Let’s face it, Android has never had a true equivalent to iMessage – Apple’s end-to-end encrypted messaging platform that seamlessly connects between iOS, iPadOS and macOS. Instead, Google fans have typically opted to use third-party messaging clients like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger to communicate with friends and family.
Last year Google started rolling out its newest messaging initiative – Rich Communication Services, better known as RCS. The Mountain View firm sees RCS as the next-generation of communication that advances traditional SMS by allowing conversations over Wi-Fi or mobile data and to send photos and videos at a more rapid pace. Finally, RCS also allows for group chats and the ability to see when another user is typing a response.
You might be thinking all that sounds pretty familiar, right? That’s because those are all features you get with Apple’s proprietary messaging service. So is RCS just Google’s version of iMessage? Kind of, but not quite. The biggest problem with RCS is the fact it doesn’t support any kind of end-to-end encryption – in a day and age that’s heavily geared around privacy, that’s certainly a notable omission.
That said, RCS’s lack of encryption isn’t stopping Google from bolstering it with new features. According to 9to5Google, the American tech giant is working on a new upgrade for its messaging service that allows for quick reactions.
The Google-focused blog recently trawled through the latest version of the American firm’s Messages app – 5.7 – and found evidence to suggest emote reactions are forthcoming. The outlet showed an image of the feature in action to give an idea of how it will function when it rolls out to all users.
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In a nutshell, the new quick reactions in Messages works by pressing on a message a user has received. This will present them with seven emojis that can quickly be deployed as a response.
All in all, the new feature appears to work very similarly to Tapback that was launched by Apple with iOS 10 back in September of 2016. For anyone that hasn’t used an iPhone in recent years, Tapback allows you to quickly react to messages with an emoji.
In addition to message reactions, 9to5Google also found evidence to suggest the firm is working on a new feature that could let you draw on messages before you send them – also a feature that’s available on iMessage and third-party clients like WhatsApp.
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Google’s RCS messaging is currently available for Android fans in the US, UK, France and Mexico. Google has said it’s working to bring the feature to other territories across the globe.
In a blog post discussing the feature, the Mountain View firm said: “Earlier this year, we enabled the ability for anyone in the UK, France, and Mexico to get chat features in Messages and we’ll continue to work on bringing this to everyone on Messages around the world.
“We’re also committed to working with our partners, including carriers and device makers, to provide a consistent and interoperable experience for everyone on Android.”