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What you need to know
- Google Messages is testing a new Smart Reply option that lets you edit preset responses before sending them.
- The feature changes the behavior of Smart Reply from instant sending to inserting the response into the text field first.
- A new toggle in Settings > Suggestions lets users choose between Tap to Send and Tap to Compose Replies.
Google Messages is adding a new Tap to Draft option for Smart Replies that will make it easier to edit preset responses before sending them.
Google Messages has been testing several improvements in quality of life during the last few months. Recently, the company began experimenting with the ability to copy only part of a message and also added real-time location sharing.
Now Google appears to be working on another feature that modifies the behavior of Smart Replies, something that arguably should have existed from the beginning.
How he saw it 9to5GoogleGoogle Messages beta 20260303 includes a new toggle within the Smart Reply settings that changes how the feature works. Right now, when Google Messages displays smart answer suggestions as preset chips over the text field; Tapping one of those responses sends the message instantly.
Android Central’s opinion
Honestly, I wonder why it took Google so long to add this. It seems like a feature that should have been there from day one. Now that it’s here, I can see myself using Smart Replies much more often.
With the new behavior enabled, tapping a Smart Reply chip will insert text into the message field so you can edit it before sending it. The message will no longer be sent immediately. Instead, it will appear in the text box so you can edit it before hitting send.
The feature is now available in beta. I was able to access it on my Google Pixel 10a running the latest beta version of Google Messages. You can find the settings in Settings > Suggestions. Turning it off maintains the previous Tap to Send behavior, while turning it on changes the feature to Tap to Compose.
Android Central’s opinion
The way Google implemented this in the UI seems a little strange. A dropdown option might have made more sense than using an option here.
For now, the feature is limited to the beta version of Google Messages. We will update it once it starts rolling out to the stable version of the app.
