You can adjust five Google Messages controls individually: RCS read receipts, in-app sounds, chat bubbles, Gemini in Messages, and Nudges. Engadget describes a menu path for each, including separate controls for reply and birthday reminders.
Find the control you want to change
| Setting | Menu path reported by Engadget | Effect described in its guide |
| RCS read receipts | Profile picture > RCS chats > read-receipts toggle | Turns read receipts off in RCS chats. |
| In-app message sounds | Profile picture > Settings > Hear outgoing and incoming message sounds | Turns off sounds played when you send or receive messages while the app is open. |
| Bubbles | Profile picture > Settings > Bubbles > None | Sets chat bubbles to None. |
| Gemini in Messages | Settings > Gemini in Messages | Turns off Gemini in Messages. |
| Nudges | Profile picture > Settings > Suggestions & Actions > Nudges | Lets you adjust reply and birthday reminders separately. |
Pick the control that matches what you want to change. The settings cover different parts of the app, so you can adjust one without changing the others.
The read-receipts option is within RCS chats. The sound control is specifically described as affecting sounds while Google Messages is open. Engadget’s Max Miller also considered chat bubbles more useful on tablets or foldables, a matter of screen preference rather than a reason everyone needs to turn them off.
Nudges does not have to be an all-or-nothing choice: Engadget says reply reminders and birthday reminders can be switched separately. If you want to keep one type and silence the other, adjust the corresponding control under Nudges.
If you’re considering switching apps
A commenter in Reddit’s r/textra community, u/Denan004, said they scheduled weekly backups with SMS Backup and Restore and restored messages to a new phone. That is one user’s account of their own backup and restore experience.
