The Google Messages beta, while generally reliable, recently encountered a significant bug. This frustrating issue causes the app to crash when users attempt to share images or links. Fortunately, a fix is already rolling out.
Update: Version 20250615_01_RC00 of the Google Messages beta appears to resolve the sharing issue.
Original Report: The primary problem lies within the “Select recipients” screen within Google Messages, which displays recent conversations and your full contact list. This screen is essential for sharing content.
When this screen is accessed, Google Messages abruptly shuts down. This affects several sharing methods, including:
- Selecting Messages from the Android system Share sheet in any app.
- Using the forward button next to images in a chat.
As a workaround, users currently need to manually copy and paste links. Sharing images requires saving them to the device first, then sharing via the Gallery within a conversation.
This issue is specifically impacting version 20250610_00_RC02.phone.openbeta_dynamic on Pixel and Samsung devices. The stable release (20250528_00_RC00.phone_dynamic) is unaffected. Google is expected to release a beta update to fix this soon.
If the crash is significantly impacting your workflow, you can temporarily resolve the issue by leaving the beta
program, uninstalling Google Messages updates via the app info settings, and then reinstalling the
latest stable version from the Play Store.
In other related news, Google Messages is testing a new Material 3 Expressive
redesign for its settings menu. This includes placing list items within a container and implementing M3
on/off toggles. This feature is not yet widely available.
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