After rolling out a new icon and previewing several upcoming features last week, Google Messages is now testing new delivered and read status indicators.
Today, those with RCS Chat enabled have straightforward “Delivered” indicators and “Read” receipts. Those words simply appear below your last sent message between the sent time and lock icon for end-to-end encryption (E2EE).
The application is now testing checkmarks for both. On delivery, Google Messages shows a checkmark placed in a circle, while the read status is then indicated by a second icon that partially overlaps with the first. One upside, and Google’s goal, could be to decrease the visual width of the information that appears underneath a message. Meanwhile, this design lets Google explicitly convey both statuses.
This is a fairly standard approach to delivered/read in messaging apps from Signal to Telegram. iMessage just uses text, and that is the better approach in our opinion. Checkmarks are ubiquitous and might be more familiar to people, but being able to just read out “Delivered” and “Read” requires less translation, no matter how obvious the icons are.
Fortunately, this looks to just be a test that at least three people have received. It’s not rolled out on devices we checked this afternoon, and hopefully Google’s testing will vindicate the current/old Messages approach to delivered and read.
More on Google Messages:
- Google Messages getting ability to react to SMS, as annoying as iMessage equivalent
- Messages adding in-app YouTube PiP, free RCS over inflight Wi-Fi, and more
- Pixel 7 unveil included always-on display, astrophotography, and RCS digs at the iPhone
- Google Account switcher on Android getting Material You tweaks
Thanks Dee and others!
Author: Abner Li
Source: 9TO5Google
