Conversations in Google Messages now show contact photos

The tech company Google is on the way to introducing several updates to Google Messages. Just recently, the company introduced read receipt symbols and RCS chat features to the messaging app. Now Google messages are going to receive another major update. As per the latest information, Google Messages will now display contact photos in the conversations. The images will appear on the left side of the contact name at the top of the chat. besides Google Messages, other messaging apps like Messenger, Telegram, Apple iMessage, and WhatsApp are already provided with this feature.

Prior to this update, the app displayed the name of the contact at the top of the conversation. The name was displayed on the toolbar that is provided with buttons for video calls, audio calls, and Searches. The contact’s name also served as a shortcut to the Contacts app’s details page. The shortcut is now more prominent thanks to the most recent modification. Now, you may tap on the image or the name to access more information. Tapping that area opens the group details if you are viewing a group conversation.

The image you see in chats in Google Messages is the saved contact image, which is also displayed in the conversation list itself. This feature already exists on the majority of other messaging apps. The contact image appears in discussions on the left in Telegram, WhatsApp, and Messenger whereas it appears in the middle in iMessage. The profile avatar is used by all of these platforms as a shortcut to personal information.

The addition of the image in the toolbar requires space. For this reason, the search button has been removed. The search button has been shifted to the overflow menu [shown as a three-dot menu]. In case if a user needs to search for anything in the chat, it can be accessed from the overflow menu. Such a modification is done to present an overall nice look. With the other messaging apps, the search button is presented in the overflow menu.