RCS

The North American mobile carrier AT&T revealed this week that they're working with Google to make Messages by Google the default messaging app for all AT&T Android devices in the USA. This should, hopefully, make the transition to an industry-wide adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS) a reality at some point in the future. This is not the first time RCS has been available for AT&T users, but it is the first time AT&T's agreed to make RCS for Android a reality with Google's own Messages app - by default.

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Messaging has become so common among smartphone and Internet users that people often take it for granted that their conversations may not always be just between them. Unlike face-to-face or even telephone conversations, the chances of third parties, especially unauthorized actors, snooping in on private dialogue are so much higher in Internet-based messaging services. To fight such privacy intrusions, Google is finally flipping the switch for E2EE, short for end-to-end encryption, on its Messages platform. Provided you meet certain requirements, that is.

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Although all US carriers now offer Android phones on their shelves, T-Mobile has a distinct place in Android history. It is the carrier to actually put its faith in the still-nascent smartphone platform with the T-Mobile G1, a.k.a the HTC Dream. Now it is renewing that close ties not just with Android but with Google's entire ecosystem by betting on some of the tech giant's services, even at the expense of one of its own.

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Today we're taking a peek at Rich Communication Services (RCS) and what it means for you as it's reached global coverage. RCS is an open standard for messaging services on mobile devices that works with your data connection rather than your cellular connection. RCS chat features upgrade the abilities of SMS text messaging to take advantage of the abilities of smart devices and mobile data connectivity - and it's ready to roll now, around the world.

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T-Mobile USA introduced RCS (rich messaging) to T-Mobile users back in the year 2015 for their USA-based network. Here in 2020, T-Mobile USA and Google teamed up to expand T-Mobile users' ability to work with RCS "when texting with Android users on other networks across the globe." This system will be interesting to see expand, as it requires a smartphone that supports RSC Universal Profile 1.0 while the person receiving messages to have the official Google Messages app.

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For years, Apple's iMessage has been regarded as the gold standard for instant messaging experiences, or at least after BlackBerry Messenger or BBM lost its grandeur. For years, Android users have been longing to have that same native messaging experience or even have iMessage itself on Android, and the new Rich Communication Services or RCS is believed to be a step in that direction. It still has a long way to go, though, especially when it comes to adoption, but it is slowly growing its features to match modern chat services, like this new "iMessage-style" emoji reactions.

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A couple of years ago, Microsoft rolled out an app for Windows 10 called Your Phone. Aiming for deeper integration between PCs and smartphones in a post-Windows Phone age, Your Phone has seen a lot of features added to it since it was first introduced. An upcoming feature may very well one of the biggest yet: Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging.

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As of this week, the RCS chat protocol was activated for Android devices in the USA. This means that when you've got the official Google Messages app and the latest version of Carrier Services, you'll have a slightly more advanced version of SMS TXT messaging on your hands.

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Users will soon get a more comprehensive and "rich" experience in SMS text messaging in Android. This is thanks to Google's push for RCS (Rich Communication Services) in SMS text messaging over the past few years, enabled here in the USA in late 2019. To enable this newly-enabled more powerful chat system, users will need the official SMS text messaging client from Google called Messages - which can be downloaded as the Messages app in the Google Play app store.

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