For those times when the words you text mean little more than a simple “yes”, “no” or even a smart canned reply, the Google Messages app offers an easy way to step up your language. Here’s how you can sign up to try Magic Compose this summer.
Read: Want to try Google’s new AI search engine? Join the Search Labs Waitlist
What is Magic Compose and how do I use it?
Shown at Google I/O 2023, Magic Compose uses the company’s large Bard language model to generate responses to an RCS text string that go beyond single, monosyllabic words. The feature was one of many detailed at the event highlighting the company’s push into generative AI applications.
According to an official video tutorial listed on a Google Messages help page, users first tap a speech bubble icon (officially called “Message Suggestions”) in the text field and then view a list of replies. generic enough to grasp. After selecting one, the icon then changes to a pencil with a glow above it (“Rewrite Suggestions”). Tap this icon to display a list of expanded prompts that may include additional punctuation or even emoji.
Users can search for the perfect answer among seven different “moods”:
- Remix
- Excited
- Coldness
- Shakespeare
- Lyrical
- Official
- Short
Google says it collects text and emoji content from up to 20 previous messages in an RCS (read: not SMS) thread for the sole purpose of generating reply suggestions – not for long-term storage or training. its AI models. Visual and audio content is excluded, but image captions and voice transcripts can be read. Our colleagues at Android Police point out that this effectively breaks end-to-end encryption, so if you need more privacy in your communications, this might not be a feature you want to enable.
Magic Compose is supposed to be exclusive to Messages by Google – an app that should come preloaded on most Android phones with Google Mobile Services.
Am I eligible to try Magic Compose?
Magic Compose is currently in the experimental stage and the feature’s beta testing eligibility is restrictive.
You have to:
The company prioritizes access for Google One subscribers who pay for a cloud storage plan at the Premium tier (2TB for $9.99 per month) or higher. In addition to this storage, Google One membership also includes privileged access across its various platforms.
Read: Google Bard: how the ChatGPT alternative works
How do I sign up for the Magic Compose beta?
To sign up and try Magic Compose, you need to become a beta tester for the Google Messages app and the Carrier Services applet.
You can sign up or check your status by going to the Play Store listing for either app and scrolling down to the section called “Join the beta program” or “You are a beta tester”.
Once you sign up, updates for each app should arrive shortly.
As an alternative or suppletive measure, you can also download the latest beta versions of Google Messages and Carrier Services from a repository like the one we link to, APK Mirror.
From there, all you can do is wait and occasionally check your RCS chats. If you see a prompt to enable Magic Compose, you’re good to go!
