![]() ![]() Even Samsung did its own thing for a while before it too eventually agreed to make Messages by Google the default messaging app it ships on phones in the US.įor that reason, Apple has had little reason to adopt RCS. In fact, the early days of RCS were marked by false starts, with some carriers, including a group made up of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon forming a short-lived joint venture to push the protocol forward before eventually aligning themselves with Google. With Jibe’s technology as a base, it’s effectively Google that provides the glue that binds the RCS ecosystem together, but for a long time, the company did a poor job of aligning everyone involved in RCS toward a shared goal. In 2015, Google took a more active role in the proliferation of RCS when it acquired Jibe Mobile. RCS is a multi-stakeholder project that includes the involvement of the GSMA, a trade body that represents the interests of the mobile communications industry at large. How did we get here?Īlthough work on RCS began before Apple announced iMessage, the protocol had one major disadvantage that doomed it to a slow rollout. Due to iMessage’s reliance on SMS/MMS for Android communication, media files end up pixelated, there aren’t any read receipts or typing indicators and forget about trying to involve multiple iPhone and Android users in a single group chat. As such, Apple’s Messages app will default to SMS/MMS when users attempt to send texts and media files to someone with an Android phone.įrom the perspective of an iMessage user, it can feel like Android users are stuck in a bygone messaging era - even though the latter is not at fault for the situation. However, at the moment the two protocols do not communicate with one another. Starting in 2024, Apple plans to integrate support for RCS in its Messages app. Unlike RCS, iMessage is a proprietary messaging protocol controlled exclusively by Apple and available ( barring some unofficial workarounds) only on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac devices. How does iMessage fit into all this?Īpple announced iMessage in June 2011, a few short months before Steve Jobs died later that same year. As long as your phone and carrier support RCS, and you’re using a compatible app such as Messages by Google, you can take advantage of everything the protocol has to offer - provided, of course, the person or people you’re messaging meet those same requirements. Taking advantage of RCS does not require signing up for a new service. At its heart, RCS is a communication protocol between mobile telephone carriers and between a phone and carrier. One thing that’s important to remember about RCS is that it is not and has never been envisioned as a replacement or competitor to instant messaging apps. For that reason, the older protocol likely isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Unlike SMS texts, RCS messages are routed over a mobile data connection or Wi-Fi link, with SMS functioning as a fallback. As of earlier this year, Google’s implementation of RCS also offers by default end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for both one-on-one and group chats. It can also facilitate proper group chats, and allow users to send high-resolution images, video and audio clips. RCS allows users to take advantage of many features that were previously exclusive to over-the-top messaging platforms like WhatsApp.įor instance, the RCS Universal Profile includes full support for read receipts and typing indicators. RCS is short for Rich Communication Services, though sometimes it is also marketed as “Advanced Messaging.” Either way, it’s often positioned as a next-generation replacement for SMS and MMS. That fact has meant SMS has often served as a fallback for more advanced protocols, including iMessage. SMS also doesn’t support end-to-end encryption.īut for all the ways SMS feels dated in an era dominated by instant messaging platforms, it has one defining advantage: SMS messages are routed through your carrier’s mobile network, meaning a data plan isn’t necessary to use the technology. For that, cell phones have long turned to a supporting protocol known as Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), but it too has its share of technical limitations, including woefully small message size limits. SMS messages are limited to 160 characters, and texts you send can’t include photos, videos, audio or GIFs. In 2023, however, the standard has some notable drawbacks. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |