SMS

And so the Google messaging circus continues. Google has quite a few messaging apps, and some of them overlap with each other and the biggest offender is probably Hangouts. What would have been Google's main, or only, messaging platform supports chat, voice, video, and SMS, but soon it will have one less feature. According to a post on Reddit, Google will be removing carrier SMS support in May, forcing users, at least on Android, to migrate to another app, maybe Google's newly renamed "Android Messages" app.

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Google announced today that they were one step closer to "delivering RCS messaging to Android users worldwide." To this end, they've tapped into partnerships with Orange, Deutsche Telekom (parent company of T-Mobile), and Globe. These companies are officially "committed to launching RCS messaging powered by the Jibe RCS cloud from Google and will be preloading Android Messages as the standard native messaging app for their subscribers."

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The rise of high-profile hacking of Internet services, like the iCloudgate of recent memory, has put an emphasis on stronger security measures, like, for example, two-factor or two-step authentication. It seems, however, that not all two-factor systems are considered equal. A draft of an upcoming Digital Authentication Guideline to be published by the US National Institute for Standards and Technology or NIST may very well declare two-factor authentication that uses SMS as the second factor to be inherently insecure and, therefore, obsolete.

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Google just can't make it up its mind when it comes to its messaging services. It adds apps, removes features, merges, apps, removes features, and introduces duplicate features and apps. The latest example of that flip-flopping is with the Hangouts app on Android. Starting version 11, the app, which was initially a purely instant messaging app, will no longer show SMS and Hangouts messages in a single conversation. Before you sound the alarm, though, you can still send SMS from the app. They just won't take up the same space as Hangouts messages.

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Despite the prevalence of Internet-based instant messaging, like that used by Facebook, LINE, and iMessage, SMS remains the most basic way people communicate with their smartphones. Some tech pundits believe that it's time for it to give way to the next generation. One of those is Google, who has heavily invested on RCS or Rich Communication Services. Now, however, it isn't alone anymore. The GSM Association or GSMA, along with more than a dozen operators, have agreed to help push RCS. And adopt Google's RCS Android app as well.

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It seems that Google can't seem to make up its mind about its messaging solution, particularly when it comes to text (SMS) and multimedia messages (MMS). After deprecating Google Talk, and later Google Voice, in favor of its Hangouts brand and merging SMS features into it, insider sources are claiming that Google is making a U-turn, at least on the latter part. Developers are supposedly testing a version of the Hangouts Android app that was strangely divested of SMS and MMS functionality, leaving many to wonder what Google's ultimate plan really is.

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Just yesterday, Google rolled out an update to Hangouts on Android that added a bit of whimsical fun via stickers. While not as cute as that, the desktop version of Hangouts is now also seeing its fair share of updates. The latest version of the Hangouts Chrome browser app has been updated not just to match the Android version's Material Design but also adds a similar Phone tab to the user interface. It also got its own desktop notifications to alert you to new messages.

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Blurring the lines between desktop and mobile devices for years now, the development team at Sand Studio have released AirDroid 3. AirDroid 3 is the biggest update to the AirDroid ecosystem since the beginning, this system allows you to have pop-up notifications from your phone appear on your desktop computer's home screen. SMS messages appear and are able to be replied to with a tap, and you'll be able to take and make calls from your desktop as well.

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Earlier this week, we told you about Masque Attack, which let hackers sideload apps onto your iDevices. Often without you even realizing it, an app was loaded, and scary people somewhere else could gain access to your information. The app loaded may not have even been the app you were looking for when you followed the link, either. Now, Apple has issued a response to the report. We gotta say, it’s about what you’d expect from Apple, and full of common sense, too.

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Sending and receiving text messages is like email — boring, but necessary. SMS has never been fun, more utilitarian than interactive. Two free apps could make it fun, though — adding a richer experience to what has become a mundane experience for many of us.

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Google has updated Hangouts for Android, with v2.1 further blending SMS and Hangout conversations, likely much to the chagrin of carriers. Hangouts 2.1 - which will roll out in the Google Play store over the coming days, Google says - now merges text message and Hangouts chat into a single thread, with a toggle to control whether new replies go out over SMS or through Google's IM service.

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WhatsApp is a cross-platform messaging service that has been around for a while. In June of 2013, the WhatsApp service hit a record with a daily average of 27 billion messages sent and received. With 2014 now here, WhatsApp has hit another record and has grown significantly since last summer.

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