Google Messages may allow you to select media resolution when sending images

Google Messages has rolled out a redesigned user interface (UI) for sending photos and videos via Rich Communication Services (RCS) that merges the camera viewfinder and gallery selector, a report said. Instead of the combined view including the camera user interface, up to four recent images and the folders option, the viewfinder now takes up most of the space, with the gallery images appearing at the bottom of the screen.

Redesigned UI in Google Messages

In one report9to5Google highlighted the changes introduced with Google Messages beta app version 20241118_03_RC00. Tapping the gallery icon is now said to open the new UI, which is dominated by the camera viewfinder. Furthermore, Google also offers the option to select the media quality before sending it to others via RCS.

The rollout will reportedly allow users to choose between HD and HD+ options. While the former is said to be optimized for reduced quality chats, the latter transmits media at full resolution without any compression applied. However, the company says that sending media in HD+ resolution will consume more data and take relatively longer to be sent. The media quality will be applied to both current and future chats, the report adds. Images selected at a higher resolution will be marked with an ‘HD+’ tag at the bottom.

Once the rollout of this feature is complete, the report suggests that Google will… Send photos faster option in the app’s settings. Gadgets 360 employees were unable to access either feature in the Google Messages beta app. The report adds that these have not yet been widely rolled out.

A similar feature was reported earlier this month in the beta version of the Google Messages app messages.android_20241029_00_RC00.phone_samsung_openbeta_dynamic. It is still being tested and is not yet available to the public.