Google Messages is finally working on a feature that lets you select and copy just part of a message instead of the entire thing. The feature appeared on Android Authority’s APK teardown, suggesting a wider rollout could follow soon.
Currently, long-pressing a message in Google Messages only offers a Copy option that copies everything. That works fine for short texts but becomes frustrating with long messages containing addresses, OTPs or links. Users have had to rely on workarounds like selecting text from the Recents screen on Pixel phones.
The new feature works through the redesigned context menu that appears when you long-press a message. This menu shows the full message content along with Copy, Star and Forward actions. The key change is that the message text inside is now selectable, letting you drag to highlight specific portions and use Android’s system-level selection menu to copy only what you need.
The feature is still in testing and not yet live for all beta users. As with many Google Messages changes, it may roll out more broadly after further testing.
