Right now, when you use Google Messages, you can quickly archive a message thread by swiping on the message. The message will fly off of the screen with a little “archive” box icon popping up. It’s convenient, but more options can’t hurt.
Google Messages will let you customize the swipe gesture
This was discovered by an AKP deep-dive performed by 9To5Google, so you will want to take this with a grain of salt. From the looks of it, it seems that you’ll be able to choose what happens when you swipe either left or right on the message thread. When you go to the settings, you’ll see a swipe actions button. Tapping will take you to a page where you can change what happens when you swipe either left or right on a message thread. On top, you’ll see the setting for swiping right on a thread. Tapping on the customize option will bring a popup. There, you’ll be able to choose what happens. You don’t get a ton of options; you can choose between archiving a message and deleting it. Under that, you’ll see the options for a left swipe.
This might not launch
Right now, there’s no telling if this feature will actually make it to phones. This feature is hidden within the code of the latest version of the app. This doesn’t mean that it’s going to come. If you want the best chance at seeing this feature, you can join the beta program for this messaging app. Find Google Messages on the Play Store and scroll down a bit, You should see the option to sign up for the beta for the app. When you’re a beta tester, you’ll be able to get versions of the app earlier. You just need to know that the version might not be as stable as the final version.
