Google Messages Search Overhaul Brings Shared Content to the Forefront
Google is revamping its Messages app with a major search overhaul, bringing shared content to the forefront and streamlining searches within conversations.
The current search page in Google Messages presents a grid of filters for unread messages, known and unknown senders, starred content, images, videos, places, and links. However, this redesign opens on a visual overview of content pulled from across users' conversations, showing preview rows for images, videos, links, and places with an arrow next to each category that opens the full collection.
The new design makes the search page more useful before typing anything, as recent photos or links may already be sitting in front of the user. However, only a few items from each category appear initially, while the current category pages can show the full collection immediately.
The redesign also includes a shortcut for searching within a particular conversation, allowing users to tap on the search icon beside each matching conversation and open the new 'Search in chat with...' screen for that person or group. This change makes sense, as when searching for someone's name in Messages, users are often trying to find something they sent.
The most meaningful part of the redesign is showing every result from a text search on a dedicated results page, allowing users to use the surrounding preview and date to identify the right message before leaving Search. This beats repeatedly jumping into a chat and tapping arrows until finding what you need.