Giving the continuous expansion that apps like WhatsApp, Snapchat, WeChat, and Messenger are having in the last months, and due to the general acceptance that iMessage has had among iPhone users, Google has presented their new phone messaging alternative: The Rich Communications Service (RCS)

The objective for Google Co. is to offer users an alternative that is native and enhanced for Android carriers, as well as being competitive in the messaging communications field. Executives from the company hope that this texting upgrade will put Google in an important place concerning mobile messaging.

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Image Credit: Mobile Marketing Magazine

From now on, this RCS app is called “Android Messages” in an attempt to make the service more native to Android and its affiliates.

“An industry effort spearheaded by Google, but with other stakeholders involved (namely: the carriers). The new name is also a signal to users that the app fully supports RCS,” Sarhangi told to the specialized site The Verge in an exclusive interview this Friday.

Google’s big announcement

This Saturday, the most prominent company from the Android conglomerate has announced that 27 carriers have attached themselves to the RCS project. The new manufacturers are now present in the list of enterprises that support the Rich Communications Services for Android.

Among the innovations there are regarding the new app from Android, there is the intention of expanding the messaging experience to the maximum. RCS offers users the possibility to exchange high-resolution images within the app, dynamic group chatting, as well as the presence of MMS and SMS services. Added to this, it offers a new program for brands and providers to optimize the messaging experience for users of all types of mobile phones.

Vodafone, Orange, Deutsche Telekom and Globe, while OEMs now include LG, Motorola, Sony, HTC, ZTE, Micromax, Nokia, Archos, BQ, Cherry Mobile, Condor, Fly, General Mobile, Lanix, LeEco, Lava, Kyocera, MyPhone, QMobile, Symphony and Wiko are the carriers that have attached themselves to the list of manufacturers that support the RCS innovation. These companies add to the existing Google Pixel and Android One handsets to create a market of over 1 billion users that can download the messaging service.

However, when looking deeply into the list of future providers, the absence of important companies like Samsung, Apple, Verizon, and AT&T raise a lot of questions regarding the actual expansion this app would have among users worldwide.

This important announcement translates into all these carriers moving forward from the current “Messages” pre-determined app in all their devices as they will start to work with the RCS program.

This news comes in a very particular time as the Barcelona MWC mobile conference is just a few days away as this seems like the way Google found to let the global communications field know that they have not retreated and there is growth for them on the horizon.

Source: Tech Crunch