Google Messages pinned chats may get an iMessage-like redesign

Google Messages pinned chats may soon look more like their iMessage counterparts, but the redesign could come with a steep trade-off. PhoneArena reported on August 31 that Google is testing a beta interface built around large circular chat elements while considering a reduction in the maximum number of pinned conversations from 20 to six.

The change has not reached the stable version of Google Messages, so neither the redesigned interface nor the lower limit is final. That distinction matters: Google may revise the feature or abandon the proposed cap before a wider release.

The new interface comes with a lower limit

PhoneArena contributor Aman Kumar described Google Messages as one of his preferred Android messaging apps and praised its recent customization tools, which can change the appearance of an entire conversation. However, he argued that an attractive interface would not make up for the restrictions attached to this particular experiment.

The publication had previously reported that Google was testing both a different pinned-chat interface and a new limit. A reader poll accompanying that coverage had collected 526 votes when Kumar wrote his editorial. Almost 45% of respondents liked the updated look but did not want Google to reduce how many chats could be pinned. Kumar agreed with that position.

Google Messages currently lets users keep as many as 20 conversations pinned. The interface being tested reportedly lowers that ceiling to six. For Kumar, who typically keeps nine or ten conversations pinned, the change would mean choosing only six from a group of chats he already considers important.

Even iMessage allows more pinned conversations

The comparison with iMessage makes the proposed limit more noticeable. According to the PhoneArena article, Apple’s messaging app supports as many as nine pinned chats, even though Google’s experimental design appears to take inspiration from it. Kumar suggested that a reduction from 20 to ten would be more reasonable than dropping directly to six.

He also considered a possible design reason for the smaller number: more than six large circles may not fit the intended layout particularly well. His proposed alternative was a slider at the bottom of the interface, with each page holding up to six pinned conversations. That approach could preserve the visual treatment without forcing users to remove as many shortcuts.

The reaction described in the article extended beyond PhoneArena’s poll. One Reddit user said they keep about ten chats pinned and that a six-chat cap would disrupt how they use Google Messages. Another questioned why Google was considering a lower limit at all.

The restriction remains a beta experiment

That concern also runs against the feature’s earlier direction. As Kumar noted, Google Messages initially supported only three pinned chats. Google later raised the maximum to five, then ten, and eventually 20. Moving back to six would therefore reverse a pattern of increasing capacity.

For now, the redesign and reduced limit have only been observed in a beta build of Google’s messaging app. That leaves room for the company to keep the new appearance while changing the cap, or to avoid lowering the maximum when the interface reaches the stable channel. Until then, the six-chat restriction remains a test rather than a confirmed change for all Google Messages users.