In its quest to beef up the feature set of its RCS-powered Messages application for Android, Google appears to now be beta testing a new @mentions texting function — at least for a small subset of software beta testers. Over on the r/GoogleMessages subreddit, a user by the name of aniruddhdodiya has shared screenshots of the feature in action on a Pixel 10, with a small tip appearing on-screen that reads “Try @ to get their attention,” followed by “They’ll see @mentions even if their notifications are muted.”
In its current state in version 20251103_00_RC00 beta of Google Messages, the group chat utility appears to work just as it does on other mainstream messaging platforms: typing an @ symbol followed by a contact’s name or phone number will ping the person in question when sent, drawing attention to your message even within a crowded group chat setting. It also looks like @mention names can be edited prior to being sent off. It’s worth noting that the feature is linked to RCS group text messages — it isn’t available (and likely never will be) for SMS/MMS message chains.
We’ve known for some time now that Google has been working to introduce @mentions to its first-party Messages experience, with references to the feature surfacing via APK app file teardowns back in May of this year (via Android Authority). It’s unclear whether a server-side update is responsible for this new rollout, or whether it’s entirely tied to the particular beta app version in question. The rollout itself appears to be slow and not widely available across the broader beta testing community (as per 9to5Google).
Google, for its part, hasn’t commented on if and when @mentions are officially coming to the Messages app for Android, and so there’s currently no release timeline to go off of. While the feature could technically be canned at any moment, it’s appearance within a beta version of Messages is a good indication that it’ll make its way to more end-users sometime in the foreseeable future.
@mentions are one of my favorite group chat features
A quick-and-easy way to get a group member’s attention
Within multi-person group chats, @mentions are an incredibly useful tool to have at the helm. Anyone who has been in an active group thread knows how chaotic things can sometimes become, and having an easy way to target a message at a specific group member can make virtual communication easier on the whole.
Admittedly, it’s taken Google a long time to bring @mentions to its first-party Messages app. Most other instant messaging services have supported the feature for quite some time, and I’ve grown accustomed to using it across Apple iMessage, Slack, Microsoft Teams, WhatApp, Facebook Messenger, Discord, Telegram, Signal, and even Snapchat.
Personally, I hope the feature ships in stable form sooner rather than later, as opposed to remaining in beta limbo for several months as can sometimes be the case with up-and-coming software additions. I’m a big fan of RCS texting, and I love that Android users can now text in group chats with full end-to-end encryption (E2EE), and @mentions will just sweeten the experience that little bit more for me when it does officially launch.
