Google has been pressuring Apple to adopt RCS for years and even when Cupertino relents (probably when it’s clear that it is The EU will get involved), Google still has the guts to do it make fun at Apple. But maybe Google should focus on its own garden instead of trying to be funny.
Did you know that Wear OS smartwatches with LTE cannot send RCS messages? Well, they can’t – RCS messages from the watch only work when connected to the phone. This will change with an upcoming update to the Messages app.
In the teardown of Google Messages v20240926 beta, Android Authority the team discovered several signals that lay the groundwork for the operation of stand-alone RCS messages on Wear OS watches.
trumpet.enable_wear_standalone_rcs
trumpet.enable_wear_standalone_rcs_settings
trumpet.enable_wear_standalone_voice_message
Note: “trumpet” is an internal name for Google Messages.
From the looks of it, the watch is capable of handling not only standard text messages, but also voice messages sent via RCS. This means you’ll still get rich messages when you leave your phone at home (assuming you have an LTE-enabled watch, of course).
It’s unclear whether this update will help non-LTE watches – it could make a difference if the watch loses connection with your phone but is still connected to Wi-Fi. We’ll have to wait and see.