RCS texting

[melman]

I use Google Messages. Always have. Recently texts to some friends have displayed the message "RCS chatting with Martha" vs. say "Texting with Gertrude (SMS/MMS)". So trying to understand this, I think I learned these things. Feel free to correct anything that is wrong.

1. RCS is Google's attempt at a next generation standard.
2. It required network operators to upgrade something. Which of course they did not.
3. Google worked around that by supporting it in Messages somehow. So if you are texting with someone else using Messages or a similar app that supports RCS, then your messages will use RCS protocol.
4. If texting with a user that can't do RCS (including everyone on Apple), it falls back to SMS/MMS. And would ding your TF text bucket. And for MMS, would also use data.

RCS has features like encryption which I don't care so much about. But it "can" use data or Wi-Fi. So if that happens, does the message stay entirely in Google's network and not reduce my TF text balance? I am a dinosaur who still worries about my buckets and ways to avoid depleting them, so I would really like to know.

[lg800g user]

I just texted from one of my phones (Moto G Power 2022) that is RCS-enabled to another of my phones (TCL Flip 2) that may or may not be RCS-enabled, and then texted back to the Moto. No texts were deducted from the Moto text bucket following this.

Just to point out if you did not know, to access the settings in Google Messages, you click on the profile silhouette on the top right while in the app, and then the little Settings cog. On my Moto there is a RCS chats heading under those settings. In that subsection there is the option to automatically resend an RCS chat as a text to iphone users. You can also turn off read receipts under those settings. I wasn't even aware of those settings until I began investigating your question.

[PaulCrawhorne]

I believe RCS always dings provider SMS charge, at least for now.

Alternative infrastructure, server paths may change that in future

[advcomp2019]

If you are using Google Jibe, it does not SMS bucket. It will use your data bucket. If you are using carrier's RCS server, it might hit your SMS bucket. This is what I understand with this RCS stuff.

I use Straight Talk with RCS, and RCS uses Google Jibe. So I do not know if Tracfone is using Google Jibe or the carrier's RCS server.

[melman]

A science experiment.

In my Messages app, these RCS settings are ON (press on my initial in the URHC, then "Messages settings", then "RCS chats").
Turn on RCS chats/Use W-Fi or data for messaging when available
Send read receipts
Show typing indicators
Automatically resend as text (SMS/MMS) Switch from RCS chats if a message can't send.

Then I went to a message thread with another TF user. Pressed the three-dots in the URHC, then Details. "Only send SMS and MMS messages" was ON, I turned it OFF. I checked my text balance on the website. Then we exchanged 5 texts. I sent 1, he replied, and then he sent a second reply to say that he turned OFF the "Only send SMS and MMS messages" for me. Then we each sent one more, a total of 5 but only one sent as SMS. I was on Wi-fi the whole time. Now, some hours later, my text bucket as reported by the app is only 1 less than at the start of this experiment.

YMMV.

[advcomp2019]

At the very bottom of the RCS chat settings, what does it say?

I believe the last time I used Google Messages, it said what service it was using. Since I am using Samsung Messages, I do not know if Google Messages still does.

[melman]

What I think I see, is that when the thread changes modes, it prints a message to that effect. I mean, when it changes from SMS to RCS, it prints "RCS chat with xxx". And when changing from RCS to SMS, "Texting with xxx (SMS/MMS)". After we both were using RCS, no more messages like that. I hope that is clear. There's nothing at the very bottom of either each message or the thread overall. Well there's the data entry box for a new message which before I type into it says "RCS messa...".

[lg800g user]

At the very bottom of the RCS chat settings, what does it say?

My Moto phone says:

RCS is provided by your mobile carrier

[cv91913]

What I think I see, is that when the thread changes modes, it prints a message to that effect. I mean, when it changes from SMS to RCS, it prints "RCS chat with xxx". And when changing from RCS to SMS, "Texting with xxx (SMS/MMS)". After we both were using RCS, no more messages like that. I hope that is clear. There's nothing at the very bottom of either each message or the thread overall. Well there's the data entry box for a new message which before I type into it says "RCS messa...".

In Google Messages, chat (rcs) messages are a different color. SMS are light blue and RCS are dark blue. It depends on your phone color settings.