- RCS invites are spotted inside Google Messages
- They could encourage your contacts to turn RCS on
- So far the new invites haven’t been made available
The RCS (Rich Communication Services) standard intended as a replacement for the older SMS (Short Message Service) is now available in Google Messages for Android and Messages on the iPhone – and Google is keen for more users to sign up for it.
As it stands, RCS is an opt-in upgrade inside Google Messages, so not everyone has it turned on. The team at Android Authority has spotted hidden text in the latest version of the app that could be used to nag people to turn on RCS.
The text strings include “invite this contact to RCS chat” and “we can share high-quality media and send secure messages when we’re both on RCS”, so it looks as though you’ll be able to encourage your contacts to enable RCS with a couple of taps.
These messages aren’t live yet, but they are included in the app code, so Google could enable them in the near future. It looks as though a prompt to invite someone to RCS will appear if Google Messages determines that they don’t have it turned on.
Modern messaging
If you haven’t yet enabled RCS in Google Messages for Android, you can do so by tapping your avatar on the chats list (top right), then Messages settings and RCS chats: There’s a Turn on RCS chats toggle switch you can use.
RCS brings with it modern messaging features, like read receipts, proper group chat support, and typing indicators – but everyone inside a chat has to use RCS, otherwise everything will fall back to the old SMS standard.
We’re continuing to see upgrades to RCS inside Google Messages too, with the expansion of animated Screen Effects, and media file management, for example. Earlier this month, a snooze feature for chats was rolled out as well.
With Android 16 now out in the world too, it shouldn’t be too long before Google Messages gets its Material 3 Expressive update – the revamped look for Google’s mobile operating system that adds more color and emotion.
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