Hanging on the telephone set to be replaced by messaging services
It was 175 years ago that Italian inventor Antonio Meucci came up with the technology that would later be improved and popularized by Alexander Graham Bell to become the telephone.
New research from cloud communications company Sinch finds that newer technologies are starting to change how we communicate -- particularly with businesses -- offering richer, more interactive, and personalized experiences.
Google Messages introduces emergency texting with RCS to contact 911
Google has launched a new feature in Google Messages that enables users to text 911 using Rich Communication Services (RCS). This functionality will first be available in U.S. regions that currently lack text-to-911 capabilities, in collaboration with emergency technology company RapidSOS.
Elmar Weber, General Manager at Android and Business Communications, emphasized the utility of this feature, stating, "Calling 911 in emergency situations isn’t always possible. This is why, in partnership with RapidSOS, we're rolling out the ability to text 911 with RCS."
Google wants to shame Apple into adopting RCS in its Messages app
RCS is a cross-platform messaging protocol designed as a successor to the outdated SMS and MMS standards, and Google today launches a new website to try and shame Apple into adopting it.
If you have an iPhone and message Android-owning friends regularly using the Apple’s Messages app, then you’ll know that the message bubbles show up in different colors -- blue for fellow iPhone owners, and green for those on Android. However, you might also have encountered problems like low res photos and videos, missing read receipts and typing indicators, and broken group chats when engaging in cross-platform messaging. This, Google says bluntly, is down to Apple.
How to deregister your phone number from Google RCS chat
With absolutely zero fanfare, Google has rolled out a system that lets you turn off RCS chat features to help avoid problems such as missing messages.
The simple form that has appeared online is very similar to the one used by Apple. The online system can be used even if you do not have your previous phone with you, so you can deregister your phone number from your computer.
RCS messaging lands in Your Phone app for Windows 10
Microsoft has been making great progress with its Your Phone app recently. The app -- which makes it possible to use an Android smartphone in conjunction with Windows 10 -- has now gained support for RCS messaging.
It has been possible to send regular text messages via Your Phone for some time but now, thanks to a new partnership with Samsung, next-generation RCS messaging is available to some users too.
RCS is being implemented dangerously, leaving users vulnerable to attack
Security experts from Security Research Labs (SRLabs) have warned that carriers are implementing RCS (Rich Communication Services which will supersede SMS) in ways that risk leaving users exposed to all manner of attack.
The German hacking research collective issues the stark warning that "RCS technology exposes most mobile users to hacking". This is not because of inherent problems with the messaging protocol, but with the ways in which it is being implement.
Google is rolling out RCS messaging to Android users in the US
The rollout of the successor to SMS is now underway in the US. Having brought RCS (Rich Communication Service) to the UK, Mexico and France, Google has started to deploy it in America.
The move comes as Google's frustration at carriers' apparent unwillingness to commit to RCS boiled over, leading the company to take the bull by the horns and start to push its own implementation of the standard.
Google is bringing RCS messaging to users directly instead of waiting for carriers
There has been much talk about SMS successor RCS (Rich Communication Service) over the last year or so, but there has been little in the way of action. But this is about to change.
Seemingly tired of carriers and handset makers dawdling, Google is bringing RCS messaging to Android users in the UK and France. With Google taking control of RCS, the service could become the company's version of iMessage before long, and it means users will be able to experience it sooner than they might have expected.
Samsung and Google are working together to bring RCS messaging to Android
Google has been working on RCS messaging for a little while now, hoping that the successor to SMS will take off. Earlier in the year, the company moved its Allo team to work on the RCS-based Chat. Now it has teamed up with Samsung.
The two companies are working together to help speed up the adoption of Rich Communication Service, ultimately aiming for global coverage. One of the first goals, however, is to ensure compatibility between Android Messages and Samsung Messages.
Google pauses development of Allo in favor of RCS Chat
Google has had no shortage of chat and messaging tools over the years, and the company just added another one to its list. Google's Chat is based on the RCS (Universal Profile for Rich Communication Services) protocol which it is hoped will succeed SMS.
The company is hitting pause on Allo -- which only launched towards the end of 2016 -- to focus resources on RCS. Google is transferring "almost all" of the team currently working on Allo to Android Messages which will ultimately feature Chat, its own RCS implementation.
Insights on RCS and how it will replace SMS [Q&A]
Over the past 25 years, SMS text messaging has become the most personal and ubiquitous form of communication in the digital era. In fact, it hasn’t simply held its ground, it’s actually gained momentum -- with global consumers preferring to communicate with businesses through this intuitive channel. As technology continues to bolster SMS capabilities, a new form of mobile messaging known as Rich Communications Services (RCS) is making waves in the mobile revolution.
Leading the charge, OpenMarket has joined forces with Google to help businesses realize the full capabilities of RCS messaging for customer engagement. We caught up with its senior market development manager Oisin Lunny, to learn about the company’s recent partnership with Google and details on what’s fast becoming the next generation of A2P (application to person) texting -- RCS.
Like Google, Samsung is ready to further embrace RCS messaging
It is really starting to feel as though the days of SMS and MMS are well and truly numbered. Google has already updated its Messenger app, renaming it Android Messages as it aims to branch out into Rich Communication Services, and now Samsung has announced that it's ready to jump in too.
After new tablet announcements at MWC 2017, Samsung says that its acquisition of NewNet Communication Technologies' RCS solution means it is ready to expand its messaging services. Samsung's embracing of RCS will bring features such as group messaging, file transfers and video calls to users and Samsung says its RCS cloud will help mobile operators to quickly roll out new services.
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