RCS, the successor to SMS and MMS, received a huge boost when Apple announced support for it with iOS 18. Still, it was missing out on a few features, like the ability to activate RCS on both SIM cards on supported dual-SIM phones. That feature is rolling out now via Google Messages.
Google Messages brings dual-SIM RCS feature to Android phones
Since earlier this year, Google had been testing RCS communication on both SIM cards in phones that have a dual-SIM card slot. However, the feature is only now rolling out widely to beta testers using the version 20241018_01_RC00+ of the app. This feature lets you send and receive RCS messages on both SIM cards simultaneously.
If you have the feature, you can check it in the Google Messages app by navigating to Settings » RCS. The status for both SIMs will be shown as “Connected” and have checkboxes to enable/disable RCS on each SIM.
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As 9To5Google notes, users on Google Fi, T-Mobile, Verizon, and others have started seeing dual-SIM RCS feature on the Google Messages app on their Android phones. Many of those users are using Samsung's Galaxy smartphones.
You don't need to have two physical SIM card slots to use this feature. Many high-end phones these days have a physical SIM card slot and an eSIM. And RCS can be active on both those SIMs simultaneously.
Why is RCS important?
RCS brings several advanced chatting features that are seen on internet-based messaging apps like WhatsApp. It offers real-time typing indicators, sent/received/read notifications, high-resolution images and videos, voice messages, location sharing, group chatting, stickers, and more.
