Over the years, Google has manage to pioneer almost every aspect of mobile operating systems and everything else related to mobile phones. Be it hardware features or software, Google is always at the forefront when it comes to providing the latest features to its users. But one thing that had always posed a hurdle in Google’s quest to master all things mobile is the sub-par Android Messages app, which has always proven to be inferior when it comes to its iOS counterpart, iMessage. However, if Google manages to pull off its latest endeavor into the mobile messaging domain, that could be changing soon.
The target, of course, is to provide an all-in-one messaging app which incorporates everything that user’s desire in one complete, compact and convenient package. While it has tried a number of times before, Google is taking another step towards achieving this goal after announcing that it is going to start rolling out RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging features to Android Message users.
What is RCS? Simply put, it is a much faster, efficient, more feature-packed alternative to traditional text messaging. To make it even more simpler, imagine this: traditional SMS with WhatsApp features such as multimedia, read receipts and typing indicators. One thing it will still be lacking, though, is end-to-end encryption. Eligible users will be asked to opt for the new ‘Chat’ feature when they open the Android Messages app after it has been rolled out in their region.
From a technical point of view, RCS is a set of rules from the GSM Association which governs how objects such as attachments, emojis, text formatting etc. are handled and enables developers to harness these features in whichever way they deem useful. Since there are no restrictions on how these rules are implemented, not everyone does it the same way.
While RCS is already supported by many major carriers around the worldwide, for Google to be finally taking charge of such a handy feature is definitely welcome news. For more info on how RCS will affect your Android Messages experience, be sure to check out this. Will you be using RCS messaging on Android when it rolls your way? Do let us know in the comments below!
Sure. I can’t wait to use it