Google is popping the Messages app into its personal bonafide variation on iMessages. The firm’s announcement particulars a bundle of options coming to the Android app, together with emoji reactions for iPhone customers and voice message transcriptions. But the kicker is that among the new talents are solely accessible to different Android customers. Sound acquainted?

The first new characteristic is constructed particularly with iPhone customers in thoughts. Now once you’re chatting with your pals on iMessage, you’ll be able to react to their messages with a corresponding emoji, the identical means they did on iOS. However, once you—the Android person—react, the iMessage person gained’t see the emoji pop up on their finish. Instead, they’ll get a message exhibiting the emoji response and the message to which it’s referencing—it’s the identical means that iMessage used to ship reactions to Android customers till Google mounted it. How the tables have turned!

Google may even formally roll out the voice message transcription skill launched with the brand new Pixel 7/7 Pro to different Android flagships, beginning with the Pixel 6/6Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S22 sequence, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. Now when somebody sends you a voice message, you’ll be capable of see the transcription on display with out listening to the audio. This characteristic will work with an audio message despatched from an iPhone, although the iOS person has to report it individually within the Voice Memos app to share it.

Google will display your messages for you in case you’re shifting too quick and also you overlook one thing. Reminders at the moment are included immediately in Messages in order that if somebody is chatting with you a couple of birthday or occasion, Google will assist remind you of that nearer to the date. The Messages app may even acknowledge addresses and different necessary info you may have to reference later and recommend you “star” the message as a favourite for fast entry.

To entice you to make use of the remainder of its communication options, Google will recommend you fireplace up a Meet name if somebody is pinging you about video chatting. It may even begin experimenting with a characteristic that allows you to “text” a enterprise via Messages. And like Apple, it’s partnering with airways to get you entry to RCS even whereas strapped down in an enormous steel tube. United Airlines is the primary to supply free messaging on flights so to textual content of us again on the bottom with out forking over for the web entry charge.

These new talents are a part of Google’s marketing campaign to extol the virtues of RCS expertise, which stands for Rich Communication Services, over conventional SMS and MMS. It hopes the Android-using plenty will pile on sufficient to get Apple to budge out of its walled backyard. But till that occurs, messaging will proceed to be fragmented on Android, even with Google’s makes an attempt at lobbying towards unification.

The icing on this maelstrom of messaging information is that Google will usher in three new icons for its Android communication apps. The Phone, Messages, and Contacts apps on Android might be getting new blue-hued iconography to match the remainder of Google’s Material You stylings. The replace is rolling out now within the Google Play retailer to suitable Android units.