RCS: What's next for mobile messaging

guest · Feb 10, 2020

RCS could accelerate convergence of notifications and conversations
RCS: What’s Going On?
January 29, 2020
https://go.forrester.com/blogs/rcs-whats-going-on/

Forrester published a piece on RCS called “More Myth Than Magic — For Now.” (Report link is only available to clients.) For those of you not following RCS (rich communication service), it’s basically the carrier’s upgrade to SMS, which is nearly 30 years old at this point.
There have been a couple of recent announcements that I wanted to address.

First, the US carriers formed what is called the CCMI, or Cross Carrier Messaging Initiative. This article from Telecompetitor provides a good overview, as does this one from The Verge.
Mostly, it feels to me like Google may have stepped out of the driver’s seat and the US carriers have stepped in — a bit of same-same for me. I’ll keep looking for more details.

Second, Google is making an RCS-enabled messaging app available to Android users. That rollout started in the US late in 2019. (The Verge has a good article that explains the details here.)
There is some friction, but users can get it working if they want to do so.
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A few points here:
[...]
Google/Android needs a strong messaging app. I can’t say that Allo flopped, because I don’t have numbers. But Google did turn it off. Messaging is too essential to how consumers communicate and will do things in the future to not have a play — especially if you want to be the intermediary between brands and their customers. The upside for the carriers to make this work? There is some, but unless they are the service — and not just the transport — it is harder to make the case.
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Mrkvonic · Feb 10, 2020

Most of Google's proposals are designed to make Google's ecosystem work better. And every little company with an ego envisions itself as the next Google so they ape technology without any logic. Like the use of containers, ip/ss, this. SMS works with zero mobile data. RCS does not. The reliance of any sort of connectivity that is dependent on higher levers of the network stack or provider is fundamentally wrong. And once again, we have the new-age mentality of replacing things that work for the sake of it - there's nothing wrong with SMS. There's no need to replace it, because it does what it's meant to do. Anything else is just absolute nonsense.
Mrk

Minimalist · May 23, 2020

Google Messages preparing end-to-end encryption for RCS messages

Today, the folks at APKMirror got ahold of an internal “dogfood” build of Google Messages version 6.2. Here, “dogfood” is used in the sense of the phrase “eat your own dog food,” meaning actually use the product you’re building. Of course, our APK Insight team immediately dug in to see what all is coming with the next version of Google Messages. While we’re still actively looking through the many changes found within, one in particular stood out — end-to-end encryption for RCS messages.
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https://9to5google.com/2020/05/23/google-messages-end-to-end-encryption-rcs/

guest · May 27, 2020

Google and T-Mobile join up to make RCS support work better across carriers
May 26, 2020
https://www.xda-developers.com/google-t-mobile-rcs-support-cross-carrier-messages/

The rollout of RCS support in the US has been pretty messy.
Today, Google and T-Mobile announced a joint effort that makes RCS work better across carriers.

T-Mobile has been one of the better US carriers when it comes to supporting RCS. Before today, RCS was supported between T-Mobile branded devices. However, if a T-Mobile user sent a message to someone who was not on T-Mobile, there was no RCS support. Starting today, any T-Mobile user sending a message to a user of any other carrier will enjoy the benefits of RCS.

There is some small print for the situation: this only applies to Android devices and the non-T-Mobile user must be using the Google Messages app.
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This announcement is a big deal, though, because a lot of people don’t go out of their way to change the default SMS app.
T-Mobile points out that it is the “first in the world to implement a full standards-based RCS Universal Profile 1.0 interconnect with Google’s Messages service. ” Hopefully, more carriers are ready to jump on board.
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T-Mobile: Android Fans Just got a Texting Upgrade. T-Mobile and Google Join Forces to Expand Rich Messaging (RCS)

guest · May 27, 2020

Is Google finally managing its messaging mess?
Signs point to maybe
May 27, 2020
https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/27/21271186/google-rcs-t-mobile-encryption-ccmi-universal-profile

Sadly, the time has come for me to write about Rich Communication Services again. There have been a few pieces of news about it in the past week or so and I find myself vaguely optimistic that by this time next year Google will be offering properly encrypted messaging to Android users with a relatively simple, seamless experience that’s well on its way to being universally available.

