Wish Android had iMessages? Samsung and Google will supercharge your texts with RCS
RCS messaging could enable features like read receipts, texting over Wi-Fi and sending hi-res pictures and video.
Samsung Messages could get a big upgrade with RCS support.
Google and Samsung are working together to make texting on Android a lot more like Apple's iMessages.
On Wednesday, the duo announced that they have partnered to bring Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging to Android phones .
RCS messaging brings new features to standard SMS texting. With RCS you can do things like text over WiFi, see when someone is typing, use read receipts, create richer group chats and send high-resolution pictures and video. A handful of these features are already available on iPhones through iMessages, but they'll come to Android phones too with RCS.
Samsung says it'll roll out these features to existing phones, starting with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. Samsung also says RCS will come to the Galaxy S9, S9 Plus, Note 8, Note 9 and select Galaxy A and Galaxy J devices running Android 9.0 or later. New Samsung Galaxy phones will also come with RCS support, depending on the wireless carrier.
Samsung has committed to RCS messaging in the past, but this new announcement sheds more light on which phones will get it.
Google is also bringing RCS support to its Android Messages platform, so Android phones that run Google's default messaging client (like Pixel and Moto phones) should be getting the new messaging features in the future.