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How to enable, disable, and use RCS Chat in Google Messages
It's probably time we moved on from the old SMS standard
The RCS messaging protocol has been a long time coming. While iPhone owners have had iMessages for years, Android users often relied on third-party messaging apps like WhatsApp, as US carriers were slow to warm up to RCS. Google has been leading the push for RCS in recent years, and Messages' adoption of the RCS standard has made the app better and brought interactive texting to Android.
How to retrieve deleted text messages on Android
Recovering your deleted text messages is tricky on Android
Did you accidentally delete important messages and thought you'd lost them forever? There are a few ways to get such messages back. The chances of retrieval depend on certain factors, like how often you back up your data, how recently you deleted it, and the messaging app you use.
There’s nothing more entertaining than some good old pettiness between two tech conglomerates that have a higher combined market capitalization than just two countries’ GDPs, but that’s what we have here. Apple and Alphabet (Google) have very little love for each other, and nowhere is that more felt than when both companies take shots at each other in their marketing efforts. Recently, Google has turned up the wick when it comes to fighting Apple’s market share, leading to the “Best Phones Forever” campaign that has poked fun at the iPhone 15’s USB-C implementation and the lack of Apple RCS support. That brings us to the latest Google-Apple spiciness, as Android’s new Google Messages landing page brags that RCS is coming to iPhones this fall.
Latest Google Messages beta makes sending multiple images a breeze
Image editing tools are still missing, though
Google Messages is one of the staple chat apps on Android with support for RCS and conventional SMS messaging. Although it cannot hold a candle to the likes of WhatsApp and Telegram in terms of features, you can get by sharing images, location pins, stickers, GIFs, and voice notes in RCS chats. However, the user interface doesn’t make it very easy to share multiple images quickly. Thankfully, widespread beta testing for a potential fix ensued recently.
Google Messages is starting to roll out custom RCS colors
Blue bubbles on Android! And red bubbles, and orange bubbles, and...
It may not have the global adoption rates of WhatsApp or the mindshare of iMessage, but RCS is a big deal — particularly in the US, where a huge percentage of Android users are now chatting with the updated standard meant to replace MMS and SMS. Over the years, Google Messages has become the de facto home for RCS as the company continues to add features to both its app and its Jibe platform to help push the ecosystem forward. Now, RCS chats are gaining a significant customization option for some.
What is RCS chat? The text-based messaging protocol explained
RCS messaging just might be the way of the future
While all cell phones started with the short message service (SMS), which offers quick text communication, Apple has been the leader in providing a more interactive texting experience. If you aren't sure what RCS messaging is, you're probably familiar with it and aren't aware of the differences. If you have an iPhone, you're used to using Apple's iMessage, which is similar to RCS in that it offers many features that traditional text doesn't. However, Android users are probably familiar with RCS chat through third-party messaging apps.
How to know if someone read your text messages on Android
You should know if someone is lying through their teeth about missing your text
WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, and Google Messages are some of the best communication apps that let you see if someone reads your text. When your friends, family, or coworkers make excuses about missing your messages, use the following tips to find out whether your message was seen.
Before you reset your phone or switch to one of the best 5G smartphones, back up your data. Also, back up your SMS to retain important texts for later reference. Backing up text messages is a breeze whether you use a Samsung Galaxy, a Google Pixel, or another device. You can opt for automatic backup by Google or do it manually using various third-party apps.
Verizon will shift to Google Jibe for RCS support on Android
Get ready for better interoperability and faster adoption of new features
Rich Communication Services (RCS) has been a hot topic in the news of late, thanks to Apple’s surprising pivot toward interoperability. The tech giant announced that it will be adding support for RCS this year, meaning communication between Android devices and iPhones should go a bit smoother — character limits and low-quality videos will become a thing of the past, for instance. However, telecom companies have their own servers to keep RCS communication functioning for their customers. Now, Verizon has announced that it’s pivoting away from its own backend system and turning to Google for help.
Google Messages is still playing catch-up with potential image upgrade
Caption support is in the works
Google has recently thrown its weight behind RCS messaging, toting it as a rival of the best instant messaging apps on Android. Google Messages played a massive role in popularizing RCS, and was greatly helped by the app’s availability on our favorite Android phones as well as devices at multiple price points. To stay competitive, Google regularly updates the app as well, and a new image captioning feature seems to be in the cards.
How to like a text message on your Android phone
Like a text message on Android and send message reactions!
