You'll soon be able to text 911 on Google Messages via RCS. It's better than iMessage
Currently, iMessage does not have this capability
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Key notes
- Google Messages is now supported by RCS when you text 911.
- It will soon let you send HD images & precise location thanks to RCS.
- Partnering with RapidSOS, Google aims to provide this service starting this winter in the US.
Google Messages feature to text 911 is finally catching up with iMessage, if not better. Besides simple texting, it will soon let you send HD images and precise locations without the need for a cellular network.
Google, partnering with RapidSOS, has recently announced that this update is coming out for folks in the US starting this winter. The best part of it? You can also send high-res images & videos, share precise location & medical info, and confirm message delivery & response.
It is now made possible through RCS (Rich Communication Service), especially for areas without text-to-911 support. And it’s not the only related feature that’s announced, as Google and RapidSOS also partnered up last year to relay critical medical data to first responders when a user calls 911.
This feature, available on select devices like Google Pixel and Nothing Phone 1, sends emergency information such as age, weight, and allergies via RapidSOS, which is used by over 15,000 emergency agencies.
At a chaotic time of emergency, RCS may be a better option than traditional SMS. It uses data/Wi-Fi for messaging instead of relying on a cellular network for messaging and is capable of sending precise locations & sending high-res images and videos.
A somewhat similar feature has been available on Apple’s iMessage service for quite some time. You can text the emergency service, and then your iPhone or Apple Watch will enter emergency mode for 30 minutes. Can it send images though? Unfortunately, not really.
