Google has announced it is replacing the default Messages app on Android with one called Android Messages.
However, as much as that could clear up confusion with Facebook Messenger for Android users, it’s more than just a name change.
Google reckons it has more chance of competing with the messaging big guns thanks to the addition of Rich Communications Services, or RCS.
Related: Android Nougat review
RCS means Android Messages (now available from the Play Store) now enables group chats, read receipts and the ability to share high resolution imagery.
Among them, Google says, are LG, Motorola, Sony, HTC, ZTE, Micromax, Nokia, Archos, BQ, Cherry Mobile, Condor, Fly, General Mobile, Lanix, LeEco, Lava, Kyocera, MyPhone, QMobile, Symphony and Wiko and, of course, its own phones.
Network carriers jumping aboard include Sprint, Rogers, Telenor, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Globe, and Vodafone, giving the company access to half a billion users globally.
Unfortunately for Google, as it finally seeks to make a success out of a messaging app of any description, Samsung isn’t on board. Neither is Apple. Neither are Verizon and AT&T, the two dominant networks in the United States.
If you text someone whose phone doesn’t accept the RCS standard, it’ll simply default to a common SMS or MMS.
Can Google finally make a success of a messaging app, despite the complications related to RCS? Share your thoughts below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
