RCS messaging now available to all Android users in the U.S.

Android users in the U.S. can now use RCS for sending text messages. (Image: stock image)

According to Google's product manager for the Messages app, RCS (rich communication system) is now available for all Android users in the United States. This means that US users can send text messages using the RCS standard, as long as they are sent through Google Messages.

Sam Medley, 12/15/2019

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Just in time for the weekend, Google has completed its U.S. rollout for RCS messaging support.

Android Messages product manager Sanaz Ahari tweeted on Thursday that RCS was “now available to all users in US [sic] as of Monday.” Last month, Google announced plans to roll out the new texting standard to all Android devices through the Google Messages app. To that end, users will need to update or download the latest version of the Message app. They will also need to update their Carrier Services in order to enjoy RCS.

RCS, or rich communication services, chat can be considered the replacement for the older SMS, or short message service, system that has been used for text messages for over two decades. Unlike SMS, RCS natively supports read receipts, messaging over the Internet, high-quality images, and more.

The implementation of RCS will allow for features similar to those found in Apple’s iMessage or other messaging platforms like Telegram or Whatsapp There are some foibles surrounding RCS, though. Primarily, the exclusion of end-to-end encryption has led some security researchers to claim that RCS is no better than SMS when it comes to protecting users’ privacy and data.

If you are an Android user, have you been able to use RCS on your phone? How is the experience so far? Let us know in the comments.