Google Messages Tests New Share Menu That Lets You Create Groups or Send Separately

Overview

• Multiple reports from Android sites show at least one user has seen a new sharing interface that offers explicit “Send to a group” and “Send separately” choices when selecting several contacts.
• The “Send to a group” option appears to let users create a new group chat as part of the share flow instead of starting separate one-to-one messages.
• The interface reportedly recognizes when the selected contacts already belong to an existing group chat and opens that thread instead of creating a duplicate conversation.
• Evidence points to a limited server-side test or staged rollout rather than a public release, and the Droid Life author who is in the Google Messages beta says they do not have the feature and it cannot be forced on.
• The change comes as Samsung is shutting down Samsung Messages and many users move to Google Messages, a shift that could speed further tweaks to reduce inbox clutter and make group messaging easier for new users.