Countless Google Messages users have started reporting that the app is completely broken and crashes within seconds of being opened. For some, the alert suggests updating Google Play services. This problem mainly affects those on the Messages beta.
Last night, I could not send any texts and received a pop-up that said, “Messages won’t run unless you update Google Play services.” Tapping the error took me to the Google Play Store, where no updates were available. The only option is to remove all updates to the Google Play Services (beta), which obviously is a bad idea.
“We frequently test new features as part of our beta programs. This bug, which was caused by an experiment, affected a limited number of Google Messages open beta users and has now been fixed. The fix was applied automatically, so no action is required from users.” - A Google spokesperson.
When trying to open Google Messages to the main conversation list, the app hangs for a minute, then crashes. We’re seeingsimilar reports on Reddit, with users unable to open the app. Curiously enough, text messages still come through, and you can reply from the notification pulldown bar.
According to9to5Google, this started thanks to the latest Google Messages beta version 20250805_00_RC00 that started hitting devices yesterday, August 7th. The outlet says it’s mainly impacting those on the latest Android 16 QPR1, Pixel phones, and Samsung devices. However, multiple Reddit users chimed in and said they weren’t experiencing problems, suggesting this isn’t a widespread outage.
Like many of you, I spent a good while trying to troubleshoot the problem without luck. I did everything from clearing the app cache, clearing the cache on GPlay services, rebooting my phone, and more.
So, what was the solution? In my case, I left the Google Play Services beta, but remained on the Google Messages beta, and things are back to normal. My phone works as expected, and Google Messages is no longer instantly crashing. Thankfully, we hear owners are experiencing similar luck by uninstalling and reinstalling the app or leaving the Messages beta.
It’s worth noting that leaving the beta or uninstalling Google Messages and reinstalling the app will not delete any of your texts, but it may take a moment for them to sync and reappear in the app.
A Reminder That The Beta Can Be Unstable
As many know, participating in beta programs can and will cause problems. There’s a reason every Google app and phone OS beta has an asterisk and a warning about stability.
I’ve been on the Google Messages beta for years and haven’t experienced anything like this. Oddly, the only fix that seemed to work was leaving the beta channel, and hopefully, Google has issued a quick fix overnight. Millions of people are on the beta, so there’s a good chance a lot of you experienced trouble.
It’s common for Google to test new features in the beta channel, but it rarely breaks things like this. In the past, excitingfeatures like sensitive content warningsand spam-blocking tools hit the beta channel first, then later arrive as a main feature for everyone. We’re unsure which new feature caused Google Messages to crash this week, but we’ll know soon enough.
For now, if you’re still dealing with problems, it might be a good idea to temporarily leave the beta and update your app to the latest stable version.