RCS is the more advanced replacement for SMS and if the carriers and phones of all texters in a thread support it then you’ll get chat-like features like typing indicators and bigger attachments.
But there’s no real way to know whether or not you’ll be getting RCS or plain old SMS until you open up a chat window with one or several people and then wait to see what you get.

If your carrier doesn’t support RCS, you can still get it via Android Messages and let Google handle RCS for you, but it will still fall back gracefully to SMS or MMS.
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In any case, none of these solutions offer truly end-to-end encryption and there’s no indication Apple is even faintly interested in supporting it on the iPhone.

Good grief.
The most recent news is that T-Mobile will finally begin supporting proper cross-carrier RCS messaging via the “Universal Profile.” Until now, T-Mobile could technically say it supported RCS but in reality it only worked between certain T-Mobile phones.
So T-Mobile figuring out how to get its RCS to talk to Google’s RCS via the globally accepted default is meaningful progress. That doesn’t mean we don’t have more confusion in store.

Last year the major US carriers signed on to a joint agreement called the Cross Carrier Messaging Initiative that was designed to do the thing Google had been asking them to do all along: support RCS Universal Profile. What does T-Mobile’s announcement mean for the CCMI? Stay tuned I guess! [...]
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guest · Nov 19, 2020

Google completes global RCS rollout as Messages starts testing default end-to-end encryption
...any Android user can get RCS via Google’s app
November 19, 2020
https://9to5google.com/2020/11/19/g...starts-testing-default-end-to-end-encryption/

In mid-2019, Google decided to take over and speed up the launch of RCS. A little over 17 months later, Google announced today that it has completed a global rollout of RCS, while Messages will start testing end-to-end encryption.

RCS, or Rich Communication Services, allows for advanced messaging features like typing indicators, read receipts, higher-resolution photos and videos, larger group conversations, and interactive experiences with businesses.
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Google today has completed a global rollout of RCS for all Android phones. As such, those with carriers lacking support can download the Google Messages app from the Play Store. That said, availability “in some cases” depends on device and service providers. You’ll see an in-app prompt to enable or can visit Settings > Chat features.
To mark that occasion, Google is addressing one of the biggest criticisms about the standard its consumer messaging strategy is relying on. Google Messages will soon start testing end-to-end encryption in one-to-one conversations.

We recognize that your conversations are private and it’s our responsibility to keep your personal information safe. We’re continually improving security protections to safeguard your privacy…
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E2EE is not available for SMS/MMS, while group messaging is not currently supported.
End-to-end encryption in Messages will start rolling out this month in a process that will continue into next year. A technical paper is available here, along with a support page with more details.
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The Verge: Google is rolling out end-to-end encryption for RCS in Android Messages beta

Update, 10:25 am ET, Nov 19: Google has released the technical paper on how it has implemented encryption already, instead of later this month as expected. We have also added a link to the availability map, which shows that both China and Russia are excluded. The article has been updated to reflect that.
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guest · Jul 20, 2021

Verizon Joins AT&T, T-Mobile in Switching to Google Messages and RCS
July 20, 2021
https://www.droid-life.com/2021/07/...bile-in-switching-to-google-messages-and-rcs/

Google has done it. It might have taken more years than any of us predicted, but here we are. Google won the RCS battle in the US. All three big US carriers have now announced that they will pre-load Google Messages on their Android phones and use Google’s RCS.

