Google Messages' latest experiment makes RCS chats stand out in the home screen

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You could soon tell which of your chats are using the latest messaging standard in the conversation list.

Google Messages RCS Chat features on a Pixel 6
(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Google Messages is testing adding a new visual indicator to make RCS chats easier to point out.
  • A prominent badge will appear in the bottom-right corner of a profile avatar in the conversation list to indicate which chats support RCS.
  • The new visual indicator has been spotted in the latest beta release of Google Messages.

Google Messages is making it easier to see which of your chats are using RCS right on the home screen.

The latest beta release of Google Messages (version 20230615_02_RC00) contains evidence pointing to a new badge that highlights RCS chats in the app's home screen (conversation list), as spotted by 9to5Google. If you're one of the beta testers, chances are that you'll see a small Messages icon in the bottom right corner of a user's avatar in the conversation list.

As seen in the screenshot below, the icon is a simplified version of the Messages logo, and it is colored according to your phone's default color scheme. The visual indicator makes it easier to identify which of your chats are using the latest messaging standard.

RCS offers a number of features that are not available with SMS, such as typing indicators, read receipts, and larger file attachments in order to compete with the top messaging apps. Google hopes that by highlighting RCS chats with a badge, it will be easier to distinguish between RCS and SMS chats. Currently, you cannot do so without first opening an individual chat to see if it supports RCS or not.

Google Messages conversation list showing RCS badge in the bottom right corner of user avatars

(Image credit: 9to5Google)

The new badge is apparently being tested in the beta version of Google Messages for the time being. It is not yet clear when it will be rolled out to the general public, but it is a safe bet that the feature will make it to a stable release in the future.

As it stands, RCS chats are already far ahead of traditional SMS in terms of features. In April, Google was spotted testing a read receipt feature in the conversation list to highlight which messages had been sent. However, read receipts have yet to launch on the stable channel.

If you are using Google Messages, you can enable RCS chats by tapping your profile picture and navigating to Message settings. After that, tap "RCS chats" and you will be taken to a screen where you can activate the feature.

Jay Bonggolto
Jay Bonggolto
News Writer & Reviewer

Jay Bonggolto always keeps a nose for news. He has been writing about consumer tech and apps for as long as he can remember, and he has used a variety of Android phones since falling in love with Jelly Bean. Send him a direct message via Twitter or LinkedIn.

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • ED the new guy
    AC News said:
    Google Messages is testing a new feature that will help you distinguish between RCS and SMS chats.

    Google Messages' latest experiment makes RCS chats stand out in the home screen : Read more
    "As it stands, RCS chats are already far ahead of traditional SMS in terms of features."

    Featuritis strikes again. The same reason phone reviewers blather on about the most inane of things and phone manufacturers add completely useless cameras to phones that take terrible pictures (so they can check a box in a review).

    Sure, RCS has lots of features on paper but they don't work IRL.

    The problem is that RCS requires cellular data and until cellular carriers treat RCS communications as distinct from regular data consumption there's a whole lot of drawbacks to using the protocol.

    Given that cellular providers don't seem to be treating RCS as distinct from regular data it's a protocol that's dead in the water. I've always got it turned off because the only thing Google Messages on a Pixel is good at with RCS is not sending or receiving messages.
    Reply