave as you use Google Messages. When you first open the app, the Start chat button is expanded at the bottom, but when you start scrolling through conversations, it collapses, and the Search button expands in its place. This intuitive behavior aims to make the most obvious option available at the right time.

The move of Search to the bottom is also notable, as it aligns with a larger Google Messages Search overhaul reported on earlier. The revamped Search experience includes a redesigned results page that separates chats and messages, giving messages containing your search term larger previews.