Google Play Services 20.15.13 prepares to add a page to list RCS/Chat apps

Messaging in the U.S. differs majorly from the rest of the world. While apps like WhatsApp and Telegram have become the staple communication platforms in most countries, Android users in the U.S. still pretty much rely on SMS chats, especially because their counterparts using iPhones are hooked to iMessage. This has inspired Google to draw a parallel and work on RCS messaging – Rich Communication Services; more colloquially known as “Chat” – with multimedia features and read receipts. While the feature has been limited to Google’s own SMS app – Messages, it might soon be extending to other messaging apps.

Google will soon be adding a new page to show the list of all installed apps that support RCS or Chat messages. We discovered references to this upcoming feature in the latest Google Play Services by tearing down the latest APK package.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

The new strings we found in Google Play Services v20.15.13 indicate that the new Settings page in Google Play Services will show the list of RCS supported apps on your phone. The page will also guide users on how to set up and use RCS messaging in these apps. The update, however, does not add any new option to switch RCS on or off per app and that functionality may be limited to the individual app. Given you can only use one Messaging app to send and receive SMSes at a time, RCS features will only be available via the default app for text messages.

The following strings found in the Google Play Services v20.15.13 suggest how the upcoming feature might work:

<string name="c11n_chat_features_activity_label">Chat features</string>
<string name="c11n_chat_features_learn_more">Learn more about Chat features</string>
<string name="c11n_chat_features_privacy">Privacy Policy</string>
<string name="c11n_chat_features_terms_of_service">Terms of Service</string>
<string name="c11n_chat_features_text">"Chat features lets you send upgraded, high-quality images and videos over Wi-Fi and mobile data using Rich Communication Services (RCS).&lt;br/>&lt;br/>When you turn on Chat features from Google, you agree to the %1$s. Google will occasionally verify your number with your carrier (SMS charges may apply). Google's %2$s describes how data is handled. %3$s."</string>
<string name="c11n_connected_apps">Connected apps</string>

We also found the following string that refers to a tutorial on how to enable RCS messaging in the Samsung Messages app:

<string name="c11n_samsung_steps">To turn Chat features on/off&lt;br/>1. Open %1$s&lt;br/> 2. Go to More options &lt;b>⋮&lt;/b> and tap &lt;b>Settings&lt;/b>&lt;br/> 3. Tap &lt;b>Chat Settings&lt;/b> and turn Rich Communication settings on/off</string>

This suggests that Samsung may be one of the earliest smartphone makers to receive support for the service. We’re not sure whether it will be exclusive to the flagship series like the Galaxy S20 lineup just like the 1080p calling feature on Duo, or available basis the Android version, or available for all Samsung phones unequivocally. The seamless exchange of RCS messages between Google and Samsung devices was first announced back in 2018.

We will update you when the feature starts rolling but thanks to JEB Decompiler, we have been able to reverse engineer and get a preview. The screenshot above shows the same for the Messages app on a Google Pixel device. We also have a guide on how to activate RCS Messaging on Android Messages irrespective of your carrier.

Messages (Free, Google Play) →

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Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.

What are your thoughts on Google’s Chat messaging and where does it stand in comparison to iMessage? Let us know in the comments below!

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