Google Messages moves RCS ‘provided by’ status in settings
A small change to Google Messages settings moves where you can find who’s providing your Rich Communication Services (RCS).
Expand Expanding CloseA small change to Google Messages settings moves where you can find who’s providing your Rich Communication Services (RCS).
Expand Expanding CloseThe Android website has added a new landing page for Google Messages that talks about the first-party messaging experience, while also noting that RCS on the iPhone is coming in fall 2024.
Expand Expanding CloseIn recent weeks, Android users with rooted or bootloader unlocked phones have found that RCS in Google Messages does not work.
Expand Expanding CloseApple unexpectedly announced a few months ago that iOS would support the Rich Communications Services (RCS) Universal Profile in 2024. While this will improve the Android-iOS messaging experience, the driving force behind RCS on the iPhone might be new rules that regulators in China are implementing.
Expand Expanding CloseFollowing AT&T and T-Mobile in 2023, Verizon is switching to Google’s Jibe platform for RCS on its Android phones.
Expand Expanding CloseSince launch, Google Messages has not allowed RCS on more than one phone number, but the app is now adding support for dual (multi) SIM.
Expand Expanding CloseJust got a new Android smartphone for the holidays? If it’s your first one, it could be a little intimidating, so to get you started, here are a few apps you should immediately install or set up on a new Android device. Alternatively, if you’re not already using these apps, it might be time to give them a shot!
Expand Expanding CloseThe new Beeper Mini app brings native iMessage support to Android devices but without any support for SMS, RCS, WhatsApp, and the many other chat apps supported by the original Beeper app. Here’s the plan going forward.
Expand Expanding CloseThere are now over 1 billion monthly active users with RCS enabled in Messages, and Google is celebrating by adding a ton of whimsy to the app across emoji (with Photomoji), voice recording, and customization.
Expand Expanding CloseEarlier today, Apple announced its plans to bring RCS support to the iPhone in 2024. Since I published my story on the news this morning, there’s one thing everyone wants to know: is the blue bubbles vs green bubbles debate coming to an end?
I’m happy to say I now have an official answer: nope. RCS will use green bubbles just like SMS.
Expand Expanding CloseFollowing the news that Apple is adding RCS support to the iPhone, Google is out with a statement this afternoon.
Expand Expanding CloseApple finally did the thing, with the company announcing today that RCS is coming to the iPhone in 2024. The announcement comes just two days after Android smartphone maker Nothing announced an iMessage app for its phone.
Coincidence? Yes, and it would be foolish to pretend otherwise.
Expand Expanding CloseApple announced (via 9to5Mac) today that it’s adding RCS support to the iPhone in a great boost to Android-iOS messaging.
Expand Expanding CloseRCS has grown massively thanks to Google’s heavy push of the standard in recent years, and Google is also the one running RCS for a lot of carriers around the globe. Announced this week, UK carrier O2 is handing over the reins on RCS to Google ahead of some potential upgrades from Google.
Expand Expanding CloseBefore Google started “Get The Message,” its campaign to pressure Apple on RCS for the iPhone played out in press interviews, tweets, and even on-stage at I/O:
Expand Expanding CloseIn addition to Get the Messages continuing with iPager, T-Mobile announced today that its RCS offering is now powered by Google’s Jibe platform.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle started “Get the Message” last year to pressure Apple into supporting RCS on the iPhone, and the campaign continues today with “iPager.”
Expand Expanding CloseRCS is available to every Android user at this point, but that hasn’t ended the messaging headaches that come from iMessage and the lack of RCS on iPhone. But now, the third-party app Beeper can support both Google Messages RCS and Apple iMessage on both Android and iPhone, all within the same app.
Expand Expanding CloseAfter testing group end-to-end encryption for the past few months, Google Messages has now fully rolled it out and is enabling RCS by default.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle is continuing its move to more explicitly label “RCS” in Messages with a very prominent badge noting which conversations are eligible.
Expand Expanding CloseWhile AT&T announced that it would use Google’s Messages app for RCS in June of 2021, the carrier maintained its own backend. That’s now changing with AT&T switching over to Google’s Jibe platform for RCS.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle I/O 2023 was a place for the company to show off its real strength in AI, and it also brought several updates and announcements on existing Google products. Here are some notable numbers and metrics from Google I/O 2023.
Expand Expanding CloseRCS has grown significantly over the past few years, but one gaping hole in the product was support for end-to-end encryption. Now, after a few months of testing, Google appears to be rolling out, or at least testing, end-to-end encryption for RCS group chats in stable Google Messages updates.
Expand Expanding CloseVodafone is pulling the plug on its own RCS implementation in the coming days, with an alert to customers going out now.
Expand Expanding Close