Do you receive messages from a friend with an iPhone that say they "liked" your message? Instead of this reaction appearing as a thumbs up as it does on an iPhone, it appears as text. The top end-to-end encrypted messaging apps let you give and receive reactions like iMessage. Reacting to messages on Android text messaging requires activating RCS messaging. Short for Rich Chatting Service (RCS), RCS improves traditional SMS/MMS messaging with features like read receipts, typing indicators, and message reactions.
What does 'sent as SMS via server' mean?
Getting a strange message about SMS sent via server? Here's exactly what that means and why it happens
Sometimes, particularly on your Android phone, you may get a tagalong message with a text that says, "Sent as SMS via Server," when sending and receiving texts. We understand if that makes you a little nervous. It's not apparent what it means, and it makes you wonder if your text went through, if something is wrong with your data plan, and other bad scenarios.
Google Messages may soon allow you to edit sent texts
Flags suggest the feature is being trialed but Google hasn’t made it official
Google is always trying out new features that can enhance the user experience, but not all of them make it to the final version of a product or service. In many instances, the features are never rolled out to the public, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes. Google’s developing features are often masked behind flags, and one person has uncovered new work being done on Messages.
What iPhone getting RCS means for Android
We'll still be in green bubbles, but our pictures shouldn't be blurry anymore
Android-to-iOS texting has been a sticking point for years. While iPhones get easy access to extra messaging features through iMessage (which is built right into the pre-installed Messages app), those features only work between iPhones and other Apple devices. As of today, texts sent between phones running Android and phones running iOS default to SMS or MMS — meaning less security, lower-quality media, and of course, that dreaded "green bubble" that can break iMessage group chats.
Weekend poll: Will RCS on the iPhone benefit your life as an Android user?
Sure, you aren't on iOS, but I bet a lot of your friends are
If there was one connective thread weaving together this week's biggest stories in mobile, it was messaging. After Nothing announced a new service designed to bring iMessage support to its latest smartphone — a platform that crashed and burned within 24 hours — Apple made even bigger waves by confirming its plans to add RCS support to the iPhone in 2024. While plenty of questions remain about how Apple's support will shake up the smartphone landscape, the explanation as to why it's tackling RCS, at least, remains pretty clear.
Why Apple finally decided to adopt RCS on iPhone
Google's #GetTheMessage campaign failed to persuade Apple. It doesn't matter
You can't say Apple doesn't know how to surprise its audience. Seemingly out of nowhere, the company confirmed it plans to add RCS support to iOS next year, a complete reversal on its previous policies (which, no joke, included buying your mom an iPhone for a better messaging experience). In the wake of this surprise announcement, which will see better interoperability between Android and iPhone users than ever before, we saw a rush to try and explain exactly why Apple is making this move at this time. There's an easy explanation, but that doesn't mean some of the company's rivals can't claim victory anyway.
Apple is adding RCS support to the iPhone next year
Those green bubble complaints from your iPhone-owning friends are about to disappear — sort of
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You know that old saying, "when pigs fly?" You might want to check some nearby farms, because it seems like we're living in that sort of topsy-turvy world. After a month chock full of news surrounding iMessage's lack of interoperability with Android devices — including pressure from the EU and a new chat application from Nothing — Apple is finally succumbing to the pressure. Starting next year, your Android device is about to play a whole lot nicer with your friends' iPhones, as Apple is adding RCS support to iOS.
It may not deserve it, but RCS gets a bad rap, particularly in areas where encrypted messengers like WhatsApp reign supreme. Even in the US, it's met with apathy, as iMessage has the mindshare despite Google's best efforts to move the needle. But it's an industry standard, not a walled garden, and for those who use it, the addition of web-based features like end-to-end encryption and message reactions make it a vastly superior alternative to SMS and MMS. However, it appears the standard is not immune to one of its predecessors' biggest issues: spoofed phone numbers sending spam texts.
Google wants the EU to force iMessage to play nice with Android
Maybe public pressure wasn't enough after all
To call Google desperate in its attempts to persuade Apple to adopt RCS support within iMessage would be an understatement. For over a year now, Google's "Get the Message" campaign has tried to apply pressure through a series of pseudo-PSAs, even as Apple has all but ignored these calls for change. Today marks a new step in the cross-platform messaging battles, as Google is turning to EU regulators in an attempt to force RCS adoption — or, at the very least, some kind of improved messaging interoperability — on iOS.
Google is now using the Play Store to shove RCS in Apple’s face
A new banner on the web version promotes RCS as the way forward
Google has been a longtime advocate of RCS chats, trying its hardest to convince deviants like Apple through quirky ad campaigns, direct on-stage remarks at events, and outright data reports. Even other brands like Samsung and regulators like those in the EU have joined in to pressure Apple into adopting RCS. Google’s latest weapon of choice to promote RCS even further happens to be the Play Store.