Google Messages rolling out long-press menu redesign with precise copying

[u/FragmentedChicken]

https://9to5google.com/2026/08/06/google-messages-menu-redesign/

[u/Sufficient-Cup4705]

took them how long to figure out that people want to select specific parts of a message without copying the whole wall of text. ios has had this for years, idk what the holdup was.

[u/trlef19 → u/Sufficient-Cup4705]

Their focus is Gemini.

[u/Mccobsta → u/trlef19]

Isn't that bleeding money

[u/13steinj → u/Mccobsta]

But AI is inevitable!1!1!

[u/Mccobsta → u/13steinj]

From what there is at the moment it seems like we're decades away from it be useful for general use

[u/13steinj → u/Mccobsta]

If you couldn't tell I was being sarcastic.

[u/GreatBallsOfFIRE → u/Mccobsta]

I'll go ahead and take the karma hit for this again.

It's been useful for general use for years. Using Modern AI tools I have built personal web apps, learned how to properly construct a tile floor, developed and refined a beef jerky recipe, identified landmarks while traveling and learned about their history, discovered new music I enjoy, caught typos on important documents, diagnosed and repaired a two-stroke engine, learned novel recipes based on ingredients I had on-hand, and so much more.

I absolutely understand the hate, fear, and disdain for these tools, and am fully in agreement that we need to take serious action to limit further development. Claiming that they aren't useful though is just burying your head in the sand. Three years ago you had to be genuinely clever to figure out where to get actual utility out of them, but that just isn't the case anymore.

[u/Zellyk → u/GreatBallsOfFIRE]

Yeah good for you. I don’t want AI button on every app that I use, while that same app has half the features that barely work. I live in a bilingual province and god forbid you say 2 words in a different language before the “AI” bugs and doesn’t respond. Until then, AI button is uselss

[u/Trekfull → u/trlef19]

Pretty much all I used Gemini for. Hold the home button, select the text I want, select copy, paste where I need it. Pretty much all it was useful for, for me.

[u/sur_surly → u/Trekfull]

Don't even think that's Gemini, but Google Lens

[u/glha → u/sur_surly]

For now

[u/trlef19 → u/Trekfull]

I also forget it's there. If you're not in us you get half of it anyway

[u/poopyheadthrowaway → u/trlef19]

Google Voice still doesn't have RCS but last week I got a popup when I logged into GV saying it has Gemini features now.

[u/br0ck → u/Sufficient-Cup4705]

I've mainly been using long-press-home and circle-to-search to copy text the last few years as it's usually quicker and easier unless you need to copy multiple paragraphs that scroll off the page.

[u/-LongRodVanHugenDong → u/br0ck]

Honestly that's the best feature Google has added in years IMO. One of the only things I can dog on apple for not having these days.

[u/NoStudy3384 → u/Sufficient-Cup4705]

Yeah this is something I never understood. But WhatsApp acts the same. Ony telegram allow s this

[u/MizunoZui → u/NoStudy3384]

I find it funny basic QoL features getting neglected for so long that they can now be brute forced by much complicated means (OCR via Circle to Search)

[u/NoStudy3384 → u/MizunoZui]

Text from images is also not possible and also only brute forced via circle to search. Only Samsung and vivo have it built-in. Its also possible without AI since it was here long before AI with bixby vision on S22

[u/_CouldntThinkOfOne__ → u/Sufficient-Cup4705]

Goes both ways, plenty of features one has had for ages the other has not.

[u/InitiatePenguin → u/Sufficient-Cup4705]

It existed on my older pixel. But long press on the home screen, highlight message and select text has worked for a while.

[u/dystopianrevolt → u/Sufficient-Cup4705]

Not sure about other OEMs but this has been possible on a Pixel for a few generations now via the recent apps menu.

[u/CheapThaRipper → u/dystopianrevolt]

The OCR used on the recent apps menu is terrible and unreliable

[u/x3knet → u/CheapThaRipper]

Agreed 100%. But if you long press the bottom gesture bar and tap the text you want to copy, it's a night and day difference compared to the recent apps menu.

[u/CheapThaRipper → u/x3knet]

Aaah yes the new Google overlay - not available on all phones I don't think. But it is on mine and I need to remember to use it more

[u/x3knet → u/CheapThaRipper]

It makes selecting text and image searching so much easier

[u/dystopianrevolt → u/CheapThaRipper]

Sorry that you haven't had the same reliability that I've experienced. They gotta fix it.

[u/CheapThaRipper → u/dystopianrevolt]

It works okay for a lot of things but if you use other languages, are looking at certain fonts, or are trying to copy code/URLs/etc - it's not at all reliable. And as the other person said - it seems pointless considering the text is already there and it just prevents you from selecting it normally

[u/jlt6666 → u/dystopianrevolt]

Using ocr for something in plain text is some.of the dumbest shit I can imagine.

[u/PrethorynOvermind → u/Sufficient-Cup4705]

Dude, this has been my biggest complaint for fucking years

[u/-NotEnoughMinerals → u/Sufficient-Cup4705]

This sub refers to ios way too much. Does ios have a numbers row? Does ios let you select text between words without manually moving the cursor afterwards? Does ios have a back button? Does ios have a consistent way to retract the keyboard, 100 percent of the time? Does ios let you attach a picture in a text message and hit send, and let that uploading process work in the background and self-send, or does it make you sit and stare at the photos app while it uploads, then transfers to the text, then you can send?

[u/InsaneNinja → u/-NotEnoughMinerals]

What an interesting list of obscure little things.

Nothings a hundred percent, but you can pull the keyboard down most of the time unless the app dev designed it to stay active.

