#Android messages enhanced features how to
#Android messages enhanced features android
#Android messages enhanced features code

Whoever you're talking to will also need to have the feature enabled on their device to use the new chat features, though of course all usual texting features still apply. As long as it says Connected, your phone number is registered with Chat and should use the service whenever you're talking to a contact who also has Chat enabled. If you run into issues with sending messages, you can also view the current status of your phone's connection to the Chat service in the settings section of the app. This same settings page is also where you can go to turn your read receipts on or off, as well as disable the typing indicator whenever you're typing and control what happens if Chat fails to send a message.

#Android messages enhanced features android

You can either wait for a prompt in the Messages app asking if you want to see when your friends are typing - a prompt that has shown up almost instantly for me on the last few Android phones I have set up, or you can go into the Settings section of Messages select Chat features and slide the switch next to Enable chat features to the On position.

Turning on Chat takes just a few taps and you're all set.Īfter installing Google's Messages app and setting it as your default texting app, there are two different ways to enable Chat. The service is globally available, so it shouldn't matter which carrier you use or what country you live in, as long as you have the Messages app installed and are using it, you'll have access to Chat. Just follow the prompts and don't worry, you won't lose your conversation history by switching.Īfter setting Messages as your default messaging app, take a couple of minutes and set up Messages for Web, which allows you to send and receive text messages from your computer. The first time you launch Messages, it will ask if you want to set it as your default app.

#Android messages enhanced features how to

How to get started with Google's Chat featureįirst, you'll need an Android phone with Google's Messages app installed and set as the default text-messaging app. Let's take a closer look at how to start using Google's Chat features, and some of the more nuanced aspects of Chat. The Chat features in Google's Messages app are not to be confused with the entirely separate Google Chat app on iOS and Android, which replaces Google Hangouts. Google's Chat features make texting between compatible phones a breeze, especially if you aren't sure whether your friend or family member uses another service such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram or another texting app. While RCS isn't yet close to becoming the true replacement to SMS, you should still turn it on if you have an Android phone. The iOS 16 Developer Beta appears to be supporting a similar translation for reactions sent over SMS. In the meantime, Google has improved its Messages app to correctly display reaction icons sent by Apple's phones instead of showing a text describing who 'Liked' your message. But despite Google's campaign, the chances of Apple supporting RCS appear bleak. RCS now has the support of the three major US carriers with Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T committing to make Google's Messages app the default on Android phones sold by the carriers. These include typing indicators, encryption and higher-quality photo and video sharing. Google's Messages app is now the default texting app for most Android phones, and the RCS standard allows for features that are similar to Apple's iMessage without requiring a specific type of phone or setting up a third-party texting app. While RCS-powered texting is currently only available on Android phones, Google reported in May that there are now half a billion people actively using the standard in its Messages app.

#Android messages enhanced features code

The company has been particularly targeting Apple in a campaign to bring the standard to the iPhone to allow for interoperability between the two phone platforms, but that's looking increasingly unlikely.Īpple CEO Tim Cook recently said at Vox Media's Code Conference that he doesn't 'hear our users asking that we put a lot of energy on that at this point,' and if you want seamless messaging with your family, you should 'buy your mom an iPhone.' Google's been developing its Messages app on Android to better compete against Apple's iMessage for years, and at the same time has been advocating for the RCS texting standard that powers this app to replace SMS and MMS across the phone industry.