Google May Introduce RCS Messaging Support for Wear OS Smartwatches

RCS messaging has become increasingly popular recently, especially following Apple’s rollout of iOS 18, which officially introduces support for RCS messaging on iPhones. Meanwhile, Android users have already had the ability to send and receive RCS messages through the Google Messages app.

Google appears to be actively enhancing RCS messaging capabilities across a broader range of devices. Some lines of code discovered in the beta version of Google Messages indicate that RCS messaging may soon be available for Wear OS smartwatches.

This enhancement would allow users to send and receive RCS messages directly from their Wear OS smartwatches, even when their smartphones are not within reach. Here are the lines of code identified in the Google Messages beta app:

bugle.enable_wear_standalone_rcs
bugle.enable_wear_standalone_rcs_settings
bugle.enable_wear_standalone_voice_message

The term “bugle”is expected to represent Google Messages, while “wear”pertains to Wear OS. Of the three flags, two are meant for activating RCS message features and their settings, and one is designated for enabling voice messaging, according to Android Authority.

RCS functionality on smartwatches might cater to a relatively niche user base. Currently, the Google Messages application on Wear OS smartwatches acts as a mirror for the smartphone application. As it stands, RCS messages on the smartwatch rely on the phone; if the smartphone loses internet access, RCS messaging capabilities on the smartwatch are also lost.

With the proposed update, users could expect their smartwatches to have independent RCS messaging features. However, it remains unclear whether RCS on Wear OS will support both Wi-Fi and LTE smartwatches. Given that RCS messaging depends on an active internet connection, it would be reasonable to assume that it should be compatible with both. For the time being, this feature is not available on Wear OS smartwatches.

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