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Emergency services on Android phones could get a big boost in functionality soon.
Android Authority took a look at the code for Google Messages in an Android APK teardown and found currently dormant lines of code referencing “emergency RCS messaging.” RCS, in case you aren’t aware, stands for Rich Communication Services, an open standard for mobile instant messaging that has been adopted by both Google and Apple in recent years.
Emergency messaging refers to the ability to text 911 instead of calling in times of danger, which Google said would come to Google Messages last year. That feature is currently available on iPhones.
On Google’s end, it seems RCS emergency texting will carry some significant benefits. Rather than just being able to text your problem to a 911 call center, the code suggests you’ll also be able to send photos and videos, as well as sharing your precise location.
There are often times when discretion is required while contacting authorities, and this feature will theoretically allow people to do that.
And since Apple now supports RCS (Android text bubbles are still green, though), iPhones could possibly get access to these upgrades as well. There’s no telling precisely when Google will roll these updates out, but if the code is already present in Google Messages, it can’t be too long now.
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Google’s long-awaited RCS-based emergency texting system could also include image and video sharing, as well as location sharing.
