What Happened to Nudges and Birthday Reminders in Google Messages?
Google Messages reportedly has parted ways with a few features that users began to favor over time. The missing features include Nudges, which would send reminders to reply to a message, and alerts for upcoming birthdays.
The Removal of Nudges and Birthday Reminders
The removal of the two features was reported by 9to5Google on Wednesday. It is unclear why Google may have removed these features from Google Messages. Nudges and birthday reminders had a short life too as they were only just released in March 2022.
Google describes its Nudges features as “Nudges are messages reminders on Google Messages that help you send replies easily.” “Nudges gives you 2 types of alerts: Reply reminders to follow up after a certain time to a message you sent. Or received Birthday reminders to wish a contact a Happy Birthday.” The Nudges feature was on by default and could be accessed through Message Settings > Suggestions > Nudges.
FRUSTRATED ANDROID USERS
However, Android users have been reporting that the feature is not showing up at all anymore on their devices. Several people shared how they are disappointed to see Nudges go in a thread on Reddit called “Google Messages removes reply ‘Nudges’ and birthday reminders.” “Yet another useful feature removed. So frustrating. I also really miss location-based reminders,” one user said.
This user feels like Apple is doing a better job at keeping up with updates. “These days, it seems like Apple is picking up all the features Google keeps cutting,” they added. “Once they totally botch our notification tray, I’ll jump ship to Apple and at least have reliable and well-supported OS features.”
Tricks for Google Messages
- Photomoji:
- Transform favorite photos into reactions using on-device Google AI.
- Choose objects in photos to turn into Photomoji and send.
- Saved creations in a special tab for reuse.
- Friends in group chats can use sent Photomoji.
- Voice Moods:
- Nine different emotions to choose from for voice messaging.
- Emotions include heart-eye emoji, fireballs, party poppers, etc.
- Improved audio quality based on user feedback.
- Enhanced bitrate and sampling rate.
- Screen Effects:
- Messages come alive with vibrant animations.
- Type specific messages to trigger visual displays.
- Over 15 hidden Screen Effects prompt words.
- Custom Bubbles:
- Customize bubble color and backgrounds.
- Differentiate conversations with unique colors.
- Avoid accidental texting to wrong groups.
- Reaction Effects:
- Add life to conversations with animated reactions.
- React with popular emoji to trigger dynamic animations.
- Animated Emoji:
- Infuse messages with captivating visual effects.
- Tap emoji to unleash animated bursts.
- Profile Customization:
- Easily change profile name and picture.
- Enhance self-expression across Google services.
Some other Reddit users commented on how the birthday feature became a staple in their routines. “I was wondering why I wasn’t getting them. I stopped looking at my calendar for birthdays and 100% relied on this!” this user said. Another user said, “It’s nice to see when you’re texting someone and see it’s their birthday. It even gave a reliable notification. In the calendar, you only maybe see it once and forget, especially if you have other events.”