Google announces 1B+ RCS messages sent in the U.S. daily

During the Android Show starring up to Google I/O, Google connected Tuesday offered a little update connected the adoption of the RCS (Rich Communication Services) protocol, an upgrade to SMS that offers high-resolution photos and videos, typing indicators, work receipts, improved radical chat, and more. The institution shared that the messaging modular present supports implicit a cardinal messages per time successful the U.S.

This metric is based connected an mean of the past 28 days, Google noted.

The stat is notable due to the fact that Google fought for years to get Apple to follow enactment for RCS connected iOS, allowing for amended connection betwixt Android and Apple devices. Previously, iPhone users who received texts from friends connected Android had to woody with blurry videos and images, and couldn’t arsenic easy negociate radical chats erstwhile their green-bubbled friends joined. Unlike with iMessage, radical chats with Android users couldn’t beryllium renamed, nor could radical beryllium added oregon removed, and you couldn’t exit erstwhile you wanted. Emoji reactions besides didn’t enactment properly, starring to annoying texts to fto you cognize however an Android idiosyncratic reacted, alternatively of conscionable displaying their emoji absorption directly.

That changed with the autumn 2024 launch of iOS 18, erstwhile Apple yet added RCS enactment to its Messages app. Though the functionality has been upgraded, Apple inactive displays RCS chats arsenic greenish bubbles, hoping to support the stigma of being an Android idiosyncratic intact. This is particularly important among young people successful the U.S., wherever request for the bluish bubbles has cemented the iPhone arsenic teens’ astir fashionable device.

Surprisingly, Google did not stock different stats astir RCS, similar those detailing the fig of users much specifically oregon the bearer support.