Google is determined to elevate its messaging system to new heights, leveraging the capabilities of the RCS protocol. While in Spain, messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp dominate over native Android or iOS messaging apps, in some countries, traditional text messages still reign supreme.
For WhatsApp users, there’s a compelling alternative within Google Messages. Recent revelations show that Google has updated the Android messaging app to harness the full potential of RCS, enabling the seamless transmission of UltraHDR Messages (photos) without losing crucial metadata.
A standout feature of Android 14 is support for UltraHDR photography, initially introduced by Google in Google Photos before the system’s official launch. This format is accessible to Pixel 8 users, offering a fascinating capability – appending HDR metadata to a standard JPEG image. When viewed on a HDR-enabled display, these photos exhibit improvements in shadow and highlight details, along with enhanced brightness.
On screens without HDR capability, UltraHDR photos appear as regular JPEGs within the SDR range. Essentially, it combines the best of both formats, requiring capture with a compatible device. Yet, sharing these images demands tools that preserve the metadata.
As reported by Android Authority, TheSpAndroid team unearthed a silent update from Google, integrating UltraHDR image support into Google Messages. This messaging app, compatible with RCS protocols, ensures the preservation of image metadata, allowing recipients to experience HDR enhancements.
Currently, this feature seems exclusive to Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro users. Capitalizing on the increased file weight supported by RCS messages, Google Messages ensures that when sending UltraHDR photos, the recipient receives the image with its metadata intact, appreciating the full scope of HDR improvements.
The implementation’s expansion to other devices remains uncertain, but a crucial note is that these photos are only viewable on Android 14-enabled mobiles, the system supporting the UltraHDR format. The prospect of sending HDR metadata-rich photos between Android and iPhones, once Apple opens iMessages to RCS, adds an intriguing dimension to this evolving narrative.