Currently, Google Messages compresses media heavily before sending it, which means that iPhone users often receive blurry or pixelated images and videos, even on RCS. This is a major pain point, especially when trying to share important memories or documents. Now that iOS will soon have RCS support, this is an issue that must be remedied as soon as possible.
Fortunately, as discovered in the latest beta version of the Messages app, Google is finally addressing this issue by giving users the option to send media in its original quality. In the latest beta, users will be prompted to choose between two options when sending media:
- Optimized for chat: Send faster with reduced quality
- Original quality: Send with no changes to quality, uses more data
Google Messages option to choose media quality over RCS as found in the latest beta | Image credit — Android Authority
It’s also worth noting that this update is just one of many that Google has made to Google Messages in recent months. The company has been working hard to improve the app’s overall experience, and it’s clear that they’re committed to making it the best messaging app on the market.
That said, there are still a few unknowns. We don’t know when this feature will roll out to all users, and we don’t know when Apple will fully enable RCS support on all iPhones, as it is still in beta. However, it’s likely that both of these things will happen in the near future.