Verizon joined AT&T and T-Mobile this morning, saying that they too will make Google Messages the default on their Android phones. However, unlike those other two, Verizon isn’t getting started with this change until next year (2022). That means we’ll get several phone releases throughout the next couple of quarters that won’t have Google Messages and will lack the cross-carrier RCS compatibility it brings.
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Once 2022 rolls around, Verizon customers will be able to take advantage of RCS benefits, like sending and receiving high-quality photos and video, chatting over WiFi, seeing read receipts or when someone is typing, bigger and better group chats, and encrypted messages in one-on-one chats.
Verizon is also planning to bring full RCS access to users of their bad Message+ app.
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guest · Jul 21, 2021

Apple holds out in adopting next-generation RCS texting standard
July 20, 2021
https://appleinsider.com/articles/2...adopting-next-generation-rcs-texting-standard

As Android and mobile carriers plan to adopt the next-generation RCS standard for texting, Apple appears to be one of the sole remaining holdouts.

Verizon on Tuesday announced that it would adopt the Rich Communications Service (RCS) standard beginning in 2021, joining AT&T and T-Mobile. It marks the final step toward replacing SMS with RCS on Android.
As The Verge points out, Apple has yet to announce any plans or interest in adopting RCS support for iPhone.
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However, with Google's Android and all three major carriers in the U.S. adopting the RCS standard, Apple may be more interested in bringing support for the next-generation texting standard to its iPhone.
It likely won't replace iMessage, but RCS adoption could make communications between Android and iPhone users more feature-rich and secure.
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xxJackxx · Jul 21, 2021

Mrkvonic said: ↑

Most of Google's proposals are designed to make Google's ecosystem work better. And every little company with an ego envisions itself as the next Google so they ape technology without any logic. Like the use of containers, ip/ss, this. SMS works with zero mobile data. RCS does not. The reliance of any sort of connectivity that is dependent on higher levers of the network stack or provider is fundamentally wrong. And once again, we have the new-age mentality of replacing things that work for the sake of it - there's nothing wrong with SMS. There's no need to replace it, because it does what it's meant to do. Anything else is just absolute nonsense.
Mrk
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I hate to quote post this old but well said. They are doing this so they can charge for data.

guest · Aug 1, 2021

A Guide to RCS, and Why It Makes Texting So Much Better
Google is pushing the new standard for Android devices, which promises better security and cooler features than plain old SMS
August 1, 2021
https://www.wired.com/story/guide-to-rcs-why-it-makes-texting-better/

NEXT YEAR VERIZON will join AT&T and T-Mobile in preloading Android phones with Messages by Google as the default texting app. It's a big win for RCS, the chat protocol that Google has been pushing us all to adopt. But what exactly is RCS, and why do you need it?

The short version: It's an upgrade on the standard SMS/MMS texting standards that smartphones have been using from the beginning. It brings better support for all the cool add-ons we're used to in our messaging apps, like read receipts and images, and it adds some extra security layers too.
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guest · Oct 8, 2021

Google teasingly offers to ‘help’ Apple switch to RCS text messages
October 8, 2021
https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/08/switch-to-rcs-google-tells-apple/

Although we tend to think of text messaging and SMS as synonyms, that’s not quite the case. SMS (short messaging service) is simply the original technical standard for text messages. In recent years, there’s been a drive to switch to RCS (rich communications services, or rich communications suite), a more sophisticated text messaging standard.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened, mostly due to the rivalry between Apple and Google, and that’s something Google wants to change …
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The plan was for all carriers and smartphone makers to adopt RCS. The older SMS standard could then be retired.

Google was a fan of RCS, so this has now been adopted by all Android phones – as it was a way to enable iMessage-like features. Apple has so far not added support for RCS, so the would-be universal standard is currently Android-only. That’s why we still need the elderly SMS standard to allow communication between iPhones and Android phones.
Switch to RCS with our help, says Google
Google SVP Hiroshi Lockheimer decided to tease Apple.

