{"slug": "google-messages", "name": "Google Messages", "category": "communication", "category_name": "Email and chat", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 13, "warners": 6, "score": -1.281, "rising": -0.98, "first": "2025-11-18", "latest": "2026-07-24", "why": "It fully works on GrapheneOS via the official sandboxed Google Play compatibility layer support for it.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 3, "compare": 1, "warn": 6}, "spark": [0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "It fully works on GrapheneOS via the official sandboxed Google Play compatibility layer support for it.", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://messages.google.com", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Google Messages"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 784571729, "item_id": 49035733, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49035733", "by": "grapheneos", "date": "2026-07-24", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It fully works on GrapheneOS via the official sandboxed Google Play compatibility layer support for it.", "excerpt": "RCS is fully functional on GrapheneOS with an app supporting it. Google Messages is the only RCS app for Android available in practice. It fully works on GrapheneOS via the official sandboxed Google Play compatibility layer support for it. Camera features and quality on GrapheneOS are the same as the stock Pixel OS within the same app. Pixel Camera fully works on GrapheneOS even without sandboxed Google Play in the s", "context": "", "use_case": "RCS messaging", "switched_from": "", "story": "Roblox Officially Supports GrapheneOS"}, {"id": 777086897, "item_id": 48567931, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48567931", "by": "strcat", "date": "2026-06-17", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "RCS is fully supported via Google Messages", "excerpt": "GrapheneOS will eventually have a GrapheneOS RCS app, but for now RCS is fully supported via Google Messages and sandboxed Google Play: https://grapheneos.org/usage#rcs", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "GrapheneOS has been ported to Android 17 and official releases are coming soon"}, {"id": 749419649, "item_id": 46838728, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46838728", "by": "modeless", "date": "2026-01-31", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Google Messages fixed this issue a long time ago", "excerpt": "Then they turn around and upload your iMessages to their own servers in a form that they can read, breaking their own E2EE. Google Messages fixed this issue a long time ago. Why hasn't Apple? https://james.darpinian.com/blog/apple-imessage-encryption", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple Platform Security (Jan 2026) [pdf]"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 749425472, "item_id": 46839092, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46839092", "by": "philsnow", "date": "2026-01-31", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "I can't count the number of articles people have written over time about how many first-party messaging apps Google themselves have put out (and then put down)", "excerpt": "What is \"Google Messages\"? I can't count the number of articles people have written over time about how many first-party messaging apps Google themselves have put out (and then put down), not to mention what messaging apps get shoveled on by third-party android integrators. > the main reason a message wouldn't be properly end-to-end encrypted in Google's Messages app is when communicating with an iPhone user, because", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple Platform Security (Jan 2026) [pdf]"}, {"id": 747181632, "item_id": 46698852, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46698852", "by": "dfajgljsldkjag", "date": "2026-01-20", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "On android you can only use RCS in the Google Messages app", "excerpt": "It's unfortunate that RCS is basically a de-facto Google walled garden in most countries. On android you can only use RCS in the Google Messages app and trying to build your own is explicitly blocked. [1] And of course the bonus that rooted devices are banned from RCS. All the propaganda Google spread to get Apple onboard (only with Google's blessing of course, Google could kick apple off if they wanted) was such a b", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "RCS for Business"}, {"id": 735666368, "item_id": 45979148, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45979148", "by": "Groxx", "date": "2025-11-19", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "instead it seems to be shrinking towards just Google Messages, using Google's servers", "excerpt": "The problem with all these problems is that it makes RCS noticeably worse in both normal use and for your privacy than a regular web chat via some other system. And I do not see a path for it that escapes that. I'm very happy that they're essentially using MLS, that's a real benefit[1]. But other chat apps can (and some do) do that too, without actively driving every single carrier globally to give Google all of your", "context": "", "use_case": "RCS messaging client", "switched_from": "", "story": "I just want working RCS messaging"}, {"id": 735623890, "item_id": 45976493, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45976493", "by": "yellowapple", "date": "2025-11-18", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "mostly Google's fault for taking as janky of an approach as possible when it comes to its Messages app", "excerpt": "RCS has been a royal pain for me on Android, too. Partially my fault since I'm using non-default ROMs (LineageOS on my Fairphone 4, which I then replaced with GrapheneOS