T-Mobile Activates RCS Universal Profile, but Only for the Galaxy S7 (Updated: Oreo!)

T-Mobile said back in March that during Q2, they would rollout support for RCS Universal Profile to their network to help usher us all into a modern messaging age. Since we’re a day away from Q2 ending, they’ve gone ahead and announced that their RCS push has started.

For now, the RCS Universal Profile on T-Mobile will be available to the 2-year-old Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge after they receive a software update. That update will arrive in batches, so if you aren’t seeing it just yet, that’s why.

• UPDATE: The update that will enable RCS Universal Profile is actually Oreo (1, 2). The Galaxy S7 will see software version G930TUVU4CRF1 and the Galaxy S7 Edge will get G935TUVU4CRF1. These updates include the April security patch, as well as “DIGITS phase 2 update.”

T-Mobile says that they’ll continue to add RCS Universal Profile support to additional devices, but aren’t ready to share what those are just yet. It seems odd that they’d start with devices this old, though. Hopefully, we get some newer phones here quickly, like the Galaxy S9.

What is RCS Universal Profile and why should you care? Read this to start. But the basics are that it’s a modern, universal messaging platform that will work across carriers, once they’ve adopted it. “Modern” meaning it’ll allow you to send bigger files, know when someone is responding, send actual full-size photos, and have better group chats.

It’ll eventually work in Android Messages, which is Google’s stock messaging app. T-Mobile, at least according to this Tweet, doesn’t seem to have made that work yet.

So basically, this T-Mobile RCS rollout isn’t much – it’s only on a 2-year old phone and quite possibly doesn’t work through Android Messages. Great.

// T-Mobile