Google Messages might get a boost with a new image captioning feature

Google Messages might get a boost with a new image captioning feature،

Google Messages, with its billion active users, is one of the driving forces behind the popularity of RCS (Rich Communication Services) on Android. The app regularly receives new features and updates to maintain innovation. The latest scoop? A potential image captioning feature in progress.

Leaker AssembleDebug on X (via Android Font) came across a flag hinting at subtitle support for media in RCS on Google Messages, suggesting development in progress. Although the exact release date is still under wraps, it will come with a future app update.

Google Messages will correctly support images with text in RCS chats

Currently, text and images are sent separately. The new change will send both images and text (as caption), the text will appear at the bottom of the images. #Google #Android pic.twitter.com/oHCQuQfOk7

– AssembleDebug (@AssembleDebug) January 20, 2024

Unlike its chat app counterparts including WhatsApp and Telegram, Google Messages does not currently support native captioning of images. This potential addition aligns with industry standards, allowing users to seamlessly add context to media shared within the current conversation. Right now, sharing multiple images on Google Messages means juggling separate messages to get additional information, which is a bit complicated. The image captioning feature aims to untangle this knot, promising a simpler experience for users.

Beyond simple convenience for the user, this improvement is part of Google's major project aimed at making RCS the essential messaging protocol. RCS, with its real-time delivery, read receipts and group chat benefits, is head and shoulders above traditional SMS/MMS messaging. Yet its widespread adoption depends on both carrier and device compatibility.

Most major carriers, like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, offer RCS functionality on new Google and Samsung devices running Android.

Zooming out, Google's exploration of multi-SIM RCS support, and Apple's nod to SMS RCS for iPhones suggest a potential farewell to the old guard of SMS and MMS messaging. The future looks set for RCS to take center stage and redefine the messaging landscape.