Group chats don't need to break this way. There exists a Really Clear Solution. Here's an open invitation to the folks who can make this right: we are here to help. https://t.co/4P6xfsQyT0
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) October 7, 2021
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Lockheimer’s tweet is obviously a tongue-in-cheek one: Apple wouldn’t need any help adopting RCS; it’s simply that the company doesn’t want to do it.
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guest · Aug 9, 2022

Google starts ‘Get The Message’ campaign to pressure Apple into RCS on the iPhone
August 9th 2022

For the past year, Google has been increasingly calling out Apple for not adopting RCS (Rich Communication Services) on the iPhone. Meant to replace SMS/MMS, it has a number of technical advancements that would improve the messaging experience between Android and iOS users. Google is now launching a “Get The Message” pressure campaign in hopes that Apple will change its mind on RCS.

If #GetTheMessage sounds familiar, it was the hashtag appended to the Android team’s video explainer of “Texts Go Green” by Drake in June. It’s now the URL of a page on android.com that lays out Google’s campaign for RCS on Apple phones:

It’s time for Apple to fix texting.
It’s not about the color of the bubbles. It’s the tiny photos and videos, no texting over wifi and no read receipts. Apple creates these problems when we text each other from iPhones and Android phones, but does nothing to fix it.
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Google positions “modern industry standard” RCS as the solution. Notably, the company’s ask is rather specific in that it just wants Apple to adopt RCS for messaging between Android and iOS.

RCS allows for higher-res attachments (given the use of a cloud back end), better group chatting with controls, sending over data, typing indicators, and E2EE. Supported by carriers worldwide, Google said there are 500 million monthly active users as of May.
The Android Get The Message website ends by suggesting “other messaging apps,” including Signal and WhatsApp.
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guest · Aug 10, 2022

RCS is still half-baked, and Apple has no reason to adopt it
June 23, 2022 - Updated: Aug 10, 2022

In June, Google posted a video about how RCS can bridge the messaging gap between iOS and Android, and it amped up efforts and escalated the effort on Tuesday. But, Apple doesn't need RCS, or at least the half-baked version it is today.

Google's "unofficial lyric explainer" video explains that "Texts Go Green" refers to the phenomenon when an iPhone user gets blocked, or tries to text an Android user. A sarcastic message at the end of the video says that it is a problem Apple can fix by adopting Rich Communication Services) RCS.
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Apple doesn't need RCS
People with iPhones aren't going to stop texting their Android friends just because a green bubble appears. And, the iMessage stigma is only in the United States. Internationally, alternatives have a much higher adoption rate.

If a shared experience with features that everyone can enjoy is desired, third-party apps such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp are there to fill the gap.
These apps support rich features that both ecosystems can enjoy because they're using the same app. These apps use neither iMessage nor SMS, making them universal. Only an internet connection is required.
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Encryption and other enhanced features are advantages that RCS has over SMS, but for now, it seems the only way Apple is going to support it is if SMS went away entirely.

For now, RCS is merely an alternative and not yet a standard. Despite adoption by some carriers and some companies, it is too little, too late unless Google makes significant changes and improvements.
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guest · Sep 8, 2022

Tim Cook made it clear that Apple won't adopt RCS any time soon
By William Gallagher @WGallagher - September 8, 2022

Tim Cook has responded about why Apple hasn't adopted RCS messaging, claiming it isn't of interest to Apple users — and urging people to buy iPhones.

Speaking at the Code 22 conference, Tim Cook was asked about why Apple refuses to add Rich Communication Services (RCS) support to Messages. The question comes after Google has been campaigning to see RCS support, which would in theory make messaging

"I don't see our users asking us to put a lot of energy into that at this point," Cook told the questioner. "I would love to convert you to an iPhone."
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That unnamed questioner gave as an example the situation he is in with his mother. He would like to share videos with her, but she's an Android user and can only exchange text or SMS messages with him.

"Buy your mom an iPhone," said Cook.
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The exchange ended there, with neither side commenting on how although Messages and RCS is a hot issue in the States, it isn't anywhere else. Outside the US, alternatives such as WhatsApp are so very much more prevalent than Apple's or Google's systems.
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