RCS messaging has gained a lot of traction these days, thanks to Apple"s iOS 18 rollout, which officially brings support for RCS messaging on iPhones. Android users, on the other hand, have been able to send and receive RCS messages through Google Messages.
It seems Google is actively working on expanding RCS messaging to more devices, as some strings of code have been spotted in the Google Messages beta app that suggests RCS messaging could arrive for Wear OS smartwatches in the future.
This would enable users to send or receive RCS messages right from their wrists using their Wear OS smartwatches, even if they don"t have their phones nearby. Here are the strings of codes spotted in the Google Message beta app:
bugle.enable_wear_standalone_rcs
bugle.enable_wear_standalone_rcs_settings
bugle.enable_wear_standalone_voice_message
In the above codes, "bugle" is expected to be the codename for Google Messages, whereas "wear" refers to Wear OS,. Out of the three flags, two are for enabling RCS messages and their settings, while one flag is for enabling voice messages, according to Android Authority.
RCS on smartwatches may be a feature for a relatively smaller user base. Currently, the Google Messages app on Wear OS smartwatches mirrors the app on smartphones. RCS messages are available on your smartwatch via your phone, and if your phone loses internet connectivity then you won"t be able to send or receive RCS messages through your smartwatch.
With the upcoming change, your smartwatch will gain independent RCS messaging capabilities. However, there is no clarity if RCS on Wear OS will be available for both Wi-Fi and LTE smartwatches. By the looks of it, it should be available to both since RCS messaging requires an active internet connection. For now, the feature isn"t available on Wear OS smartwatches.