Apps

Google Messenger gets a widget and support for GIFs

16

giphy (1)

No matter how you say it, GIFs are awesome. They come in handy all the time. You can use a GIF to convey your current emotion, share a clip from a funny moment on TV, or watch that amazing dunk over and over again. Now you can even send GIFs via SMS with the latest update to Google’s standalone Messenger app.

messenger

After you update the app you’ll be able to select GIFs from your local storage to send. You’ll also be able to view GIFs that have been sent to you, tap on the them to view larger, and save to your gallery. Google has also added a nice big scrollable widget for your home screen, as well as the usual performance fixes. If you’re not a fan of Hangouts this is a great simple and clean alternative. Download Google Messenger for free below.

Messenger | Google Play Store

Joe Fedewa
Ever since I flipped open my first phone I've been obsessed with the devices. I've dabbled in other platforms, but Android is where I feel most at home.

You can now watch 360-degree videos on YouTube

Previous article

Dropbox for Android adds a PDF viewer and document search

Next article

You may also like

16 Comments

  1. It’s a GIF party!

    http://i.imgur.com/jTWL7GM.gif

  2. Hmm.. No dice. I even crashed Messenger trying to share a GIF. Oh well.

  3. Realize that communicating entirely in gifs is like a precursor to Darmok and Jalad at Tenagra.

    Just sayin’.

    1. Temba, his arms wide.

  4. I suppose hangouts support is coming

    1. Hangouts already supports GIF anim ;)

      1. Oh, thanks for the heads up :)

  5. About time :D

  6. [rant] Since google has a habit of mis-naming things (MapMaker is not for making maps?) and not coordinating services (Plus, Drive, Photos; Hangouts, Voice, etc.), I’m left wondering what its Messenger is. An app to compete with WhatsApp, LINE, viber, etc.? Hmm. That might be worthwhile . . .

    No. It is just Google’s SMS app.

    How many times can Google shoot itself in the foot before it begins aiming before pulling the trigger? Whenever Google releases or promotes another social app, most people just ignore it because its usefulness is never predictable. Actually, it is almost predictably bad.

  7. Hmm its more of a miniaturized message screen than a traditional widget.

  8. Well, by clicking on the gif links posted here in the comments, I’ve confirmed that the Phandroid app doesn’t support animated gifs. :)

  9. WTF is Google Messenger? So is hangouts going to go away? Now that we’ve all migrated to it from our default SMS/IM clients, google in their infinite wisdom has decided to re-re-re-reinvent the wheel again? What the hell?

    1. Imo hangout is a mess, even lags in my Note 4. Messenger simply replaces your standard text messaging app. It’s very lightweight and looks better than hangouts.

    2. Lol Google. What the hell happened to Hangouts? Can’t they just make an app like iMessage and stick to it already?

  10. Lol Google. What the hell happened to Hangouts? Can’t they just make a version of iMessage and stick to it already?

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in Apps