Summary
RCSis available for more people than ever, but knowing which of your contacts have been upgraded and which are still stuck in the stone age of SMS can feel like a mystery. Google Messages is finally making it easier to tell the difference.
For a long time, figuring out if your friends or family could enjoy the benefits of RCS messaging—read receipts, typing indicators, and high-res photos—has been a hassle. You’d have to actually start a conversation, type out a message, and then see if the “Text message” or “RCS message” appeared at the bottom of the screen. Not exactly the most straightforward process.
Soon, a subtle change will be rolling out to Google Messages. When you tap the “Start chat” button, you’ll notice something new in the contacts list. Next to the names and numbers of people who have RCS enabled, a clear “RCS” label will appear. RCS-enabled contacts will also pop with a dynamic color theme, making them stand out from the plain black or white of their SMS-only counterparts. If a contact has multiple numbers, Google Messages will show you which specific number is RCS-ready.
This might seem like a small thing, but it could make a difference in RCS adoption. Similar to how iPhone users associate blue with contacts who have iMessage, this is something that brings attention to people who have RCS enabled. For someone who isn’t aware of what RCS is, it could spark their curiosity to find out more.
The feature was firstspotted back in April, but Google Messages users on the latest beta (20250527_01_RC00) seem to finally be getting it now. However, it’s a server-side switch, so updating the app won’t guarantee its appearance. I was not able to find it on any of my devices.
