When chat features are in use, you'll see delivered and read receipts underneath each message you've sent, and you can send full-resolution photos and share files with fellow chat users. Just long-press on a message until a bubble shows up, presenting you with a few different options, including like, love, laughter or anger. A regular text conversation will have a light blue bubble, while a chat message will be a darker shade of blue.Ī fun feature available in chat is adding reactions to messages. Another way to quickly identify the type of messages you're sending is by the color of the text bubble. If the box says 'Chat message' then the conversation will have typing indicators, read receipts, and the rest of the features that RCS Messaging offers. The easiest way to tell if a conversation is using old-fashioned text messaging or the new chat features is to look at the text box before you start typing. The app knows when you're talking to someone through text or another contact with chat turned on. Sarah Tew/CNET Use the new Chat features in a conversationĪfter you turn on chat features, the Messages app will continue to work and look the same, and you should keep using it the same way you always have. See that dark blue bubble? That tells you you're using Chat. 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.

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