Google is trying to fix Messages - but it needs your help

ZDNET

Google Messages has been having issues lately, and the company is asking for your help while it works on a fix.

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In a blog post yesterday, Google acknowledged that many users have been experiencing issues with receiving media in Messages. Sometimes the app slows down drastically, the company says; sometimes it shuts down entirely.

Widespread issue

Google didn't explain specifically what the issues were, but Reddit reports show that the issues are widespread. Some users are reporting that Messages is slow to load when viewing attachments and won't show up for several minutes; some are saying that images are blurry when trying to view them; and some are having issues with messages that won't load at all.

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Problems are occurring when receiving media from either iPhone or Android, so it's not an OS problem, and they are happening across a wide variety of devices and carriers.

No workarounds

There doesn't seem to be anything you can do to make things better. Users report that restarting their phones doesn't help, and the issues persist whether connected over Wi-Fi or mobile data.

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Google has been actively working on the issue, it says, and it recently rolled out several updates aimed at improving performance. Some users indicate that things may be getting better and pictures are loading without problem, but some are still seeing problems.

Google wants feedback

If you're still seeing issues, Google wants to know about it.

"Please continue to share your experiences with us," Google's post read. "Your feedback is absolutely essential as we work to make Messages better for everyone. If you're still seeing problems, please let us know the details."

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Users still having problems with Messages can report them on the Google Messages Help Community. Include as many details as you can, such as what phone you're using, what version of Android your phone is running, what type of media you were receiving, and exactly what happened.