Google is working to remove the per-conversation toggle that forces Google Messages to send only SMS and MMS texts, according to strings uncovered in an Android beta build.
Right now, if you want rich messaging turned on for family members but prefer to keep a specific contact on plain old SMS, you open that contact's conversation details and turn on "Only send SMS and MMS messages." That single thread drops back to legacy carrier protocols while the rest of your address book stays on RCS.
That flexibility appears headed for the chopping block.
Beta release messages.android_20261002_00_RC00 contains code indicating Google wants to decommission the feature. When it disappears, the control becomes an absolute choice: keep RCS turned on for every contact who supports it, or switch RCS off entirely inside the global settings for Google Messages. There will be no middle ground.
The app will not drop the toggle without notice. Code strings inside the test package reveal an in-app banner intended for the main conversations list. Headed "Switch to RCS chats now," the prompt warns people that the setting restricting threads to SMS and MMS is ending. It invites them to make the leap immediately or let the app handle it automatically down the road.
Users will see two choices on the banner: "Switch now" and "Dismiss."
Tapping the prompt shifts the designated SMS-only conversations over to RCS right away. Hitting dismiss keeps them as they are for the moment without wiping any conversation history. The code does not set an explicit timeline or deadline for when the automatic switchover will kick in on its own.
Fewer Escapes From RCS
While Google has spent years pitching RCS as the overdue replacement for SMS, the individual toggle served specific needs. Users frequently leaned on it as a quiet tool to manage unsolicited junk from numbers that support RCS, or to keep delivery-sensitive messages locked to carrier networks for recipients with unreliable data connections. Stripping that control removes an escape hatch.
The code surfaced alongside other recent interface changes in Google Messages, including swipe gesture adjustments and a floating long-press menu.
Google has not announced the retirement, and the strings have not yet rolled out to the stable channel. Because the underlying code is still confined to beta testing, the company could tweak the messaging or the timeline before pushing the update out to everyone. For now, the per-thread toggle still works on current production releases.
SDFiled by The Software Desk
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