It’s time for Google to fix texting.

Green text bubbles are how Google displays your messages when you’re texting with someone who doesn’t have an Google Messages (or someone with iMessage disabled). But it’s not just the color of the bubbles that change, the experience is worse too.

Text messages that appear green on Google Messages are sent via SMS and MMS, outdated systems that do not support modern texting features like end-to-end encryption, high quality media sharing, read receipts, typing indicators and more.

Rich Communication Services is the modern industry standard for messaging. It was supposed to be the successor to MMS for everyone. Google managed to manipulate carriers into using it's own Jibe RCS servers, and then only allowed Google Messages, iMessage, and Samsung Messages to access it. This prevents those who can't or don't want to use Google Messages from accessing the full benefits of RCS.3

There are other messaging options without a broken experience between Android and Google Messages that you can use right now. These include Signal and WhatsApp.

Texting between Google Messages uses RCS.

Texting between Google Messages and other text messaging apps use SMS and MMS, outdated systems from the 90’s and early 00’s. The result is a poor experience — they do not support modern texting features like end-to-end encryption, high quality media sharing, read receipts, typing indicators and more.

If Google opened up RCS, texting issues between Google Messages and other text messaging apps would be fixed.

When people with Google Messages and other text messaging apps text each other, Google relies on SMS and MMS, outdated systems that cannot support large media files. That means photos and videos are often compressed and come through blurry. The severity varies by location and carrier based on compression and size limits.

When people with Google Messages and other text messaging apps text each other, Google relies on SMS and MMS, outdated and less secure systems that do not support end-to-end encryption. RCS, though, can enable end-to-end encryption – and RCS conversations are end-to-end encrypted between Messages by Google users.

When people with Google Messages and Android phones text each other, Google relies on SMS and MMS, outdated systems which do not always support texting over wi-fi. That means if you don’t have a cellular network connection, depending on your carrier and situation, you may not be able to send and receive texts.

If you’re texting with an Android user, you’re not able to change the color of the messages or avoid the constraints of SMS and MMS. But Google can open up RCS—the modern industry standard—and make these conversations better. Help them #GetTheMessage.

No, Google does not support RCS, the modern industry standard for messaging. But you can tweet at @Google to #GetTheMessage and fix texting.