What you need to know
- Google Messages may soon let users copy only part of a message instead of copying the full text.
- The new feature appears in beta and adds inline text selection inside already selected messages.
- Google is also rolling out a new 'Mark as read' option for Messages notifications on Wear OS.
Google continues to upgrade the Messages app as RCS usage keeps growing, and the latest upcoming changes bring a couple of genuinely useful features.
Google Messages has come a long way, and the company has added several helpful features over the years. However, one long-standing pain point is the inability to easily select part of a message to copy.
Right now, if you want to copy part of a message, like an OTP that is not auto-detected, you have to copy the entire message first and then trim it manually. Alternatively, you can use Android's clipboard text selection tools, but the process still takes multiple steps. It, however, looks like things may change soon.
As spotted by Android Authority, the Google Messages beta version messages.android_20260212_01_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic adds a new interaction when you tap and hold a message.
Copying part of messages may finally get easier
You still get options like select, reply, forward, copy, and reactions, but now you can tap inside a selected message and highlight only a portion of the text. Once highlighted, you can long-press again and use Android's copy button to copy just that specific section.
The option to copy the full message still exists for those who want to use it. The feature isn't rolling out widely yet, though it could arrive soon.
In addition, another report from the publication notes that Google is rolling out a new 'Mark as read' button for the Messages app on Wear OS. The option appears directly in the notification when a message first arrives, letting you mark it as read without opening the conversation.
However, it only shows up when the notification first appears and not when revisiting it later from the notification shade. This feature already appears to be rolling out with the Play Store update.
Android Central's Take
Pretty neat. I've wanted the ability to copy only part of a message in Google Messages for years, and it finally seems to be happening. Telegram has offered this for months, and it's nice to see Google catching up.
