Though most text messages you typically send might be just a few words long, occasionally you need to draft out a longer message — and that can be annoying on an Android device. Google Messages has an infamously small compose box, which has been a source of annoyance for many users. Now, though, that looks set to change, with a new feature spotted in the latest beta version of the Messages app of an expandable compose box.
The change was spotted in an APK teardown of the latest Android beta by Android Authority, which suggests that a change to the way the Google Messages app functions is in the works. Getting at the new compose box took some “tinkering,” according to the site, but they were able to unlock a version of the compose box which can be expanded to 12 lines of text rather than the currently available four lines.
That will come as a welcome change for those who want to write out a longer message and proof read it before sending. Users on Reddit have complained about the tiny compose box in Google Messages before, especially for those who need to send messages for their job and who are looking for more space to compose a more formal and accurate message than the casual texts you might send to family or friends.
Other apps like WhatsApp or Samsung Messages have larger expanding compose boxes compared to the relatively stingy current Google Messaging box, reflecting the desire for at least some users to compose longer messages.
However, it is worth noting that this change had to be manually unlocked in a beta version, so it won’t be available on your regular Android device just yet. Still, it’s an encouraging sign that this small annoyance on Android devices could be cleaned up soon.