What will happen to “+Message” with KDDI’s adoption of “Google Message”? iOS 18’s RCS support is also a tailwindprinting

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On May 16, KDDI announced that it would adopt Google Messages as the standard messaging app for Android devices. Going forward, Google Messages will be pre-installed on all Android devices sold by the company.

In a blog post published on May 15th (local time), Google announced that it is “working with KDDI and other partners to bring the latest messaging experience with RCS to Japan,” and KDDI’s announcement comes in line with this.

On May 16, KDDI announced that it would adopt Google Messages as a standard app for Android.

The Google Message app is also a standard app for Android. Some people may not understand why it is adopted as a standard app. So, I would like to summarize how the Google Message app and RCS are handled on Android in Japan.

Google has already launched RCS in Japan, where three carriers are offering their own +Message service

RCS (Rich Communication Services), which emerged as an alternative service to SMS and MMS, is a global standard that has been standardized by the GSMA. The first version was established in 2008 and has been revised since then, but due to the rapidity of the time from conception to release, there were problems with the standard, such as some carriers not adopting it and the inability to communicate with other carriers.

This situation gradually improved, and in 2016, the Universal Profile was released, which allows interoperability with other carriers, and Google made RCS standard on Android. In 2019, Google made RCS available on Google Messages on Android, regardless of the carrier used.

In Japan, in 2018, Docomo, KDDI, and Softbank jointly launched the RCS service “+Message”. Although this is an RCS service, both the sender and the receiver must use +Message, and communication with overseas carriers is not possible. Initially, the service was only available to the three carriers, but it is now also available to MVNOs that use the lines of each carrier. Although it is a so-called Galapagos service, it has been adopted as standard by major carriers, and it was announced that the number of users exceeded 40 million in February 2024.

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In addition, +Message is not available on Rakuten Mobile, the fourth carrier to be launched. Rakuten Mobile has developed its own RCS service called “Rakuten Link,” but it can only be used between Rakuten Mobile users.
How to use RCS in Google Messages – Implementing unique features
By the way, RCS has been available in Japan for some time now on Google Messages. It is available not only on KDDI, which was announced this time, but also on Docomo, Softbank, and others. However, to actually communicate via RCS, the recipient of the message must also be able to use RCS on Google Messages.
Other than KDDI, you can already use RCS using Google Messages.
Google Messages is not that different from other messaging apps in terms of usability. You can also use emojis to respond to messages. Another feature unique to Google Messages is “Photomoji,” which allows you to use photos like emojis.
When you select a message, the menu that appears will appear. Select the icon on the far right to select a photo, and you can use that photo as an emoji. The subject of the photo will be automatically cropped. Of course, the same photo emoji will be displayed to the other person.
You can also change the color of the chat bubble of your chat partner, or rather the theme color of the entire chat. Apple’s iMessage often has a green label problem (blue bubbles for iMessages and green bubbles for SMS/MMS), but there is no such problem. By the way, if you change the color, the color will also change on the screen of the chat partner.
You can change the theme color for each chat from the menu. The changed color will also be displayed to the other party. On the left and center, you can change the theme color in Google Messages on a Pixel 7. On the right, you can see a notification that the theme color has been changed on a Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Note that Google Messages and +Messages cannot be used together for SMS, and you must choose one or the other as the default app. On the other hand, they can be used separately for RCS. Even if you select Google Messages as your default SMS app, you can still use the +Message app to communicate with +Message users via RCS. +Message and Google Message users cannot communicate with each other via RCS, but they can communicate via SMS.
+Message and Google Message are mutually exclusive when it comes to SMS. You can only use one or the other.
[Update: June 12, 2024 20:00 As only SMS cannot be used with Google Messages and +Messages, some additions and corrections have been made.]
Apple also adopts RCS in iOS 18 + What will happen to Messages?
Currently, Apple’s iMessage does not support RCS, so +Message is required to exchange RCS between Android and iPhone. However, Apple has announced that it will support RCS in iOS 18, which will be released in the fall of 2024, so RCS exchanges will likely be possible between Google Messages and iMessage in the future.
This makes us wonder what the future holds for +Message. According to KDDI’s release, they will be adding Google Messages as the default messaging app for Android, but they will not be withdrawing from +Message. When we asked the company’s PR department about the future of +Message, they said, “Today’s announcement is about adding Google Messages, and we will continue to offer +Message. We will let you know the details as soon as they are ready.”
However, since these services cannot coexist, KDDI will gradually shift its focus from +Message to Google Message. Alternatively, KDDI may take the lead in enabling +Message to communicate with other services, including Google Message. For users, this would be more convenient as they would not have to use separate apps.
We are waiting for announcements from Docomo and Softbank to see what the future holds for +Message. KDDI will announce when it will adopt Google Messages.
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