What to know
- Google Chat is working on gesture settings that let you pick separate left and right swipe actions for messages.
- The action list in code includes reply in thread, quote in reply, star, forward, mark as unread, and none.
- The code-only finding comes from an unreleased Google Chat v2026.07.20.950659243.Release build, and we could not surface it in the app yet.
Message triage in Chat can involve the same few follow-up actions over and over: reply, keep something starred, forward it, or mark it unread for later. Custom swipe actions would make those shortcuts configurable instead of treating a swipe as a one-size-fits-all gesture.
Now, a teardown of Google Chat v2026.07.20.950659243.Release shows that Google is preparing a new gesture settings area for messages. We found this in code and could not surface it in the app yet, so this is a dormant-strings-only finding for now.
Google Chat points to left and right swipe controls
The new strings are direct: Chat now has a Gestures
settings title, a Swipe actions
category, and separate labels for Left swipe
and Right swipe
. That points to a settings screen where each direction can be assigned its own message action.
KEY!The action list is practical rather than flashy. Google Chat references Reply in thread
, Quote in reply
, Star
, Forward message
, and Mark as unread
. There is also a None
option, which suggests users may be able to disable an action for one swipe direction if they do not want every gesture to do something.
Code in Google Chat v2026.07.20.950659243.Release references the new gesture and swipe action strings below:
If this ships, it would give Chat users a cleaner way to shape message handling around their own habits. Someone who uses threads heavily could put reply on one side, while someone who treats unread status as a reminder could make that the faster action.
For now, custom message swipe actions are not available to users yet. We will watch future Google Chat builds for signs of rollout.
Related guides
Leave a Reply