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Google officially rolling out RCS to the US in Messages app
Google today announced that it’s officially rolling out RCS chat to the US in the Messages app. You will get the option to upgrade in the coming weeks and expect full availability by the end of this year.
To make your conversations more seamless, Google has worked on upgrading traditional SMS text messaging with more useful chat features, powered by RCS (Rich Communication Services).
When you and your friends message each other with these chat features, you can chat over Wi-Fi or mobile data, send and receive high-resolution photos and videos, and see if people have received your latest messages. Plus, you’ll get better group chats, with the ability to name groups, add and remove people to and from groups, and see if people haven’t seen the latest messages.
Chat features are already available for some of you in Messages, and today Google is starting to broadly roll them out in the U.S. If you already have Messages, you’ll also be prompted to enable chat features in the coming weeks. If you don’t have Messages, you can download it on the Play Store.
Image: Google
When chat features are on, you are automatically able to send messages over Wi-Fi and use other features. If your carrier and device aren’t automatically set up for chat features, you may see a notification to “Do more with Messages.”
If you see this notification:
- Open Messages.
- On the notification that you can “Do more with Messages,” tap Get Started
- You’ll be asked to let Messages stay connected in the background. Tap Yes.
How to get the RCS from Google? Just install Google’s Android Messages app. The process takes a few minutes, and once complete visiting Settings > Chat features will note “Status: Connected.”