Civil Rights
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
| Google Messages | |||||
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| Developer | |||||
| Release | Android: 2014 Web: 2018 Wear OS: 2014 | ||||
| Stable release(s) [±] | |||||
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| Preview release(s) [±] | |||||
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| Operating system | Android 8+, Wear OS, web
Discontinued
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| Predecessor | Various | ||||
| License |
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| Website | messages.google.com/web | ||||
Google Messages[6] (formerly known as Messenger, Android Messages, and Messages by Google) is a text messaging software application developed by Google for its Android and Wear OS mobile operating systems. It is also available as a web app.
Google's official universal messaging platform for the Android ecosystem, Messages employs SMS, MMS, and Rich Communication Services (RCS). Starting in 2023, Google has RCS activated by default on participating Android devices,[7] similar to the implementation of iMessage on Apple devices.[8] Samsung Messages was discontinued on July 6, 2026, for the US market, with Samsung transitioning users to Google Messages as the default messaging application.[9][10]
The original code for Android SMS messaging was released in 2009 integrated into the operating system.[11] It was released as a standalone application independent of Android with the release of Android 5.0 Lollipop in 2014, replacing Google Hangouts as the default SMS app on Google's Nexus line of phones.[12]
In 2018, Messages adopted RCS messages and evolved to send larger data files, sync with other apps, and even create mass messages.[13] This was in preparation for when Google launched Messages for web.[14]
In December 2019, Google began to introduce support for Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging via an RCS service hosted by Google, referred to in the user interface as "chat features".[15] This was followed by a wider global rollout throughout 2020.[16]
The app surpassed 1 billion installs in April 2020,[17] doubling its number of installs in less than a year.[18]
Initially, RCS did not support end-to-end encryption.[15] In June 2021, Google introduced end-to-end encryption in Messages by default using the Signal Protocol, for all one-to-one RCS-based conversations,[19][20][21][22] for all RCS group chats in December 2022 for beta users,[23][24] and for all RCS users by August 2023, as well as enabling RCS for all users by default to encourage encryption.[25] In July 2023, Google announced it would build the Message Layer Security (MLS) end-to-end encryption protocol into Google Messages.[26]
Beginning with the Samsung Galaxy S21, Messages replaces Samsung's in-house Messages app as the default text messaging app for One UI for some regions and carriers.[27] In April 2021, the app began to receive UI modifications on Samsung devices to follow aspects of One UI, including pushing the top of the message list towards the middle of the screen to improve ergonomics.[28][29]
In February 2023, Google began to replace references to "chat features" in the Messages user interface with "RCS".[30] In August 2023, Google announced that Messages will use RCS by default for all users unless they opt out, to allow them to benefit from secure messaging.[25] In December 2023, with the arrival of several new features, the app was renamed "Google Messages".[6]
In July 2024, Samsung announced it would no longer pre-install Samsung Messages on its Galaxy devices in some regions, starting with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip, favoring Google Messages instead.[31][32]
In April 2026, Samsung announced that Samsung Messages would be discontinued on July 6, 2026, for the US market only. It encouraged users to switch to Google Messages.[9][10]
Some of the most important features in Google Messages are:[33]
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Google Messages (formerly known as Messenger, Android Messages, and Messages by Google) is a text messaging software application developed by Google for its Android and Wear OS mobile operating systems. It is also available as a web app. Google's official universal messaging platform for the Android ecosystem, Messages employs SMS, MMS, and Rich Communication Services (RCS). Starting in 2023, Google has RCS activated by default on participating Android devices, similar to the implementation of iMessage on Apple devices. Samsung Messages was discontinued on July 6, 2026, for the US market, with Samsung transitioning users to Google Messages as the default messaging application.
Rich Communication Services (RCS) is a communication protocol standard for instant messaging, primarily for mobile phones, developed and defined by the GSM Association (GSMA). It is a replacement of SMS and MMS on cellular networks with more modern features including high resolution image and video support, typing indicators, file sharing, and improved group chat functionality. Development of RCS began in 2007 but early versions lacked features and interoperability; a new specification named Universal Profile was developed and has been continually rolled out since 2017. RCS has been designed as an industry open standard to provide improved capabilities over basic text messaging, based on the Internet Protocol (IP). Its development has also been supported by mobile network operators to remain relevant in customer experience in response to over-the-top (OTT) chat apps and services. Additional features of RCS include presence information, location and multimedia sharing, video calling, and operation over mobile data or Wi-Fi, natively integrated in mobile phones without requiring the download of third-party apps. As of 2020, RCS had rolled out across 90 cell operators in 60 countries globally, and had an estimated 2.5 billion monthly active users as of 2024. The Google Guest program formerly provided person-to-person (P2P) RCS in Google Messages on Android when a carrier does not provide RCS, provided via the Google Jibe backend. However, Google began the discontinuation of Google Guest in 2025. Alternatively, RCS service may be provided by a carrier directly; by 2025, carrier partnerships with Google Jibe for direct service have become common. Providing direct RCS service allows for support of additional clients such as Apple Messages, and enables carriers to make the additional choice of providing RCS Business Messages (RBM). Apple added support for RCS in Messages with iOS 18 in September 2024; RCS is also accessible through desktops via the web client of Google Messages or via Microsoft Phone Link. Google Messages was the first client to offer end-to-end encryption (E2EE) over RCS. E2EE using Messaging Layer Security (MLS) was added to the RCS standard in March 2025. As of May 2026, the GSMA standard for E2EE is in rollout for Google Messages and Apple Messages.
Google Voice is a telephone service that provides a U.S. telephone number to Google Account customers in the U.S. and Google Workspace (G Suite by October 2020) customers in Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the contiguous United States. The service is configured and maintained by users in a web-based application, similar in style to Google's email service Gmail, or Android and iOS applications on smartphones or tablets. It is used for call forwarding and voicemail services, voice and text messaging, as well as U.S. and Canadian domestic and international calls. Incoming calls are forwarded to one or more telephone numbers that users must configure and verify in the account. Users can answer and receive calls on any of the telephones or applications configured to ring. While answering a call, the user can switch between the configured devices. Subscribers in the United States can make outgoing calls to domestic and international destinations. Google Voice currently provides free PC-to-phone calling within the United States and Canada, and PC-to-PC voice and video calling worldwide between users of the Google+ Hangouts browser plugin (available for Windows, Intel-based Mac OS X, and Linux). Almost all domestic and outbound calls to the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada are currently free from the U.S. and Canada, and $0.01 per minute from everywhere else. International calls are billed according to a schedule posted on the Google Voice website. Many other Google Voice services—such as voicemail, free text messaging, call history, call screening, blocking of unwanted calls, and voice transcription to text of voicemail messages—are also available to U.S. residents. Voicemails, missed call notifications, and/or text messages can optionally be forwarded to an email account of the user's choice. Additionally, text messages can be sent and received via the familiar email or IM interface by reading and writing text messages in numbers in Google Talk respectively (PC-to-Phone texting).
Google Allo was an instant messaging mobile app by Google for the Android and iOS mobile operating systems, with a web client available in some web browsers. It closed on March 12, 2019. The app used phone numbers as identifiers, allowing users to exchange messages, files, voice notes, and images. It included a virtual assistant that generated automatic reply suggestions and an optional encrypted mode known as incognito mode. Users could also resize messages and add doodles and stickers on images before sending them. Before launch, Google touted strong privacy in the app, with particular emphasis on messages stored "transiently and in non-identifiable form". However, at launch, privacy was significantly rolled back, with Google keeping logs of messages indefinitely (or until the user deletes messages) in an effort to improve the app's "smart reply" feature.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Joe Louis.
