Google unveiled new features coming to Messages, including Photomoji and custom colors, in celebration of achieving 1 billion RCS users.
The development comes as RCS is seen as relatively better in SMS in a variety of ways, including having no character limit, being encrypted, and allowing users to use emoji reactions for messages.
New Features on Google Messages
The new features announced by the tech giant include Photomoji which lets you make emoji reactions for messages from a picture on your mobile device. However, Google did not mention how the Photomoji displays between RCS users and iOS.
The company is also adding voice moods, which is part of a more significant rollout that includes updates to Wear OS. This feature adds art to people's voice messages to give the person on the other end a heads-up on the vibe before listening to the message itself.
Furthermore, the tech giant improved the bitrate and sampling rate of voice messages between RCS users. Since RCS is more about rich communication, Google added Screen Effects. This features "vibrant animations" whenever users type oft-used words such as "I love you," as per Gizmodo.
The company added that there are roughly 15 Screen Effects prompt words that users will be able to unlock. Some of the new features are taken from other platforms, for example, animated emojis. These currently exist on social media and elsewhere and Profiles is similar to iOS's verified Contact Cards.
Google Messages would also let users change the color of the chat bubbles on each of their conversations, which is a nod to the whole green bubble/blue bubble situation. Android messaging VP and GM Sanaz Ahari said that they are actively working with the GSMA to improve technology to include more than just end-to-end encryption.
Ahari added that overall, they are hoping that modern messaging features and end-to-end encryption will be a reality cross-platform. While that dream is still somewhat far off, Google's new features will start rolling out across RCS users on Android phones.
Improving Support for RCS
The latest update will also include a few handy smart home integrations with Wear OS to allow users to set their Google Home status, trigger a group of lights, or start a routine using their watch, according to The Verge.
Google is also giving out 10 free Google TV channels as part of an effort to expand its already-long list of free channels. With the latest addition, users will have access to more than 100 free channels on Google TV, which are all accessible without a subscription.
The tech giant is also putting out FIDO2 custom PINs that allow consumers to set a custom PIN on FIDO2 security keys for websites or apps. This is done instead of what should be a super difficult-to-remember password.
Lastly, the update would include new languages to Live Caption that would be coming over the next few weeks. The company would give users the capability of using Live Caption to reply during phone calls with text responses that are then read aloud to the person on the other end of the call, said DroidLife.
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