Google Messages has a camera flash problem, and nobody knows why

One common function of a messaging app is sending images and videos to the people you know. Apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Google Messages, along with several others, offer a camera interface in the chat to capture and send media. It now looks like Google’s messaging app may be stumbling at this basic function in some situations.

A Verizon-branded Galaxy S24 Ultra owner on Reddit says Google Messages refuses to activate the flash while capturing an image from the chat. They note that the flash timing is off, meaning it triggers much before the photo is captured, resulting in a dark image.

While this particular user is on the stable version of Google Messages, one of our devices running the latest Google Messages beta also contains the same flash-related bug. Meanwhile, the app refuses to even activate the flash on another one of our Pixel smartphones. This suggests it isn’t limited to a specific app version, a smartphone model, or a carrier. As one user notes in the comments, this glitch can vanish and reappear intermittently. Separately, we found a similar complaint on Reddit last month, so it’s certainly not new.

The user who made the original complaint says the flash works normally outside the Messages app, and that is definitely the case on our devices, too. This means you shouldn’t have any issues capturing a photo in your preferred camera app and attaching it to the Google Messages conversation, though it’s certainly not convenient.

One benefit of sending images directly from the chat is that it saves you plenty of time. However, being unable to illuminate your photos in low light before sending them can be irritating, to say the least.

Since this isn’t limited to a few users and spans multiple devices and app versions, it’s hard to pinpoint the root cause. In any case, we have written to Google about this peculiar bug, and we’ll provide an update when we hear back.