Google has completed the global roll-out of chat features for its Messages Android app. Chat features give users the option to use more sophisticated tools than are offered by basic SMS messaging. Many of these features will be familiar to users of data-based messaging apps like WhatsApp, but this marks the completion of Google's work to make its SMS offering similarly feature-rich.
The milestone is the culmination of a number of years of work for Google in which it says it has "worked with the mobile industry and device makers on several carrier networks in certain countries." The roll-out of chat features was based on Rich Communication Services (RCS), an open communications standard aimed at replacing traditional SMS messaging with a more feature-rich set of text communications tools. Chat features were first rolled out to users in the UK, France, and Mexico early last year.
So, while some Messages users have had access to chat features for some time, this update from Google confirms that now all Messages users can share high-quality media without paying extra fees, send text messages via Wi-Fi or data, see when their friends are typing, and chat in groups. In addition, RCS means Messages users can send messages from the web much like is the case with WhatsApp Web, call up Google Assistant from within a chat to find out useful information, and rely on greater security than was possible with traditional SMS.
Using Chat Features In Messages By Google
Messages, of course, is the native messaging app that comes with Google's Android operating system. Such are the messaging app options available, though, that it's not unusual for people to use another app as their main messaging tool. For those who can't find Messages on their Android phone, it's free to download from Google Play. Enabling chat features within the app simply requires users to pull up the settings and select the 'chat features' option. In there is the option not only of enabling chat features, but also of whether to send read receipts to let others know when a user has read their message, show an indicator to let others know when a user is typing, and automatically download files (like image or videos) that are received.
Once chat features are enabled, they can be used immediately but only with others who also have them enabled. Some features like using Wi-Fi or data connections and automatically file downloading will begin seamlessly, while others may require users to pull up additional options within a chat using the + symbol or other buttons. End-to-end encryption, which ensures messages will not be able to be read if intercepted between devices, will begin being rolled out to beta testers this month.
Source: Google