on my Pixel 9a), but also mostly Google's fault for taking as janky of an approach as possible when it comes to its Messages app (which seems to be the only actively-maintained Android SMS app with RCS support, because of course it is). The Graphene ", "context": "uses non-default ROMs", "use_case": "RCS messaging", "switched_from": "", "story": "I just want working RCS messaging"}]}], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["rcs messaging", "sms/rcs", "rcs messaging client"], "compared": [{"slug": "grapheneos", "name": "GrapheneOS", "co": 6, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "imessage", "name": "iMessage", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46837814", "title": "Apple Platform Security (Jan 2026) [pdf]", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46687841", "title": "RCS for Business", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48561654", "title": "GrapheneOS has been ported to Android 17 and official releases are coming soon", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45974869", "title": "I just want working RCS messaging", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48994716", "title": "Roblox Officially Supports GrapheneOS", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47935853", "title": "Phone is about to stop being yours", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"warn": 2}, "2025-12": {"warn": 1}, "2026-01": {"warn": 3, "neutral": 1, "recommend": 1, "compare": 1}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"neutral": 1, "recommend": 1}, "2026-07": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "quotes": [{"id": 784571729, "item_id": 49035733, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49035733", "by": "grapheneos", "date": "2026-07-24", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It fully works on GrapheneOS via the official sandboxed Google Play compatibility layer support for it.", "excerpt": "RCS is fully functional on GrapheneOS with an app supporting it. Google Messages is the only RCS app for Android available in practice. It fully works on GrapheneOS via the official sandboxed Google Play compatibility layer support for it. Camera features and quality on GrapheneOS are the same as the stock Pixel OS within the same app. Pixel Camera fully works on GrapheneOS even without sandboxed Google Play in the s", "context": "", "use_case": "RCS messaging", "switched_from": "", "story": "Roblox Officially Supports GrapheneOS"}, {"id": 777086897, "item_id": 48567931, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48567931", "by": "strcat", "date": "2026-06-17", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "RCS is fully supported via Google Messages", "excerpt": "GrapheneOS will eventually have a GrapheneOS RCS app, but for now RCS is fully supported via Google Messages and sandboxed Google Play: https://grapheneos.org/usage#rcs", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "GrapheneOS has been ported to Android 17 and official releases are coming soon"}, {"id": 777000802, "item_id": 48562550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48562550", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-06-16", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Many people choose to use this setup because it opportunistically adds e2ee for chats between iPhones and other Androids using Google messages.", "excerpt": "> The main things I miss are (1) when I'm entering text I can't swipe left and right on the space bar to scroll the cursor left and right, GrapheneOS is compatible with the vast, vast majority of Android apps, so you can use GBoard or Futo keyboard (which I recently switched to from GBoard), to get the ideal experience. > the texting app doesn't just attach reaction emojis to a message -- it quotes the whole message ", "context": "", "use_case": "SMS/RCS", "switched_from": "", "story": "GrapheneOS has been ported to Android 17 and official releases are coming soon"}, {"id": 767009889, "item_id": 47938118, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47938118", "by": "scblock", "date": "2026-04-28", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "It requires using Google Messages rather than any other messaging app", "excerpt": "RCS can be hit or miss on GrapheneOS, but they have made significant progress recently. It requires using Google Messages rather than any other messaging app, and may require enabling an ICC authentication option that is disabled by default. And it may depend on your carrier. RCS is kind of a pain in the butt but the messaging improvements over SMS are substantial which is why I wanted it. When I first tried last fal", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Phone is about to stop being yours"}, {"id": 749425713, "item_id": 46839107, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46839107", "by": "jtbayly", "date": "2026-01-31", "version": null, "stance": "compare", "quote": "Google defaults to encrypted backups of messages, as well as e2e encryption of messages.", "excerpt": "modeless linked to this article earlier today: https://james.darpinian.com/blog/apple-imessage-encryption/ My current understanding of the facts: 1. Google defaults to encrypted backups of messages, as well as e2e encryption of messages. 2. Apple defaults only to e2ee of messages, leaving a massive backdoor. 