Google is a major promoter of Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging, but it hasn’t been able to address the issues with RCS in Google Messages. While we hope this will change in the future, Google Messages seems to be working on a change that will upset its critics even more.
According to an APK teardown of the version messages.android_20261002_00_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic of Google Messages conducted by Android Authority, Google Messages is working to remove the ability to disable RCS messages for specific contacts.
Currently, Google Messages shows a toggle called “Only send SMS and MMS messages” in the conversation details screen. When you turn it on, it forces Google Messages to use SMS/MMS instead of RCS in that particular conversation. So, when the toggle disappears, you can either disable RCS entirely in Google Messages or keep it turned on for every contact.
However, it looks like Google has no plans to remove it out of the blue. Instead, in all likelihood, the Mountain View tech giant will notify users in the Google Messages app before fully removing the toggle. We mark this as the strongest possibility because the leaked code strings in the APK teardown, which you can see below, clearly point towards that.
<string name="force_sms_home_banner_body">The “Only send SMS & MMS messages” setting is going away. Switch now, or let it update automatically.</string>
<string name="force_sms_home_banner_negative_button">Dismiss</string>
<string name="force_sms_home_banner_positive_button">Switch now</string>
<string name="force_sms_home_banner_title">Switch to RCS chats now</string>The above code strings clearly point to a banner notification for Google Messages, warning users about the removal of the toggle and automatic switching to RCS for every contact unless users do it manually. There is no cutoff time for when the auto-update will happen, but it doesn’t matter, because you won’t lose chats for not switching.
There is no clarity on when the SMS toggle will be removed
The code strings don’t say anything about when the toggle will be fully removed. But their presence in the beta version of the Messages app suggests we aren’t far away, unless, of course, Google changes its plan, which seems unlikely to happen this time.
We at Android Police feel that it is a bad move, as it takes away users’ choices. Not only does it limit users’ control over how they want to communicate, but it also snatches one of the most effective ways to prevent spam in Google Messages. So, it’s a lose-lose situation.
