GOOGLE has begun to roll out a new messaging style for billions of Android users with an upgraded feature, according to reports.
Yet the added feature reportedly still comes with a catch when messaging iPhone users and will need both Android phones to have the correct settings switched on.
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New icons are being tested on the Google Messages app to confirm messages have been sent and read.
Now Google is implementing a checkmark like Whatsapp, according to Phone Arena.
Just like the chat icons in the end-to-end encrypted app, it sits in the middle of a circle, and two circles sit side by side with checkmarks in them once a message has officially been delivered.
When read, the two circles fill in white, save for the check marks.
Prior to this update, RCS, or Rich Communication Services users were given one word to show when their message had hit the desired target: “Delivered.”
When the user opened their received message, “read” would show up under their sent chat.
For both RCS users to see the communication status of a message with the new checkmark update, settings will need to be updated on both phones.
Read receipts and the dots that reveal typing activity are toggled on and off by going into Message Settings and then RCS chats.
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From here, send read receipts and show typing indicators can both be turned to the on position to make sure the incoming communication is made transparent.
The update will not work if an iPhone enters the chat, however.
RCS nixes read receipts and typing notifications whenever iOS users are involved, as well as getting rid of encryption and high-quality image sharing.
On the other hand, Android phones automatically do the same to iMessage chats, telling on whoever is not using an Apple device the moment they add to the conversation.
In the interim, Google Message’s RCS is the closest Android users can get to iMessage while using the same handset, Phone Arena said.
Mimicking the same chat features in an Android phone, Messages by Google is available in the Google Play Store, and it serves as a decent alternative to applications offered by different phone carriers.
