Google Messages Testing New 'Delivered' And 'Read' Indicators: How To Decipher New Symbols?

Google Messages is an app that allows Android smartphone users to replace the integrated SMS and MMS platform. The Messages app offers far more features using the RCS (Rich Communication Services) as a platform. However, Google is testing a new way to confirm the delivery and read receipts of SMS and MMS. Let us try to understand the new symbols, in case Google rolls out the change worldwide.

Google Messages Replacing "Delivered" And "Read" Receipts With Symbols?

Every device, be it an Apple iPhone or an Android smartphone, has a way to accept and send SMS (Short Messaging Service) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). While the Android ecosystem has a very basic platform, Apple offers iMessage service which uses the company's proprietary service.

Google has been trying to replace the standard and rudimentary SMS platform with its own Google Messages app. This app is based on RCS (Rich Communication Services), and as the name suggests, offers features such as E2EE (End-To-End Encryption), and emojis. While these features might be a great addition to the humble SMS, Google is trying to replace the "Delivered" And "Read" receipts with symbols, and it could be confusing.

Moving forward, Android smartphone users who are familiar with the simple "Delivered" and "Read" indicators inside Google Messages app, may have to rely on miniature symbols. These would be updated just like the previous notifications, but use icons instead of plain words to convey the information.

How To Decipher The New Symbols In Google Messages App?

Currently, the RCS-enabled Google Messages app has a simple and straightforward message indicator that shows when a message has been delivered and when it has been read. In other words, the app uses the words "Delivered" and "Read" to indicate the status of the sent message.

Google seems to be testing a new way to indicate the delivered and read status of messages. Instead of words, the app will indicate the status with symbols. Google is using the "Checkmark" symbol. For a few users, the Messages app is showing or encircled checkmark to denote if the message is delivered. There is a time stamp present alongside the checkmark.

When a message is delivered, the Google Messages app will replace the single encircled checkmark with two encircled checkmarks. Additionally, another miniature icon placed alongside the checkmarks would confirm if E2EE was valid and applicable to the messages.

Encircled checkmarks are obviously a much shorter or more concise way of conveying relevant information. These symbols effectively reduce the "visual width" of information that resides beneath an SMS or MMS.

However, millions of Android smartphone users are already familiar with the easy-to-understand and simple-to-read words "Delivered" or "Read" beneath the SMS messages. To replace such simplistic methods of conveying important messages might not be a wise decision.

It is important to note that Google seems to be testing the new method, as very few people have received the new notification symbols. However, if Google decides to enable the same via a server-side update, it could cause some confusion to users, at least initially.