Google Messages Beta Hints at New Search Tools, Including Samsung S Finder Support

Android Authority reported that it examined the Google Messages beta version v20260921 and found evidence that Google plans to add S Finder support for searching messages. The feature is not yet available to users, but if shipped it would allow searches of text messages through S Finder without opening the Messages app first. The same outlet noted that Samsung discontinued its own Messages app in the United States, leaving users there with Google Messages as the default option and without S Finder's message search.

Separately, the beta contains a second search-related change. According to Android Authority, scrolling upward in a message thread now triggers a floating search icon at the top of the screen, which opens the search interface when tapped. The current method requires users to open a thread's three-dot menu to reach search. The publication said it enabled the feature on a test device and that it worked smoothly, and it drew a comparison to a similar search shortcut that recently began appearing in WhatsApp.

Neither change has been confirmed by Google, and no release dates have been announced. Android Authority said the company's updates often roll out gradually, so any search button could arrive in phases over several weeks before reaching a wider set of users.

The same outlet also published a first-person column on the same day describing eight Google Messages features the writer had turned off, including the Gemini button that floats above the "start a new chat" button, RCS profile sharing of name and photo, outgoing message sounds and floating chat bubbles. The writer said disabling them made notifications less intrusive and the interface less cluttered, and set out the settings paths for each toggle. That piece reflects one user's preferences rather than any change to the app's default behavior.

Editor's Summary

Code found in the Google Messages beta points to two search improvements in development: a floating search icon that appears when scrolling up in a chat, and support for Samsung's S Finder to search text messages outside the app. Neither has been confirmed or given a release date, and both were reported by a single outlet based on app teardown evidence. The S Finder work follows Samsung's shutdown of its own Messages app in the United States.