An essential Google Messages group-chat feature finally looks set to launch soon

• The latest Google Messages beta hides a working version of group chat muting
• The feature requires some effort to get working, but seems likely to be launching soon
• There's no word on a release date yet

Earlier this month we reported on rumors that suggested Google Messages would be getting a snooze feature so you can temporarily turn off group chat notifications, and now it looks even more likely that this feature is on the way.

That’s according to a new Android Authority teardown of the latest Google Messages build, in which the AA team actually managed to get the tool to work – suggesting it’s very close to release.

The snooze feature will see a new button added to the toolbar (which appears at the top of the screen when you long-press on a chat).

Choosing snooze will cause a second menu ...