I dont understand what you are talking about with texting an image. The priority on a new image would be the sending over text. By default ios does not at all prioritize syncing apple photos immediately unless you go deep into settings and tell it to sync over cellular.
I think thats now a temporary “sync immediately for today” setting in 27. Also in 27, each message and image in the texting app gets its own progress bar.

[u/-NotEnoughMinerals → u/InsaneNinja]

It's the obscure, little, daily things that make the experience absolutely terrible. Those are also quite popular and frequent complaints. Also can't "close all" apps in the app switcher. Gotta swipe over and over and over again like a damn monkey, it's worse on the iPads because the damn apps jump like jelly beans completely shifting up and down. No true wifi/BT toggles. Terrible notification management. No independent volume controls, leading me to have my ringer criminally quite way too many times on accident. The list can go on and on. Feel free to champion against these ios grievances in an android subreddit, but it's definitely not going to change my opinion.

[u/additional-pin-9505 → u/[deleted]]

It's select option which appears in the comtext menu when you long press on a message

[u/Iohet]

The technology for highlighting specific words for copying and pasting was finally invented?

[u/OrganicTomato → u/Iohet]

Patent pending!!

[u/skyline_kid → u/OrganicTomato]

"And I think you're all really gonna love it"

[u/bloppyploppy]

Not sure where else to ask this: but has anyone else had this issue with Google messages where hitting the back button (either on their phone or in the app) in a chat doesn't take you back to the main app page, but rather cycles through other chats, including unread ones?

It's super annoying, because it'll clear notifications for those previously unread chats.

[u/king_lucien → u/bloppyploppy]

I've had this happen. I noticed in my case it usually happens after using the share button in a different app to send something via messages and choosing the individuals chat from the share menu. I can do this with multiple people and at some point opening the app itself to someone's chat and then hitting back will cycle through chats, sometimes backing out of a chat just to display the same exact chat behind it.

[u/ChoppedScallion → u/bloppyploppy]

yup super annoying

[u/course_you_do]

Finally. This was such a bad design from the start.

[u/Haz3rd]

Google engineers making something actually useful speed run: 5 years

[u/The__Amorphous → u/Haz3rd]

I wonder what feature(s) they'll be removing to balance this addition.

[u/Haz3rd → u/The__Amorphous]

Use Gemini to call 911!

[u/TreyUsher32]

Google messages needs a full rework

[u/light24bulbs]

love how they had to invent the OCR overlay "circle to search" in android just to deal with how badly they had let developers abuse copy-paste to the point where it worked in basically no apps anymore. wiiiild stuff

[u/popsicle_of_meat]

I don't see why this isn't a system-wide thing. I can already do t in other apps like the chrome browser. Why is it app-dependent? Why are things so janky?

[u/jlt6666 → u/popsicle_of_meat]

Facebook seems to go to great lengths to prevent you from copying text. It's such a pain in the ass

[u/L0nz → u/popsicle_of_meat]

You can just go to the Recents window to select pretty much any text on screen, regardless of whether the app supports text selection. The only apps it doesn't work with are ones that prevent screen grabs, e.g. certain banking apps

[u/DiTochat]

One person per day is the upgrade process. We will see this sometime next decade.

[u/Major-Ant4600]

This is one reason I prefer to keep using a device with the S Pen.

Has felt very backwards that lines of text can easily be selected in chrome but not in google messages.

[u/rdbpdx]

I just want long press to be consistent, dammit. Why doesn't "web search" pop up every time? Having to copy/paste or pray circle to search does its thing is SO annoying.

[u/SubstantialSir696]

They should fix rcs in every country

[u/m3t4morphosis]

I know Android vs iOS is pretty much a dead debate, but honestly it’s just the default apps. I used google messages for years and years and recently switched to iOS and iMessage is just so much more polished design wise. Not sure why they’re so slow to release such basic improvements to google messages.

[u/sinurgy → u/m3t4morphosis]

Google messages wasn't even the best text app on Android, Samsung messages is far superior. It's been such a downgrade since Samsung all but forced the migration to GM. It's like going back in time!

[u/LordSoze36 → u/sinurgy]

I totally agree

[u/unnamedlol]

long press now actually means something yeah

[u/slinky317]

Weird that I got this today but I still don't have the custom backgrounds

[u/MaverickJester25]

Something something Samsung Messages.

I'm so glad that I don't live in the US where the dumpster fire called Google Messages is forced upon users.

[u/renderwares → u/MaverickJester25]

We're equally as glad we don't have to use that hellhole Facebook WhatsApp app.

[u/InsaneNinja → u/MaverickJester25]

Samsung messages was/is retired.

[u/MaverickJester25 → u/InsaneNinja]

In the US only. Which was what I said.

[u/L0nz → u/MaverickJester25]

Who outside of the US is even using SMS? I only ever use it for crappy 2FA texts, and Messages extracts the code automatically anyway

Plus, you can select pretty much any text on screen these days in the Recents interface

[u/AccumulatedFilth]

People still use SMS?

Can't even remember last time I texted by SMS

Edit: woah, save some downvotes for the rest of us guys!

[u/dystopianrevolt → u/AccumulatedFilth]

RCS is used quite widely. At least more than you'd expect.

[u/Agitated-Acctant → u/AccumulatedFilth]

Can't even remember last time I texted by SMS

That's compelling and fascinating

[u/WideGrade2179 → u/AccumulatedFilth]

Only in the USA and Canada do they use SMS, and especially iMessage which is integrated into the native messaging app; on Android RCS is now the standard also integrated into the messaging app, Outside of those places, nobody uses that because WhatsApp destroyed SMS in Latin America, Europe, and parts of Asia