Google Messages is picking up a couple of genuinely useful upgrades

Google Messages is about to get a whole lot more useful with a feature Android users have been begging for—the ability to copy just part of a message instead of the entire thing. That’s right, no more messy copy-paste jobs where you have to fish out that one-time password or important snippet buried in a long text.

This long-awaited feature is currently in beta, spotted in the Google Messages beta version messages.android_20260212_01_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic. Here’s how it works: when you tap and hold a message, you’ll still see the usual options like “Select,” “Reply,” “Forward,” “Copy,” and “Reactions.” But now, there’s an added bonus—you can tap inside the selected message and highlight just the portion you need. Once highlighted, a long press lets you copy that specific section directly to your clipboard. It’s a small change, but for anyone who’s ever struggled to extract a single detail from a message, it’s a game-changer.

This feature has been a staple in apps like Telegram for a while, and it’s about time Google caught up. Whether it’s grabbing an OTP, a phone number, or a specific quote, this update will make life so much easier. And the best part? You can still copy the full message if that’s what you need—flexibility is key.

But that’s not all Google is cooking up for Messages. Another nifty addition is rolling out for Wear OS users: a “Mark as read” button directly in the notification. No more opening the app just to clear a message—you can now dismiss it with a single tap. This feature is already live with the latest Play Store update, making it easier than ever to manage your messages on the go.

Google Messages has been steadily evolving, and with RCS (Rich Communication Services) adoption on the rise, these updates couldn’t come at a better time. From adding an edit history to improving notification management, Google is clearly listening to user feedback and delivering features that matter.

So, whether you’re a beta tester eager to try out the new text selection or a Wear OS user enjoying the convenience of marking messages as read, it’s clear that Google Messages is stepping up its game. Stay tuned—these features are likely to roll out to everyone soon, and when they do, your messaging experience is about to get a whole lot smoother.

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