Google Messages Prepares UI Shuffle With Gemini at Top and Search at Bottom

In the latest Google Messages build, messages.android_20260917_03_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic, Android Authority found several UI changes enabled behind the scenes. Currently, the app places the Start chat floating action button in the bottom-right corner, the Gemini button above it, and the Search button in the top-right corner of the header. In the revamped interface surfaced by the teardown, Gemini moves to the header and replaces the existing Search icon. Start chat moves from the bottom right to the bottom center. Search joins Start chat at the bottom of the screen, a position that is easier to reach with one hand.

The buttons are designed to change as users move through the app. When Messages first opens, the Start chat button is expanded at the bottom. When the user starts scrolling through conversations, Start chat collapses and Search expands in its place. Android Authority described this as Google recognizing user intent and making the most likely option available at the right time. While a user browses the inbox, the control they are more likely to need sits within thumb reach.

Moving Search to the bottom also matches a larger Google Messages Search overhaul that Android Authority reported on earlier. In July, the outlet found Google working on a redesigned Search interface that moved the search bar to the bottom and replaced some existing search filters with larger previews for images, videos, and links. Google was also working on a redesigned results page that separates chats and messages and gives messages containing the search term larger previews. In the latest version seen by Android Authority, the Search experience is more refined and works more as users would expect. The main Search button now moving to the bottom suggests Google is preparing the app's overall UI for the revamped experience.

Google may be preparing other Messages changes. Android Authority previously spotted a redesigned interface for pinned conversations, along with work to reduce the number of chats users can pin. The new design gives pinned conversations larger contact icons and can show a preview when a new message arrives. That UI is still in development, but it could eventually roll out alongside the navigation and Search changes.

Editor's Summary Google Messages may soon move Gemini to the header and Search to the bottom, with Start chat shifting to the bottom center and buttons that expand or collapse based on user activity. The layout matches a broader Search redesign that would make results easier to reach and more visual. Google is also developing a new pinned conversations interface, though none of the changes are confirmed for a public release.