Helping you connect around the world with Messages

Whether you’re making plans or just catching up, many of us rely on messaging to stay in touch. Messages by Google lets you start a video call from your conversation, message from the web, and use helpful features like Smart Reply, while also protecting you from spam. Today we’re sharing the latest updates we’ve made to Messages to help you connect safely around the world. 

RCS messaging is now available globally

As smartphones get more advanced, our communication apps should also progress to meet our changing needs. For the past few years, we’ve worked with the mobile industry and device makers on several carrier networks in certain countries to provide chat features in Messages based on the open Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard. Chat features upgrade SMS text messaging so you can send and receive better quality photos and videos, chat over Wi-Fi or data, know when your message is read, share reactions, and enjoy more dynamic and engaging group chats. 

Today, we’ve completed our global rollout of chat features to make this modern messaging experience universal and interconnected for everyone on Android. Now anyone using Messages around the world¹ has access to modern chat features either from their carrier or directly from Google.

More security in your chat conversations 

We recognize that your conversations are private and it’s our responsibility to keep your personal information safe. We’re continually improving security protections to safeguard your privacy and will be rolling out end-to-end encryption, starting with one-on-one RCS conversations between people using Messages. End-to-end encryption ensures that no one, including Google and third parties, can read the content of your messages as they travel between your phone and the phone of the person you’re messaging. This will roll out to beta testers beginning this month and continue into next year. Your eligible conversations will automatically upgrade to be end-to-end encrypted. End-to-end encryption is only available when both you and the person you’re messaging have Messages installed and chat features on. To learn more about this feature, please visit our help center. 

We’re excited to share these updates and continue to improve the Messages experience around the world. To access the newest features, update your Messages app to the latest version or download the app and turn chat features on.

_{1 In some cases, RCS availability depends on your device and service provider.}