New Google Messages feature ends “copy-everything” frustration
Google Messages is developing a feature allowing users to select and copy specific portions of a message, according to Android Authority.
The change addresses a long-standing user request since the app’s inception. Currently, long-pressing a message only copies the entire text, which is inconvenient for extracting details like addresses or links. The new capability was identified in beta version messages.android_20260212_01_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic.
Users previously relied on workarounds, such as selecting text from the Recents screen on Pixel phones or trimming the full message in the clipboard overlay.
Google recently introduced a redesigned context menu for long-press actions. This menu displays the full message content alongside options like Copy, Star, and Forward. The new change makes the message text within this context menu selectable. Users can now drag to highlight a specific section.
Android’s system-level selection menu then appears, permitting the copy of only the highlighted text. The existing Copy button remains available for users who wish to copy the entire message. This feature is not yet active for all beta users and is undergoing quiet testing before a wider rollout.