Google is testing new AR camera effects in Android Messages

New AR effects are coming to Messages, but it may take a while for them to roll out.

What you need to know

• Google is testing five different AR camera effects for the Android Messages app
• Apart from AR effects, Google is also testing SMS reminders and verified SMS features.
• Even though the features are currently being tested, there is no guarantee that they will actually be rolled out in the future.

The Android Messages app will soon support camera effects similar to the ones found on apps such as Instagram and Snapchat. According to the folks over at XDA Developers, who discovered the feature first, a total of five new camera effects are being tested for Android Messages: plane, confetti, fireworks, balloons, and angel.

The AR effects show up in the camera viewfinder when sending a picture using the Messages app. When you send a picture to someone using Android Messages, you can select any of the five AR effects from the effects tab. While it looks like Google is starting off with just five effects, it is entirely likely the company will add more effects in the future. As can be seen in the images below, the AR effects in the Android Messages app work quite well, with the objects being accurately placed in front and behind the subject's face.

Image credit: XDA

Apart from AR camera effects, Google is testing a few other features as well for the Android Messages app. XDA Developers had reported last month that Google is testing verified SMS and SMS reminders for the messaging app. While there is little information regarding how the "Verified SMS" feature works, it will apparently analyze messages from a business to enable "safer chats with businesses that send verified SMS." Google is also working on "SMS Reminders" that could prove to be quite helpful to users, with the feature adding a button in the notification to remind users to reply to a received message after an hour.

Sadly, there is no word yet on when Google will begin rolling out these new features to the Messages app. Needless to say, the addition of new features will definitely help make Messages app more popular among users, coming on the heels of the rollout of the RCS chat features in the United Kingdom and France.

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