Google is taking further steps to enhance the visibility of Rich Communication Services (RCS) in its Messages app by implementing a prominent badge that highlights eligible conversations.
The new update displays a simplified version of the Messages app logo, featuring Dynamic Color theming, as a badge on the home screen. This badge appears in the bottom-right corner of profile avatars for RCS conversations, both individual and group, while excluding SMS/MMS threads.
Previously, users had to open a conversation to determine whether it was an RCS message or a regular text message by checking the text field content.
From a branding perspective, Google is deliberately associating the Messages logo with RCS, as certain features like Magic Compose are exclusive to RCS and not compatible with SMS.
The introduction of the RCS badge is currently being tested, and it is visible in the latest beta release of Google Messages (20230615_02_RC00). In a previous trial, Google experimented with displaying updated read receipts to indicate RCS-supported conversations, although this implementation was more subtle. The earlier trial was initially observed in April but has not yet been widely implemented.
Unfortunately, the recent redesign that removed the navigation drawer and incorporated its elements into the profile menu was subsequently withdrawn last week.
