Most people in the US will get the new features 'by the end of the year.' Google is doing a slow rollout and only about 1% of Android phones will get the update Thursday. If another Android phone also has RCS enabled, text messages will automatically use the new protocol. People can turn on RCS by opening up the Android Messages app and, when prompted, enabling the chat features. 'It's a very important step in the right direction.' 'These are table stakes features,' Ahari said. In an interview, Sanaz Ahari, director of product management for Google's communications services, acknowledged the update was long overdue, saying the SMS protocol currently used in the Android system lacks 'lacks the features users expect from modern messaging.'

Adding and removing people from group chats.Sending and receiving high-resolution photos and videos.

The update will give you features including: RCS is meant to replace SMS, or Short Message Service, a stalwart but tired protocol that's more than 25 years old. The much-anticipated update is made possible by the rollout of a technology called RCS, or Rich Communication Services.

( Here's how the RCS texting app update compares to Apple's iMessages app.) RCS messaging is one of the biggest steps Google has taken with Android, which lags far behind Apple's iOS when it comes to texting. The update will include several features that iPhone users have long enjoyed in iMessages, including read receipts and exiting group chats. The maker of the widely used operating system is launching a major update to its Messages app in the US that will modernize texting on Android phones. Texting on Android phones is about to get a lot better, Google said Thursday.

Signal messenger read receipts