Summary
- Google Messages is testing a new feature that visually indicates which contacts have RCS enabled on the “Start chat” screen using an “RCS” label and color highlighting (themed color for RCS, black/white for non-RCS).
- This improvement addresses the current lack of clarity on RCS availability, making it easier for users to know when they can utilize advanced messaging features like encryption and high-resolution media, especially now that iPhones also support RCS.
- While currently hidden in a beta version and requiring manual enablement, the feature appears polished and could roll out to users in the near future.
One of the primary strengths of Google Messages is its ability to transmit messages via not just SMS, but also MMS, and RCS. The latter of the three is the safest and most functional option, bringing advanced features like end-to-end encryption, typing indicators, read receipts, high-resolution media transmission, dynamic group chats, and more.
With iPhones now offering RCS support, Android and iOS users can seamlessly text each other, complete with message reactions, without their chat history looking like a note from 2010.
Adoption, however, has been a hurdle, and unless you have explicit knowledge about your friend(s) hopping on the RCS train, or you resort to manually initiating a chat with them to see how your message might be transmitted, there’s currently no way to check if a contact has or has not enabled RCS.
Google understands that this might be a limitation, and it could be working on a fix that indicates whether a contact has RCS enabled or not — and it does so on the screen that makes the most sense.
As highlighted by the folks over Android Authority in a recent Google Messages beta build, Google could soon start (literally) highlighting which contacts have enabled RCS on the New conversation/Start chat screen.
Spot RCS users at a glance
As seen in the screenshots above, Google Messages plans to mark contacts with an RCS label situated to the right of their name. Reportedly, the feature would aptly mark your iPhone buddies as well.
Contacts with more than one phone number will show whether all of their numbers, or certain ones, have RCS functionality enabled. Lastly, as mentioned above, contacts that have RCS enabled are literally highlighted, with said contact names appearing in your current theme’s primary hue. On the other hand, contacts without RCS enabled appear in plain black (in light mode) and plain white (in dark mode), helping you easily distinguish who you can enjoy richer messaging features with.
It’s worth noting that the feature had to be manually enabled, and downloading the latest Google Messages beta builds will not surface it for you. However, considering how useful the feature would be (especially with iOS users now hopping on RCS), and its apparent polished state, it likely wouldn’t be long until the feature becomes available for users to try out.
