14

Version 14 is a bugfix and performance follow-up to the Compose rewrite. Large conversations open instantly, a burst of incoming messages no longer stalls the app, Messaging no longer asks for access to your photos and media, the in-conversation message sound is off by default, and layout, input, and accessibility problems across the new screens are fixed.

Performance

• Large conversations open right away: the newest messages load first and older ones load as you scroll back. In testing, an 80,000-message conversation opened in a tenth of a second instead of 35 seconds, using under a third of the memory
• Conversation list updates no longer stall the interface

Messages and notifications

• Receiving several messages at once, especially with pictures, no longer stalls the app: notifications are built one at a time and each image is prepared once
• The quiet sound for a message arriving in the conversation you are viewing is now off by default; turn it back on in Settings > General. Muted and snoozed conversations stay silent
• Sending an MMS whose attachment can no longer be read fails the message instead of crashing

Conversations

• Messages with no attachment, such as an MMS carrying only a subject, no longer disappear from the conversation
• Sentences start with a capital letter again in the message and caption fields
• The message field uses the messaging keyboard layout again
• Conversation settings show the same SIM as the composer

Interface

• The launch screen follows dark mode
• Predictive back works, and pressing back during an opening animation no longer draws both screens at once
• The new chat screen uses the right background colour
• The Settings header collapses only when the page can scroll, and its title appears in the top bar when it does
• The New group button stays above the contact list, with correct spacing
• The recipient field keeps its padding when contacts are added
• The debug menu follows the dark theme in debug builds

Privacy and security

• Messaging no longer requests access to your photos, videos, or audio; attachments come through the system photo picker, which shares only what you choose
• Attachments picked with the old gallery picker are dropped from saved drafts, since the app can no longer read them

Accessibility

• Screen readers announce who sent each message, so incoming and outgoing are distinguishable
• Message details rows offer their copy action to screen readers

Platform and dependencies

Updates to dependencies:

• Android Gradle Plugin 9.4.1
• Kotlin 2.4.20
• KSP 2.3.12
• Compose BOM 2026.09.00
• Coil 3.6.3
• libphonenumber 9.0.39
• kotlinx-collections-immutable 0.5.2

A full list of changes from the previous release (version 13) is available through the Git commit log between the releases.