What exactly is Google’s RCS? What does it mean for Android app development

Text messages have been very popular over time. Despite the number of limitation like word limits of 160 characters and the lack of features such as group messaging, animated stickers and read receipts, the messaging are still popular. Although there are many communication and messaging mediums available, still messages are widely used for marketing even at android app development services.

 

According to data, 97 percent of mobile users use message services. To make the services more popular, smartphone manufacturers and data carriers are collaborating with the governing bodies for the advancement in rich communication services (that comprises facebook messenger, iMessage, and Whatsapp over single platform).

The trends from the UK and France showed that customers are willing to use Google Chat if the carriers take time to roll out something new. This is changing RCS a little.

What is Google RCS?

Rich communication service is a protocol that is replacing SMS services from mobile app development solutions. Taking a slow start, the protocol was formed by the industry promoter in 2007 and sided safely under the hood of GSM association. Some influential factors always stopped RCS from gaining popularity. After a decade, Google stepped forward and started working with every major cell phone carrier for the wide adoption of RCS. The chat is an outcome of that step and about to supersede SMS.

Chat is a protocol based on the RCS universal profile, which is being considered the evolution of SMS. Chat will be featured with Reading receipts and other features. The protocol will look almost like iMessage and it is an interactive protocol, which can start group chats, send video and audio messages and high-resolution images. Also, Chat may offer some features for improved communication, send live updates, information about upcoming trips and allow you to select the seat from the Android message app, Good news if you hire an app developer. Like other messaging services, now Chat would work over data connection and can work over multiple devices. Though Google claims it to work over every device, still there is no such confirmation from Apple to support the protocol.

Also, it comes with a drawback. The original RCS implementation does not offer end to end encryption but the client to server encryption. Chat is the android based messaging app, which is a user-friendly name for the protocol and available only over android messages and Samsung messages. However, most of the smartphone carriers ship their devices with the default android messaging app. The carrier needs to support the Chat protocol, otherwise, the message will revert to SMS.

How does RCS service works or android development companies?

RCS service uses the federal model. Here the carriers come in the charge of Google’s server and send the message to another user. When the message reaches the user not having Chat, the message is delivered to the user as a text message. Alongside this, the message from RCS services cannot be sent to multiple devices such as desktop, tablet, and laptop, because the services are linked with the phone number and use the phone number to send the message. Though the web interface is available for leveraging android app development services which can be used by QR scanning, the use is limited to editing the messages, not as the devices for communication.

Importance of RCS for Android mobile app development solutions:

RCS is offering the user all sets of features that are available in the contemporary messaging app like Messenger and Whatsapp. For the people residing in France and the UK, the phone carriers are supporting the universal RCS service, which is good news.

Also, there are three downsides, RCS is offering:

  • The RCS communication service is prone to hacking. Chat is not supporting the end to end encryption, therefore an intruder can read the message. The message is deleted from the server as soon as the recipient receives them, but the images, videos, audios, and Gifs are unable to be read out, which makes the chat services prone to eavesdropping, which is a concerning issue for android app development company. Also, user privacy is the concern for android developers, as the company retains the data of devices such as IMSI, phone number and version ad timestamps.
  • The cross-device synchronization is not possible. Once the user starts chat over the phone, he cannot continue the chat over the laptop or another device, because the RCS chat is abode with the phone number.

Google alone handles the RCS and controls the messaging. However, Google has opened the invitation for carriers to support RCS services, which also opens the chances for other carriers to control and distribute the message. This puts the messages into the access of government if demanded. You must hire an app developer for android development because security is always a huge concern.

Verdict: Future of RCS

Google is waiting for the carriers to start supporting the service and now it is looking to replace the default messaging service with RCS. The service is being rolled out to the smaller chunks of the market and if everything goes well, it will cover the worldwide market. Presently, the service is available for France and the UK and ready to expand worldwide. Google is working with innovation at a faster pace. The replacement of traditional text message services and third-party integration will give Google an upper hand over the traditional methods. The AI voice assistant is fueling up the usage of services and Chat is projected with the aim of tightening the grip with many advanced features.

On the flip side, RCS also comes with few side effects and likely to face carrier ire. The Chat is not protected from the antitrust investigation and also there are chances of strong competition from replenished SMS app. For android app developers, Chat is not much powerful when compared to the iMessage and there is a lot left for modernizing the SMS app.

Tarun Nagar
Tarun Nagarhttps://devtechnosys.com/
Tarun Nagar is the Founder & CEO of Dev Technosys, a global ranking Web and Mobile App Development Company. With 10+ years of experience of enabling then Startups which are now global leaders with creative solutions, he is differentiated by out-of-the-box IT solutions throughout the domain. He is known for his visionary qualities and adaptability for technology and trends, passionate as he is in every aspect dedicated to making IT simple, accessible and approachable for business enterprises.
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