Google Messages will soon get a big upgrade for photo and video quality – and I’m going to use this a lot

• Google Messages is rolling out a new camera and gallery layout
• The new tools include an easier way to send photos and videos in their original high quality
• The gallery has been redesigned to show more photos at once

Google Messages is getting an overhaul to its camera and gallery functions which should make it much easier to send photos and videos at their original high quality size.

As 9to5Google reports, some Google Messages beta users are noting a change to their in-app camera and gallery as Google implements the new layout. The changes have not been rolled out to the stable release of the app just yet.

Alongside a redesigned gallery from which to choose your desired photos or videos, the new layout includes a handy “HD” icon that appears in the top right of the final screen before an image is sent.

Tapping the icon brings up a new menu that allows you to select either “Optimized for chat”, which trades some quality for a lower file size, or “Original quality”, which, as you might guess, sends the entire original image as found on your phone’s built-in storage.

This new menu makes it clearer and easier to send high-quality images through Google Messages, avoiding an annoying loss in quality due to compression.

It’s not entirely a new feature, though – in the current stable build of Google Messages, users can send original quality images by heading into the app, tapping their profile picture, opening Messages settings, and turning off the “Send photos faster” option.

As it stands, “Send photos faster” is analogous to the new “Optimized for chat” option – the new menu makes the switch to higher quality photos and videos much clearer.

Still, those with slower connections or who are conscious of sending large files to their family and friends can select the “Optimized for chat” option for quicker uploads and smaller file sizes.

As for the new gallery layout, tapping to insert an image will now bring up a larger, more comprehensive view of your recent photos and videos, rather than the current menu of folders, which have now been relegated to a small tab on the bottom of the screen.

These new updates are the latest in a slew of new features and functions added to Google Messages recently, including changes to emergency messaging and the ability to text yourself using RCS – Google Messages is the default messaging app for many of the best Android phones, so it tracks the Google is keen to keep it up to date.

What do you think of the new camera and gallery functions? Will they be useful, or are they just a pointless shake up? Let us know in the comments below.

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