Kenyans Won’t Care About The New Google Messages Group Chat Features

Google Messages is on a roll lately. The app just added a bunch of long-overdue RCS features for group messaging—“Delete for everyone,” “Snooze notifications,” the ability to rename RCS group chats, upload custom icons, and even snooze entire conversations. Basically, it’s catching up to WhatsApp. Or trying to.

But here’s the thing: I probably won’t use any of them. And if you’re reading this in Kenya, chances are you won’t either.

Let’s not kid ourselves: SMS is not where group chats live in this country. In fact, it’s where they go to die. Google might think they’re improving the app, but around here, it’s like adding heated seats to a matatu. We appreciate the gesture, but we’re not even in that vehicle.

WhatsApp Already Won the War

In Kenya, WhatsApp is the group chat king. It’s the default. If you’re in a chama, school group, estate group, or even just planning a weekend out with friends, chances are the discussion is happening on WhatsApp. Maybe Telegram if your people are techy or avoiding family drama. Meanwhile, Google Messages has quietly stayed in the background, doing its thing—handling airtime alerts, parking reminders, and those passive-aggressive Safaricom promotions. Useful? Yes. But group chats? Come on.

Google Message’s new features might be shiny and modern, but they feel like they’re made for a market that actually uses RCS for chatting—probably in the U.S., where iMessage and Android RCS are in a constant awkward dance.

What They Rolled Out

To be fair, here’s what Google just pushed to stable users of the Messages app on Android:

• Snooze notifications: Long-press a conversation, tap the new clock icon, and choose how long to mute it—1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours, or forever.
• Delete for everyone: Finally lets you unsend a message (unless your friends are using an older app version).
• Group customizations: Rename group chats, and even add your own icon or choose a Google Illustration instead of that boring 2×2 grid of profile bubbles.
• RCS status indicator: When starting a new chat, you’ll now see if the other person supports RCS—and enjoy dynamic color themes while you’re at it.

These are very good additions, technically speaking. They put Google Messages closer to being a true messaging app and not just an SMS fallback. But they also feel like a party that started years ago—without us.

A Case of Too Little, Too Late?

I’m not saying Google should give up. Some of these features might be helpful to people in places where RCS has taken off. But in Kenya, this update feels a bit… disconnected. Almost like trying to convince us to use Google+ again. And let’s not forget that for most Kenyans, SMS still costs money, unlike WhatsApp and Telegram, which ride on data or Wi-Fi. Why would I send a group message via a traditional SMS app when I can do the same, and more, for free elsewhere?

Unless Google has a radical shift in strategy, Google Messages will remain the dusty side room of our smartphones—the one we only open when a bank or boda guy sends a text. And while it’s cute that we can now snooze conversations or slap a giraffe emoji on a group chat, the chances of most Kenyans noticing—or using—these features? Close to zero.

We’ve already chosen where our social chats live. And Google Messages didn’t even make the group.

The Bottom Line? Kenyans Have Moved On

So yes, Google Messages is growing up and learning some new tricks. But here in Kenya, we’ve already moved on. If Google wants Kenyans to care about its messaging app, it’ll need more than “delete for everyone” and some cute illustrations. It’ll need a reason. A real one.

Even for people who still rely on SMS as their primary messaging channel (and yes, there are many), the idea of a group chat on Google Messages is almost alien. And here’s where it gets interesting—most of these users aren’t tech-savvy enough to know group chats are even possible. They’re not going into settings or exploring new features. They’re just trying to text their daughter, or fetch their KPLC token recharge code before the power goes out again.

For me, I’ll keep using Google Messages for my M-Pesa texts—and leave the group chats where they belong: on WhatsApp.