Google Messages Has Improved Reactions and Organization

The newest update for Google's Messages app has added some extra options to help keep you organized, along with a long-awaited adjustment for how conversations with iPhone users are handled.

Message reactions from iPhone users has been a major sore point for many Messages users for some time, but it's finally being taken care of. With its most recent update, the app now displays reactions from iPhone users as emojis rather than as a text description. Though Google says that, for the time being, the feature is only available on phones set to English, with plans to add other languages in the future.

Besides the improvement to reactions that users have been asking for, the update also includes tools to help you keep your messages and history organized. Messages can be automatically sorted between Business and Personal (and filed under their respective tabs), and password-related texts can be set to automatically delete after 24 hours.

You can also get nudges to keep you from forgetting to respond to texts, receive reminders of friends' birthdays, or create your own emojis with Emoji Kitchen if you're using Gboard.

And finally, Google has found a workaround for the disparity between video and image resolutions when sending something with an iPhone. Now, videos can be shared as Google Photos links in your messages, which will allow recipients to view them much more clearly. It's not available for photos just yet—only videos for the moment—but Google says that's "coming soon."

Google's latest update for the Messages app has already begun rolling out and should finish over the course of the next few weeks.