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Closed Google will finally offer RCS messaging without the carrier in the middle

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Miz_Me

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RCS stands for Rich Communication Services and the best way to describe it is to say it can make regular texting more like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.

Google doing RCS on its own is a good thing for the most part. The way the company is doing it should fend off any further antitrust lawsuits because you can opt-in once it becomes available and if your carrier provides RCS services, it is the company that handles the messaging. All a user will know is that they agreed to let Google handle their messages (RCS texts have to go through a central server sometimes) and when they are chatting with someone else who has a phone that's RCS capable everything looks and feels like WhatsApp

This is different from other rich messaging platforms we've seen or used. You're not required to use a specific phone or specific brand, and you aren't limited to only chatting with people using the same phone carrier as you. You send messages the same way you always have, but some will support more features.

That said, RCS is not end-to-end encrypted, and the service relies on your phone number — just like regular texting. Furthermore, Google is trialing the service in the UK and France initially, and there's no word on when it will be coming Stateside.

Taking some control over messaging is something Google has been trying to do for a few years now. We've seen the rise and fall of Hangouts, services like Allo that were too little and too late, and Chat bursting onto the scene like the Kool-Aid Man. Google has been making a big deal over RCS for well over a year, and it's great to see the company take the initiative and just do it.

This is Google's ninth attempt at a messaging solution, so fingers crossed RCS Chat is the one that finally works.

Source: Android Central
 
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