3. Closing that backdoor is possible for the consumer, by enabling ADP (advanced data protection) on your devi", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple Platform Security (Jan 2026) [pdf]"}, {"id": 749425472, "item_id": 46839092, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46839092", "by": "philsnow", "date": "2026-01-31", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "I can't count the number of articles people have written over time about how many first-party messaging apps Google themselves have put out (and then put down)", "excerpt": "What is \"Google Messages\"? I can't count the number of articles people have written over time about how many first-party messaging apps Google themselves have put out (and then put down), not to mention what messaging apps get shoveled on by third-party android integrators. > the main reason a message wouldn't be properly end-to-end encrypted in Google's Messages app is when communicating with an iPhone user, because", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple Platform Security (Jan 2026) [pdf]"}, {"id": 749419649, "item_id": 46838728, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46838728", "by": "modeless", "date": "2026-01-31", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Google Messages fixed this issue a long time ago", "excerpt": "Then they turn around and upload your iMessages to their own servers in a form that they can read, breaking their own E2EE. Google Messages fixed this issue a long time ago. Why hasn't Apple? https://james.darpinian.com/blog/apple-imessage-encryption", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple Platform Security (Jan 2026) [pdf]"}, {"id": 747523345, "item_id": 46720209, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46720209", "by": "jeroenhd", "date": "2026-01-22", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "the proprietary protocol that Google Messages uses", "excerpt": "> And it took more than a decade to get MMSC interoperability. It's still not perfect even now. That's an understatement, my carrier has disabled MMS years ago. Still, that's not an issue with the MMS protocol, just an issue with carriers. > That's a distinction without difference in the US. The American carriers including Jibe in their network still speak RCS to clients. Google's Jibe is the most prevalent remaining", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "RCS for Business"}, {"id": 747204496, "item_id": 46700281, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46700281", "by": "jjtech", "date": "2026-01-20", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "", "excerpt": "Unfortunately, I think what a lot of people don't know is that RCS actually has \"client authenticity verification\"[1]... the RCS server has to actively approve any attempts for a client to connect, if it's Android/iOS/etc. There are no standards for how this should be implemented, Google uses Play Integrity and Apple uses App Attest at the current moment, with explicit proprietary support by the Jibe servers. It's ba", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "RCS for Business"}, {"id": 747181632, "item_id": 46698852, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46698852", "by": "dfajgljsldkjag", "date": "2026-01-20", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "On android you can only use RCS in the Google Messages app", "excerpt": "It's unfortunate that RCS is basically a de-facto Google walled garden in most countries. On android you can only use RCS in the Google Messages app and trying to build your own is explicitly blocked. [1] And of course the bonus that rooted devices are banned from RCS. All the propaganda Google spread to get Apple onboard (only with Google's blessing of course, Google could kick apple off if they wanted) was such a b", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "RCS for Business"}, {"id": 742231793, "item_id": 46389487, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46389487", "by": "bl4kers", "date": "2025-12-25", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "", "excerpt": "Here's the 3-year-old, 1k+ comment discussion that begs to differ: https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/1353-using-rcs-with-google-messages-on-grapheneos/1722 It's gotten inoperable on AT&T recently, and the Graphene team doesn't seem to care because RCS isn't completely E2EE (due to Apple dragging their feet) and therefore not a priority", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What's the most open/hacker friendly Android phone for 2026?"}, {"id": 735666368, "item_id": 45979148, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45979148", "by": "Groxx", "date": "2025-11-19", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "instead it seems to be shrinking towards just Google Messages, using Google's servers", "excerpt": "The problem with all these problems is that it makes RCS noticeably worse in both normal use and for your privacy than a regular web chat via some other system. And I do not see a path for it that escapes that. I'm very happy that they're essentially using MLS, that's a real benefit[1]. But other chat apps can (and some do) do that too, without actively driving every single carrier globally to give Google all of your", "context": "", "use_case": "RCS messaging client", "switched_from": "", "story": "I just want working RCS messaging"}, {"id": 735623890, "item_id": 45976493, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45976493", "by": "yellowapple", "date": "2025-11-18", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "mostly Google's fault for taking as janky of an approach as possible when it comes to its Messages app", "excerpt": "RCS has been a royal pain for me on Android, too. Partially my fault since I'm using non-default ROMs (LineageOS on my Fairphone 4, which I then replaced with GrapheneOS on my Pixel 9a), but also mostly Google's fault for taking as janky of an approach as possible when it comes to its Messages app (which seems to be the only actively-maintained Android SMS app with RCS support, because of course it is). The Graphene ", "context": "uses non-default ROMs", "use_case": "RCS messaging", "switched_from": "", "story": "I just want working RCS messaging"}]}