Future Verizon Phones Will Ship With Google Messages Preloaded

Back in the early days, SMS technology was viewed as pretty amazing, but then smartphones came along and suddenly sending photos and videos and other forms of media through messages became the new standard. Apple tried to create fusion of sorts with iMessage, but given that it was exclusive to Apple devices, it led to the creation of the RCS standard.

The good news for non-Apple users is that if you have been looking forward to the alternative to iMessage, you’ll be pleased to learn that Verizon has finally announced that they will be enabling RCS on their phones. In fact, the carrier has even worked with Google where future phones from Verizon will now ship with the Google Messages app.

According to the carrier, “Messages by Google will be preloaded, starting next year, on all Verizon Android devices, enabling consumers to enjoy rich messaging features, such as sending and receiving higher-quality photos and videos, chatting over Wi-Fi or data, knowing when your message is read, enjoying more dynamic and engaging group chats, and securely chatting with other Messages users in available one-on-one conversations with end-to-end encryption.”

With all three major carriers having enabled RCS, some have pointed out that Apple is now the lone holdout against the standard. Apple’s devices still rely on SMS when it comes to sending messages from iPhone to Android users, but like we said, with all major carriers now supporting it, maybe it could pressure Apple into enabling support as well.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: Android, Apps, Google, Verizon