Android 10 may not have brought the most substantial changes the OS has ever seen, but some of the new features have certainly been popular with users. Among those is a system-wide setting for dark mode, which allows apps to automatically switch their color palette to match. This still requires apps to actually support the mode switch, and as of the latest release of Google Messages, there is one more that has made the change.
Read More[Update: APK Download] Google Messages v5.0 syncs dark mode with the Android 10 system theme, restores emoji shortcut
How to reset your 'direct share' targets on Android after Messages hijacks them
Sharing on Android has seen its ups and downs. Once one of the most powerful features of the platform, it became sluggish, inconsistent, and riddled with issues. Android Q was supposed to fix the speed problem, and even if it did (which I honestly can't tell anymore), it implemented a few other unwanted changes. Pinning apps on top is no longer possible, which means you're at the mercy of the algorithm for your direct share targets. And when the algorithm messes up, it messes up badly. One case I ran across lately is Messages taking over all eight direct share spots and not letting go of them, under any circumstance.
Read MoreGoogle starts open beta program for Messages app
Fans of testing out buggy or unstable versions of Google apps, which would be most of our readers here at Android Police, will be excited to hear that Google is rolling out a testing program for the Messages app (née Android Messages). As with other beta testing programs, all you need to do is opt in, and you'll be among those who get to check out new features and bugs early.
Read MoreGoogle's Android Messages passes 500 million installs on the Play Store
Google's been heavily working on improving its Messages app, by enriching it with advanced features such as context-aware recommendations, a dark mode, RCS support, and a web interface. Thanks to these, it's only natural for the software to be one of the most installed messaging apps on the Play Store, as it's in the top 25 communication software on the Play Store according to App Annie. It's actually so popular it's been downloaded more than 500 million times by Android users.
Read MoreYou can't silence or block notifications for Messages on Android Q Beta 3
Every beta version of any software brings on a slew of bugs and issues, but Android Q's most recent Beta 3 has been even more frustrating than usual. We've covered several issues with it, but there are also some changes that we don't know how to categorize. Bugs? New features? Half-baked transitions? One of them is the disappearance of notification snoozing and now we've noticed another baffling change: you can't silence or control priority for notifications from Messages.
Read MoreGoogle Messages v4.3 prepares auto-reply for spam and RCS settings, continues Verified SMS and Assistant integration [APK Teardown]
The latest update to Google Messages is out and sporting much the same look as always. The major notes to be seen are in the teardown, which brings a few smaller details related to RCS settings and Verified SMS, hints at an auto-reply feature for spam messages, a change to the audio clip recorder, and a little refocusing on the upcoming Google Assistant integration.
Read MoreGoogle Messages v4.0 enables renaming of group chats, changes colors for unpictured contacts, and more [APK Teardown]
Google's Messages app came out with a brand new update this week, and while it's sporting a major new version number, the changes are fairly moderate. It's now possible to give custom names to your group chats, and there's a tweak to the UI that makes Messages look a lot more like Google's Contacts and Phone apps. There are also several things to discuss in a teardown, particularly with regards to RCS.
Read MoreSpam protection is going live in Messages for some
Earlier this month, we spotted the first signs that spam protection was finally ready to roll out to Android Messages after over half a year of development. Based on reports from a handful of tipsters, that spam protection feature is now going live, though not everyone seems to have it just yet.
The Best Of AP
Android Messages can now send calendar files, in case you ever want to do that
I don't think anyone anywhere has ever said the phrase, "Let me text you that calendar file." Perhaps it was commonplace practice before the era of Google Calendar and other cloud-synced tools, but it's hard to see a case for texting calendars in 2018. Still, someone at Google must have thought that functionality would be useful, because it just arrived in Android Messages.
Read MoreMessages v3.9 prepares to launch spam protection, working on support for sending calendar and office documents, and more [APK Teardown]
Google is sending out a new version of Messages, the one chat app everybody expects to live at least to the end of 2019. So far, there's not a lot to see on the user-facing front after the update, but there is at least one change to message attachments. The teardown is more interesting, featuring more details on the upcoming spam protection and support for new file types in the share dialog. There are also some bits of polish coming to group messaging.
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