As we wait for Chat themes to widely roll out, Google Messages is getting the ability to customize the grid of shortcuts.

In a conversation, tapping the ‘plus’ icon at the left of the text field opens up a shortcuts grid. The arrangement depends on the size of your screen.

There are currently up to 11 items: Gallery, Camera, GIFs, Stickers, Magic Compose, Files, Real-time Location, Contacts, Schedule Send, Selfie GIF, and One-time Location. The two location tiles are the latest additions/updates as part of the Find Hub integration earlier this year.

Beta version 20260731_00_RC00 of Google Messages adds the following introductory prompt: “Touch & hold a shortcut to drag it to a new spot.”

We’re seeing it live in the beta channel today, and it’s quite straightforward. Overall, it’s a bit like the previous Gboard interface. It would be nice if users could hide unused actions.