Google Messages app has now been installed more than 1 billion times
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As we start to use messaging apps more and more amidst the current lockdown situation, Google Messages appears to be gaining popularity as well. 9to5Google reports that the app has now reached an important milestone of 1 billion installations on Android devices. The app provides an alternative to most popular vendors’ pre-installed text messaging apps on Android phones.
The interesting thing is that Google Messages, even though it’s a Google app, does not come pre-installed on Android devices (apart from Google Pixel phones and a couple of other smartphone brands) so this number reflects people’s interest in using the app. Most Google apps, that have surpassed 1 billion installations, come pre-installed with Android smartphones, for example the Gmail app.
What’s more, the app supports the so-called RCS messaging protocol (Rich Communication Services), which is a standard aiming at replacing the older SMS technology, providing a richer text-message system and the ability to transmit multimedia during a call. The technology supports features that are widely available for internet-based texting systems, such as Facebook Messenger or iMessage, like read receipts, group chats, and support for GIFs. Unfortunately though, access to RCS depends also on your region and whether your carrier supports it.
The number of installations of the Google Messages app surpasses 1 billion
Nevertheless, if you are interested in the app and would want to try it out, you can download it for free from the Google Play store.
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