This is how Google Messages will remedy the media drawback in RCS

For years now, Google has been pushing Apple to “get the message” about wealthy communication companies (RCS). Final yr, out of nowhere, Apple lastly introduced it was getting on board. This may permit individuals who use RCS-supported apps on Android — mainly Google Messages — to raised and extra securely talk with individuals who use Apple’s Messages apps on iPhones. Nevertheless, there’s only one drawback: Google Messages nonetheless sends out closely compressed media. Fortunately, that’s altering — and never a second too quickly.

To be clear, we knew Google had been engaged on this since at the very least July. Nevertheless, we now have seen proof within the newest beta of Messages (messages.android_20240823_00_RC00.phone_samsung_openbeta_dynamic) to point out simply how it will work from a consumer perspective, and we are able to see that it’s primarily finished. This closely suggests we’ll see this roll out comparatively quickly, which is nice information as a result of Google solely has one first impression to provide iPhone customers the primary time they convey with an Android consumer by means of RCS — and it doesn’t wish to bungle that up.

First, take a look at the screenshots under to see what you’ll be greeted with when sending media to an RCS chat in Messages:

Within the first screenshot, you may see that Messages will ask you to select from two choices for the media you’re sending:

• Optimized for chat: Ship quicker with diminished high quality
• Authentic high quality: Ship with no modifications to high quality, makes use of extra information

Whichever choice you choose right here will apply to present and future chats. When you make that choice, you may then caption the media (or not) after which hit ship. We will verify that hitting the “Authentic high quality” choice does ship a very uncompressed model of the media in query.

You possibly can see the entire course of within the video clip under:

Though we don’t have any affirmation but, we are able to solely assume you may change this setting at any time on the Messages’ settings web page.

We nonetheless don’t know when it will seem for customers. We additionally don’t but know when Apple will change on RCS help for all iPhones (at present, you could be within the US on iOS 18 beta). It’s probably, although, that will probably be throughout or across the launch of the iPhone 16 collection, slated for September 9, 2024. We will solely hope that Google’s new setting shall be dwell when the vast majority of iPhone customers get RCS help, so we’ll lastly all be capable of share full-quality photographs and movies with one another, no matter our most popular working system. What a stupendous day that shall be.