Google Messages Tests Major Search Redesign in Beta

The new search page would open with a visual overview of content pulled from conversations. It shows preview rows for images, videos, links and places, with an arrow next to each category that opens the full collection. The current search page presents a grid of filters for unread messages, known and unknown senders, starred content, images, videos, places and links, and requires users to select a category to see its contents. The redesign would show some shared content before the user types anything. Only a few items from each category appear initially, while existing category pages can show the full collection immediately. The page becomes longer, but the bottom-mounted search bar remains within reach while scrolling.

The redesign also adds a shortcut for searching inside a conversation without opening it first. Typing a contact or conversation name into the main search page can surface matching chats in a dedicated Chats section, Android Authority said. A search icon appears beside each matching conversation, and tapping it opens a new “Search in chat with...” screen for that person or group. That screen shows previews of images, videos, links, places and other content shared in the conversation. The existing filter chips for categories such as starred, images, videos and places are gone. Users can tap the arrow beside each section to view everything in that category or use the bottom search bar to find text within the conversation.

For ordinary text searches, the new interface can display each matching message directly on a dedicated results page. Google Messages currently groups global results by conversation and may show only one matching message from each chat. Selecting that result opens the conversation, where a counter and left and right arrows let the user move through the remaining matches. In Android Authority’s test, a global search for “Hi” listed separate “Hi” matches from the same conversation instead of collapsing them into one result. Tapping an entry opens the chat at that exact message. The previous result counter and navigation arrows are no longer shown, and a subtle pop animation briefly highlights the message after the conversation opens.

Android Authority said Google is also testing swipeable media results and redesigned pages for in-chat searches, links and places. The new link and place category pages use larger, cleaner cards, according to the report. Because the findings come from an APK teardown, none of the features are guaranteed to roll out, and Google could change or abandon them before release.