Google will soon make it harder for people to ghost their friends, lovers

Google

If you’ve ever ignored a message and pretended you never saw it, Google might be about to ruin your perfect alibi. A new update to Google Messages could soon make it much harder to ghost your friends, your love interest, or even that annoying colleague who just won’t take a hint.

According to a report by Android Police, Google is testing a revamped message details screen that will give users more information about their sent messages. Right now, when you long-press a message, you can see when it was delivered, but that’s about it. However, the upcoming update could reveal much more—especially in group chats. Soon, you’ll be able to see exactly who has read your message, complete with their name and profile picture.

For anyone who has ever waited for a reply, this means no more guessing games. You’ll know exactly who is ignoring your message and who genuinely hasn’t seen it yet. In one-on-one chats, read receipts already provide this clarity, but in group chats, things have always been murkier. With this new feature, if you’re left on “read,” you’ll know exactly who saw your message and chose not to respond.

This update brings Google Messages closer to other popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, which already lets users check message details by long-pressing a message and tapping the “Info” icon. Google is clearly making sure users get full transparency about their messages.

But that’s not all. The updated message details screen could also make it easier to interact with your messages and contacts. You’ll be able to jump straight to the original message in a reply and even reach out to recipients directly. Plus, tapping on someone’s profile picture will offer quick options to call, message, or check out their profile.

While this feature has been spotted in the Google Messages beta version, there’s no word yet on when (or if) it will roll out to all users. But one thing is clear—ghosting might not be as easy as it used to be.