Key Insights
- Google Messages may soon encourage users to prompt friends to enable RCS through integrated notifications.
- A fresh feature will automatically fill in an invitation for your SMS-only contacts, simplifying the transition to enhanced chats.
- While these prompts aren’t active yet, the underlying code suggests a launch is imminent.
RCS remains an elective upgrade in Google Messages, meaning you’ll need to activate it yourself. Recent investigations into the app’s latest version have uncovered hidden textual cues indicating that Google intends to nudge users toward enabling it shortly.
An APK teardown by Android Authority indicates that Google is developing a feature that will automatically fill in a message to friends who are still using SMS. If you haven’t switched to RCS yet, anticipate a prompt from your friends who already have.
When Google Messages detects that a contact is still on SMS, a “Text an invite” option will pop up. Messages like “invite this contact to RCS chat” and “we can share high-quality media and send secure messages when we’re both on RCS” imply that encouraging friends to upgrade will be quick and effortless.
One-Click Persuasion
Currently, on Android, the RCS invitation link merely directs users to the Google Messages Play Store page, even if they already have the app installed. This might not be very beneficial for those who have downloaded it but haven’t activated RCS. However, there’s a solid chance that Google will modify the link before this feature officially launches.
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The new RCS notifications aren’t active just yet, but their inclusion in the app’s code suggests that Google is about to make a move.
Moreover, it makes perfect sense—RCS significantly enhances your messaging experience with typing indicators, read receipts, high-quality media sharing, improved group chat capabilities, and added privacy with end-to-end encryption.
To join the RCS experience, tap your profile picture in the top right of Google Messages, navigate to Messages settings > RCS chats, and toggle the “Turn on RCS chats” option.