RCS (Rich Communication Service) has been a buzzword recently, thanks to the rollout of iOS 18. To catch you up, Apple included RCS messaging support on iOS 18, long after Google’s pressure for seamless cross-platform messaging. Android users have long been using RCS messaging through the Google Messages app. But, that’s not the case with Wear OS smartwatches as they don’t come with standalone RCS support. However, that might change soon.
Google is reportedly working towards offering standalone RCS support on Wear OS
The lack of RCS support in smartwatches can be frustrating when your phone is offline. You can’t send or receive RCS messages from Wear OS smartwatches and that’s true for both LTE and Wi-Fi models. However, a new report suggests that Google could bring standalone RCS support through the Google Messages app update to Wear OS devices.
Today, the news comes via Android Authority which detailed that soon Wear OS users will be able to send RCS messages from within their smartwatches. The publication reported that during the teardown of the beta version 20240926 of the Google Messages app, they spotted some code strings that hinted at incoming RCS support.
The code strings included terms such as “bugle,” “wear,” and “standalone.” These are likely codenames for Google Messages, Wear OS, and independent support, respectively. There are two code strings for enabling RCS and its settings, while the third one is for enabling voice messages.
There is no official word about the rollout
If we consider these findings, it’s safe to say that Google has been working on bringing RCS support to Wear OS smartwatches for some time now. If Google rolls out this support, it could be a momentous occasion in the history of wrist-worn wearables.
While many users don’t prefer texting from their smartwatch, the upcoming support can be handy in times of emergency. All that said, we aren’t sure when Google will start rolling out this support.