RCS guide, and why the text makes it so much better

Verizon next year It will merge with AT&T and T-Mobile Pre-charging with Android phones Google Posts as an application for sending default messages. It’s a big win for RCS, the chat protocol that Google has encouraged us all to promote. What exactly is RCS, and why do you need it?

Short version: This is an upgrade from the standard SMS / MMS text that phones use from the beginning. It provides better support for all the interesting add-ons we’re used to in messaging apps, such as read receipts and images, and also adds more security layers.

Yes, it’s like Apple’s iMessage, but it’s not that easy. It’s less application, and more standard which applications can use.

Long version: RCS Rich Communication Services, is a more basic standard than an app like WhatsApp or Telegram. It needs carrier support to work, which is why the support of Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile is a big deal (it now operates in dozens of countries).

The Android Messages app developed by Google is the main way to get everything that RCS has to offer, even though theoretically other apps also support the standard. One of the biggest questions about the future of RCS is whether or not Apple supports it, putting Android users on an equal footing within the Messages app on iPhones and other Apple devices.

SMS (Short Message Service) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) were not really built for the modern way of communicating through our phones, and RCS is trying to fix that. Adds or enhances support for sharing high-resolution images and videos, group chat, reading receipts, video calls, and sharing messages with more than 160 characters.

You can add feedback to your posts, see if someone else is typing, and add additional items such as GIFs, stickers, and your current location to conversations; features that you can use and accept as standard in other applications.

There are also changes and innovations behind the scenes. While SMS / MMS requires a data connection for your mobile service, RCS also works over mobile networks or Wi-Fi. If you don’t have a signal for any reason but can find a wireless network, your message can go ahead.

Before June 2021, the standard now includes state-of-the-art encryption for individual chats as well. You should see a small lock symbol next to the Send button in the Messages section (and a small padlock next to the sent messages). The function should be enabled by default if you are chatting with someone who is using RCS-enabled Messages.