Last week I did something I rarely do. I sent an RCS text over Google Messages. I didn’t do it because I use SMS; I did it because I live in Europe, where WhatsApp is the primary messaging app for most people.
It makes sense; data plans are cheap, and using WhatsApp makes international travel a breeze. However, I resent Meta’s monopoly over our messaging.
Using WhatsApp instead of SMS or RCS is a matter of convenience. It’s the easiest way to text anyone outside the US, and the experience is the same regardless of the device you use or where you’re texting from.
That’s why it’s used more than iMessage or FaceTime.
WhatsApp is the most convenient way to text, but it’s not the best.
RCS should be the standard for all texting. Then the competition would be on who could provide the best RCS app, in which case I would stick with Google Messages, as it has the best range of features.
RCS is a messy and inconsistent experience
While preparing for my move from the US to the UK, one of my first steps was to set up WhatsApp on my phone.
When my plane touched down, Google Messages was swiftly relegated from its pinned spot on my home screen to the app drawer. In subsequent years, I used it for two-factor authentication and checking tracking numbers for orders.
However, my use of it spiked when I became friends with someone who refused to use WhatsApp. So, I rediscovered Google Messages, and its features blew me away.
RCS texting unlocks many of Google Messages’ useful features, like high-quality media sharing and read receipts. These features are available on instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, so that’s not why I love Google Messages so much.
Nevertheless, it’s nice to be reminded that Google Messages isn’t behind instant messaging apps on these basic features.
WhatsApp’s UI is effective, but Meta doesn’t lavish the same care and attention on its apps as Google.
Even before I started rediscovering features, using Material 3 Expressive on Google Messages made me realize how dated other instant messaging apps were.
While I keep up to date on the latest developments in Google’s apps, it’s hard to maintain awareness when you don’t use the app every day. My recent poking around in the app unearthed features I had forgotten about.
Scheduled messaging is a feature that I sorely miss on other messaging apps. I’m terrible at replying to messages, but I feel bad about replying in the dead of night.
So, I tell myself to respond in the morning. Unsurprisingly, I forget, and the message goes unanswered for days.
Other features like auto-deletion of one-time passwords (unavailable in the UK) and spam protection help keep your inbox tidy. Swipe to archive, delete, or mark as read is another tool I can’t believe isn’t on more apps.
Google isn’t slowing down on updates. An upcoming change will allow you to pin up to 20 messages in the app, which is more than can fit on most phone screens.
This update will include group chats. Another update will allow you to switch SIMs with a long press in the text field.
Together, these features create an experience that’s miles ahead of WhatsApp and similar instant messaging apps. I just wish Google Messages weren’t held back by one fatal flaw.
How to upgrade Google Messages in under five minutes
Using RCS over Google Messages is a better experience than most instant messaging apps, and it works over Wi-Fi and a data connection. So why isn’t it skyrocketing in popularity?
RCS is a messaging protocol that anyone can use, so you aren’t locked to a single app. If you decide you don’t like Google Messages, you can switch to another app without losing out on RCS features.
One of the biggest barriers to widespread RCS adoption was iMessage, but in September 2024, Apple added RCS support to the app. Theoretically, nothing is stopping us from switching to RCS messaging except the standard’s limited availability.
While AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon support RCS messaging, many of their associated Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) do not support RCS.
In the UK, one of the biggest carriers is Vodafone, which doesn’t support RCS. This means that you might not be able to use RCS when texting someone with the same device in the same country.
It’s not surprising that Google Messages isn’t as widely used when millions of people are locked out of its most useful features.
I had forgotten what it felt like to use a truly customizable messaging app
I’ve tried to use Google Messages more, but WhatsApp’s stranglehold and RCS’s inconsistency have forced me to concede defeat everytime.
Nevertheless, every time I’m able to use it, I’m impressed by how Google has crafted the best messaging app on the Play Store.
I also appreciate how I can disable Gemini’s AI assistant in the app, something Meta needs to let us do in WhatsApp.
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