When T-Mobile launched the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3 earlier this year, it said that the new phones won’t support RCS messaging, and it looks like that’ll be the case with the Pixel 4, too.
A T-Mobile support representative has said that the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL won’t support RCS messaging at launch. This was in response to a Twitter user who asked if the Pixel 4 would support universal RCS on T-Mobile.
Hey there, Thomas. Great question! No, the new T-Mobile Pixels do not support RCS at this time. DM us with additional questions. Thanks! https://t.co/xa3Nj2eHVd ^AlishaCombs
— T-Mobile Help (@TMobileHelp) October 15, 2019
I reached out to T-Mobile myself for confirmation about the Pixel 4 and 4 XL not supporting RCS and was told, “They will not support RCS at this time.”
One thing to note is that the T-Mobile has said that the new Pixels don’t support RCS “at this time.” It’s possible that T-Mobile could add support at a later date, but there’s been no indication from T-Mo one way or the other on that matter.
T-Mobile isn’t the only U.S. carrier that won’t be supporting RCS on the new Pixels at launch. Verizon has said that it, too, won’t be supporting the feature, and then there’s AT&T, which hasn’t said whether or not the Pixel 4 and 4 XL will support RCS on its network. The only U.S. carrier to commit to offering RCS on the new Pixels so far is Sprint.
Ouch! We’re so sorry to have contributed to this confusion. You are so right, the Pixel 3 (by Google) does support RCS, as does Samsung’s S9. The Pixel 4 (also by Google, not Samsung) will not yet be RCS supported by VZ at launch. We will let you know if anything changes! ^KAD
— Verizon Wireless CS (@VZWSupport) October 17, 2019
RCS, or Rich Communication Services, is a messaging protocol that offers several upgrades over traditional texting. Those include typing indicators, read receipts, and the ability to send higher quality attachments. While T-Mobile has enabled RCS support on a handful of Android phones from Samsung and OnePlus, the rollout has definitely been a bit limited so far. RCS offers a greatly improved messaging experience over normal SMS, so here’s to hoping that support is added to the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL at some time in the future.
Is RCS messaging an important feature for you?
Via: Android Police, The Verge