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Google Messages is getting ready for a big UI shuffle (APK teardown)
Looks like the Google Messages home screen is in for some reshuffling in preparation for the upcoming Search experience.
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Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
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TL;DR
- Google Messages is preparing a new layout that moves Gemini to the top and brings Search to the bottom of the screen.
- The Start chat and Search buttons will intuitively expand and collapse depending on what you’re doing in the app.
- Google is also revamping the Search experience within Messages.
Google Messages is getting ready for another UI shake-up, and we’ve spotted all the changes that may be headed to the app soon.
In the latest Google Messages build, messages.android_20260917_03_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic, we found several UI changes that Google has enabled behind the scenes. Some of the most important controls of the app are being shuffled around, with a big focus on making the Search experience more robust.
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Right now, Google Messages places the Start chat floating action button (FAB) in the bottom-right corner. The Gemini button sits above it, while the Search button is tucked away in the top right corner of the header.
Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
Current Google Messages UI
In the revamped Google Messages interface we managed to surface, Google has moved the Gemini button to the header, replacing the existing Search icon. Meanwhile, the Start chat button is moving from the bottom right of the screen to the bottom center.
The Search button also joins the Start chat button at the bottom of the screen, making it easier to reach with one hand.
What’s more interesting is the way these buttons behave as you use Google Messages.
When you first open Messages, the Start chat button is intuitively expanded at the bottom of the screen. However, when you start scrolling through your conversations, the Start chat button collapses, and the Search button expands in its place. This is Google recognizing user intent and making the most obvious option available at the right time.
So, when you’re actively browsing your Messages inbox, Google puts the control you’re more likely to need right where your thumb can reach it.
The move of Search to the bottom is also notable because it aligns with a larger Google Messages Search overhaul we reported on earlier.
AssembleDebug / Android Authority
Back in July, we found that Google was working on a redesigned Search interface that moved the search bar to the bottom of the screen and replaced some of the 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 your search term larger previews.
In the latest version we’re seeing, the Search experience is more refined and works more as you’d expect. We’ll share more about the new Search experience soon, but the fact that Google is now also moving the main Search button to the bottom suggests the company is preparing the app’s overall UI for this revamped experience.
More Google Messages changes may be on the way
The new Search and navigation layout may not be the only Messages change Google is preparing.
We’ve also previously spotted a redesigned interface for pinned conversations, alongside Google’s work to reduce the number of chats you can pin. The new design gives pinned conversations larger contact icons and can show a preview when a new message arrives.
That UI is also still in development, but Google could eventually roll it out alongside the other changes we’ve found.
⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
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