What Does The Blue Dot On Android Text Messages Mean?

If you're using one of the most common apps to manage text chats on an Android phone, you'll see a small blue dot appear next to certain conversations. In other cases, a different symbol, such as a tiny cartoon text bubble, may be displayed. However, even after opening an unread message, the dot or icon does not go away, which can be confusing. When interacting with chats that have these dots or icons, you may notice that you have access to dynamic chat features, including read receipts and typing indicators.

The blue dot is known to appear on many versions of the Samsung Messages app. Meanwhile, the chat bubble icon appears in newer versions of the more common Google Messages app. Confusingly, the Google Messages app is the default messaging app on many Samsung Galaxy phones, and many new products such as the Galaxy S25 Ultra ship without Samsung Messages preinstalled, so don't assume you'll see a blue dot just because you have a Galaxy device. If you're using a system-wide color theme, the dot may not be blue at all  — it will instead follow the color of the Android theme. So, what do these indicators mean? When you see a blue dot or a chat bubble icon in your Android phone's texting app, it denotes the use of the Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol. That means you get all the modern perks of an Internet messaging service like iMessage or WhatsApp directly in your text messages, and extra security in many cases. 

Blue dots or chat symbols next to text messages on Android phones are there to let you know that those chats are using RCS, meaning they are significantly upgraded compared to other text messages. The difference between RCS and SMS is enormous. SMS is what most people refer to as a text message, and we've been using it ever since the early 1990s. Sending a bit of text is no big deal in today's world of high-speed mobile coverage, but cellular networks were far less capable back then and weren't bolstered by the Internet. Consequently, text messages cannot use smart messaging features like read receipts or typing indicators, nor can they send high-quality photos and videos. RCS can do all of that, and it often comes with end-to-end encryption to keep your messages more secure.

RCS messages have recently exploded in popularity, especially in the United States. Apple, the last major holdout, finally adopted RCS into iMessage in 2024 following intense pressure from antitrust regulators in the U.S. and Europe. As the company with the lion's share of U.S. smartphone owners, its refusal to adopt the new technology had long meant that texts between iPhone and Android users were downgraded to SMS. When those dreaded green bubble chats gained RCS features, a massive number of Android users suddenly ended up with a lot more blue dots and chat icons in their messaging apps. Based on these developments, it's likely that Android users are seeing more blue dots, chat icons, or other indicators for RCS than ever before.

As of this writing, there is no option to disable the blue dots or chat bubble icons that appear alongside RCS chats in Samsung Messages and Google Messages on Android phones. Since these indicators are there to let users know which features they can expect to use in a given chat, disabling them would run counter to that goal. You can think of these indicators like blue bubbles on iPhones, which let iOS users know which of their chats are using iMessage. Similarly, you can expect chats with blue dots or chat icons to have smart features like read receipts and typing indicators.

You can usually tell whether a chat is using SMS or RCS by looking for those aforementioned chat features. Chats themselves may also be visually distinct. In Google Messages, sent RCS chat bubbles have a more saturated color than those sent with SMS. The color will depend on how you've customized Google Messages or your phone's overall color theme. In the text field where messages are typed, you'll also see the words "RCS message" before you start typing. RCS messages you send will also display a set of checkmark icons underneath, indicating whether the message was sent, received, or read by the recipient.

As long as there is still a need to help users differentiate between SMS and RCS chats, some visual indicator will likely remain in place. Although some may feel they clutter the messaging apps in which they appear, blue dots and chat bubble icons in Android texting apps are likely here to stay.