What you need to know
- Google starts rolling out new checkmark read receipt icons to Messages.
- The process of sending a text has been replaced with a stopwatch (sending…) and two filled checkmarks (read).
- While this does bring a more universal understanding to texting, much like its competitors, Google did not opt for an explanation to users.
Google’s small touchup on its messaging app may look familiar.
As noted by 9to5Google, Android’s default messaging app has gained some new indicators when texting friends, family, and groups. With the new system, Google has swapped out the typical “Sending…,” “Sent,” and others with an icon and tick marks.
Instead of seeing “Sending…,” users will notice a stopwatch icon beneath their message. For “Sent,” Messages users will find one empty checkmark. For “Delivered,” users will see two empty checkmarks. Finally, for “Read,” you should see two filled (colored-in) checkmarks.
As 9to5 mentions, these changes have been in testing since October. And, late last year, very few people had access to these new rear receipts, with only those in the Google Messages beta program receiving them in the past few weeks.
One odd approach to this new system is Google’s lack of communication as to what these icons mean. It may be more apparent to those accustomed to using some of the best messaging apps out there, like WhatsApp and Telegram, that have used this tick system for a long while. However, for those only used to Google Messages, it can be a bit confusing at first. Tapping on the icon simply removes that bottom bit of information from the message without much explanation.
Although once there is understanding behind the icons, this could be a much more universal approach to knowing what text has been seen or not at a glance.
While Google has been busy bringing full RCS support to its messaging app for users, the company has also done some other retooling. Last fall contained some welcome features to the app, such as direct replying to a specific message while also having the ability to set a reminder to get back to a text later on. “Chat” was also recently rebranded as “RCS,” likely to coincide with Google’s marketing of the feature as it tries to persuade Apple to adopt it.
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