Google

Google is late to the party when it comes to reactions. Facebook was one of the first companies to implement the feature in 2016 when it introduced them to give people more ways to respond to posts quickly. One year later, the company started testing reactions in Messenger, and they’ve been a part of the app ever since. For better and worse, they’ve also long been a long fixture within iMessage. 

In the same announcement, Google highlighted some other features it recently added to Messages. In addition to suggesting text and emoji based on the most recent message you received, Smart Reply will now recommend stickers as well. They’ll appear above the part of the interface where you enter text. The feature is currently only available in English. 

Another relatively new addition is a built-in image editor that allows you to doodle on any photos you take with your phone. To access it, you need to snap a photo using the full camera interface, not the compact one that shows up when you first go to send a picture. 

Again, most of Messages’ newest features have been available in other chat apps for a while. Nonetheless, they’re important additions if Google is ever going to convince people to use Messages over any of the dozens of other apps they can use to message their friends and family. If you don’t have access to reactions already, be patient. As with most software rollouts, it may be a while before you get the latest update. 

Google has quietly rolled out (via Android Police) a new tool that makes its much simpler to deregister the number you used for its first-party RCS-enabled Messages platform. You can already deregister your number in the Settings page of the Messages app by enabling “chat features off.” But the tool, spotted by a Reddit user, makes it possible to deregister your number even if you don’t have your previous device anymore.

Similar to the web-based utility Apple released for iMessages a few years ago, you only have to enter the phone number you used and then wait for a six-digit verification code. Turning chat features off for your number may be necessary to ensure you don’t miss any messages sent to you if you decide to switch apps or platforms. Not receiving messages when you switch from iMessage to Android Messages or vice versa is a common problem. Switching from Google’s first-party Messages app to the device’s default one, such as Samsung Messages, or the other way around also causes the same issue.

RCS is supposed to be the spiritual successor to classic SMS and MMS texting, but the lack of built-in encryption puts a damper on that — someone could theoretically snoop on your messages where they can’t with services like iMessage. You might get your privacy after all, though. The 9to5Google crew has found evidence of plans to add end-to-end encryption to RCS conversations in Google Messages. While full details of how this would work aren’t clear, you could decide whether not third-party apps see encrypted messages. It’s also safe to assume that both participants would need a compatible app with reliable data connections.

The code is only just showing up in a “dogfood” test version of Messages meant for Google employees. It could be a while before this shows up in a release you can use yourself. Still, it’s good news. So long as you aren’t picky about your choice of messaging app, you could use all the rich media features of RCS without worrying that you’re compromising your privacy in the process.

According to Microsoft’s Roberto Bojorquez, the new RCS functionality is available “starting with” the Galaxy S20, suggesting the feature will work with other Samsung devices (and perhaps other Android phones) in the future. The integration comes as part of Samsung and Microsoft’s ongoing partnership, which has in the past seen the South Korean company integrate apps like OneDrive into its devices.

Proud to announce that we have partnered with the Samsung Messages team to bring RCS messaging support to #yourphone app via #linktowindows. Starting with the #galaxys20series you will be able to send and receive RCS texts from PC if your default SMS app is Samsung Messages!

— Roberto Bojorquez [Microsoft] (@bojorchess) February 15, 2020

If you don’t plan to buy the S20, you can still send RCS messages on your computer by using the Google Messages web client. But as with everything RCS-related, there are a lot of requirements both you and the person you’re texting have to meet before you can see the protocol at work. While it’s a small step, efforts like the one Microsoft is making here help make the platform more useful.

RCS is considered a rough parallel to Apple’s iMessage with WiFi chatting, high-quality photos and videos, typing notifications, read receipts and better group chat controls. It doesn’t have end-to-end encryption like iMessage, though. As with SMS, your conversations aren’t particularly secure.

There’s still a long way to go before RCS is truly universal, though. Google reiterated that the technology is only available beyond the US in France, Mexico and the UK, and it’s still “working’ to bring support to both more regions and third-party apps. And of course, Apple isn’t in a rush to support RCS. Although the finished US rollout is a major milestone, it’s only one step among many.

This won’t be thrilling if you prefer an alternative app (like the one from your phone manufacturer), but it might be worthwhile for the benefits when you’re chatting with other RCS users. You can chat over WiFi, send high-quality media, see when people are typing and get read receipts. You can also easily manage and rename group chats.

There is a caveat: RCS doesn’t support end-to-end encryption like Apple’s iMessage, Facebook Messenger, Signal or similar services. Google has promised that it will only store messages while they’re in transit, but the truly privacy-conscious won’t want to use RCS for anything particularly sensitive. RCS is more an upgrade to SMS than its own messaging service, and that means dealing with similar privacy risks.

There are some clear caveats. You’ll need a current Android Messages beta (5.2 as of this writing), an app that can see Android activities (such as Activity Launcher) and WiFi turned off. And that’s assuming the feature stays on. It’s possible that Google can shut off access to this solution with little notice.

Despite those limitations, people have had success using this method on a variety of devices, all four major US carriers and at least some international networks. It’s technically feasible to make RCS widely available, then. With that said, enabling universal RCS access may not be just a matter of flipping a virtual switch. Google’s official approach involves users’ clients pinging each other to see if the next-gen messaging is available. It may not want roll out the ability beyond France and the UK until it knows it can easily and reliably push the feature to everyone.

Rather than rely on a central server (as with Apple’s iMessage), Android Messages quietly pings each participant in a chat to see if they support RCS. If they do, you get high-quality media, read receipts and other perks that come with the technology. Google does pass messages through its servers (though they’re deleted as soon as they’re delivered), but this is ultimately a decentralized approach that doesn’t require carrier support or put full control in one party’s hands — it’s the app that enables RCS.

The weaknesses of RCS remain. It’s not end-to-end encrypted, so it’s viable for an intruder to read your messages. It’s also tied to your phone number, so you don’t have the iMessage-style ability to chat on non-phone devices. And when Google handles RCS, it’ll need to temporarily retain attached files as well as data like the phone number and IMSI. The company said it was “committed to finding a solution” for secure chat, however, and texts won’t disappear into a void if you switch to a phone that doesn’t support RCS.

This doesn’t mean that Google has finally licked the RCS problem once and for all. It doesn’t have a timetable for bringing the chat technology to other countries, and Apple hasn’t shown interest in supporting RCS itself. The rollout beats waiting for providers to take action, mind you, and it might spur them to add RCS so that Google doesn’t have too much power. Either way, your Android texts could become livelier in the near future.