RCS is finally here!

[NDesai]

It's about time RCS takes place on Android phones. As per this source, Telus has rolled it out for Google Pixel 2, 2 XL, 3, and 3 XL. Hopefully, it will roll out to more devices soon.

I have confirmed it is also available on Public Mobile and most likely Koodo as well. I haven't verified if it actually works because i don't know anyone with RCS enabled on their phone. But most certainly, the service is currently active on my Pixel 3 🙂

Public Mobile have posted more details on what they refer to it as "Next Generation Messaging"

Spoiler

Next Generation Messaging
Google has added Rich Communication Services (RCS) to Android Messages. RCS is the next generation of messaging technology and improves your messaging by offering a native, richer and universal experience across networks and android devices.Next Generation (Next-Gen) messaging works on select Android devices. It gives you some sweet new features in select conversations including:

• Group chats
• Read and delivered receipts
• High-resolution photo and video sharing
• Audio messaging
• Being able to send location

What You Need
To be able to take advantage of Next-Gen messaging, you will need the following:

• A compatible phone (currently next generation messaging is available on Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL)
• A Public Mobile plan with data, or an active Wi-Fi connection
• Android 5.1 Lollipop or higher
• Android Messages 4.3 or higher

How To Turn It On:
It’s super simple to switch on Next-Gen messaging, just follow the steps below:

1. Open Android Messages
2. Select Settings
3. Select Chat Features
4. Toggle Enable Chat Features On

Heads up: When Next-Gen Messaging is provisioned for the first time on a compatible device, you will be prompted to enable the chat features.

FAQ’s
1 - Will my device automatically use Next-Gen messaging?
When chat features are turned on, it will automatically be used if you are messaging another device with chat features enabled.
2 - Will next generation messaging use my Wi-Fi or Data?
Next-Gen Messaging sends messages over Wi-Fi or cellular data when Wi-Fi is unavailable, rather than through traditional SMS. This means, if you do not have a data plan and are not connected to Wi-Fi, your messages will be sent as SMS, or you may incur pay-per-use data charges when using Next-Gen Messaging.
3 - Can I just use next generation when i am connected to Wi-Fi?
If you only want to use Next-Gen Messaging in a Wi-Fi connected area, please ensure you turn chat features off when leaving a Wi-Fi connected area to avoid unexpected data charges.Learn more about Next-Gen messaging and chat features with Google.

[Korth]

---

@srlawren wrote:
... Signal, iMessage, WhatsApp (except WhatsApp groups which I believe are still not end-to-end), etc.

---

Signal ftw!

Overkill encryption, masking, stealth, anonymity (er, pseudonymity).

Full opensource available so you can even compile, harden, or mod your own version. Added opensources available which can provide certain "special modifications".

Whatsapp... started strong, traded around, currently owned by Facebook; user "privacy" is a delicate illusion.

iMessage... made by Apple, made for Apple; user "privacy" is a fashionable illusion.

RCS... not (yet) intrusive in itself but built all around Google-proprietary codeblobs and background services; user "privacy" isn't even an illusion, it's a shamelessly invaded and exploited source of revenue.

[srlawren]

---

@gjong26 wrote:

Ya but does RCS support end to end encryption of messages sent? 

---

@gjong26 not currently, no.  If you're worried about that, you'll have to stick to the usual suspects like Signal, iMessage, WhatsApp (except WhatsApp groups which I believe are still not end-to-end), etc.

[gjong26]

Ya but does RCS support end to end encryption of messages sent? I agree with Computergeek unless I have limited data and wifi at work then maybe I would use this but there are other apps out there that do the same thing. 

[mattdxb]

I think the issue would be for media sharing. If someone sends you large pictures and videos then that's what could eat up more data. Especially considering that is one of the main advantages of regular sms/mms

[sheytoon]

@computergeek541 it's minimal usage, I wouldn't worry about it. I've been using it for a few months and last month was 1.24 MB.

The increased functionality is worth the trade-off to me.

[computergeek541]

---

@Jb456 wrote:

Just got it on my Huawei P30.

Did not do anything. Just opened my messages to send a text and this popped up.

---

Am I the only person who answered no to this? Why do I want to use my internet connection for standard messages that are included in my plan if I send them as SMS?  It still remains to be seen how the data used for this implemnation will be accounted for.

[Korth]

I'm still skeptical about RCS being more than a bunch of hype.

Of course we're all able to read the screens and lookup the technical specifics, read the info, learn what RCS can do, what's new, what's better, etc.

But I'm curious about what features RCS offers that people actually notice or actually find handy in their real-world usage. Things they couldn't do as well (or at all) before RCS made it happen.

[srlawren]

Me too, on my OnePlus 7.  Looks like it's no longer just supported hardware.  Very exciting indeed!

[Jb456]

Just got it on my Huawei P30.

Did not do anything. Just opened my messages to send a text and this popped up.

[on2wheels]

The beta version of Google Messaging now has RCS active on my Xiaomi MiA1. (or at least I just found out the beta does)

You can opt into it through the Play store page for the app.

edit: it's gone now. they updated both "Carrier Services" and the beta messaging app and I lost RCS.

edit: They reactivated it without a download.  I tried it, no one I talk to uses it, and it seems to drain battery faster. Turned it off.

[jor123]

The messages app would just fall back to SMS if the other person doesn't have RCS compatibility and it wouldn't be able to send it over WiFi as it'd have to be a regular SMS message over the cell network.

[doglips]

What about SMS?  Does it manage to text with other people using non-rcs phones/apps?  I thought the advantage of rcs is that you can sms text over wifi like iphones.  Where I live 90%+ of people chat over sms

[jor123]

Yeah, iMessage is a huge hit for Apple and iPhone/iPad devices so I'm sure they'll continue to keep it locked in their ecosystem. 

[srlawren]

---

@jor123 wrote:. 

Yeah, without iOS support I really don't think RCS is going anywhere but I still use SMS with many people on Android phones. The MMS compression is brutal on photos and especially video. 

---

@jor123 I I strongly thing iMessage support is the only thing which would make RCS terribly useful for more than a handful of people like yourself at this point in time.  That said, given Apple's reluctance to offer up iMessage for Android, I see little motivation for them to do this.  

[jor123]

---

@Korth wrote:

Group chats, one-way and two-way message receipts, HD photo sharing, audio messages, send/receive realtime location.

Those were all standard features on my standard messaging app on a mid-end LG device running Android Gingerbread/2.4. In 2012.

Many people use standard messaging SMS/MMS. And many use better messaging apps (whatsapp, signal, textra, etc) which include RCS features and more (vast libraries of emotes and animations, serious encryption, etc). So iOS users use iMessage, Android users use a fragmented array of incompatible apps which always fallback on unexciting SMS/MMS.

See seeing all this RCS stuff being hyped up in 2019 doesn't impress me. But I am hopeful that once RCS becomes the new Android default messaging paradigm it will bring with it a higher minimum feature set for all the other Android messaging apps to intercommunicate. 

---

Yeah, without iOS support I really don't think RCS is going anywhere but I still use SMS with many people on Android phones. The MMS compression is brutal on photos and especially video. 

[Korth]

Group chats, one-way and two-way message receipts, HD photo sharing, audio messages, send/receive realtime location.

Those were all standard features on my standard messaging app on a mid-end LG device running Android Gingerbread/2.4. In 2012.

Many people use standard messaging SMS/MMS. And many use better messaging apps (whatsapp, signal, textra, etc) which include RCS features and more (vast libraries of emotes and animations, serious encryption, etc). So iOS users use iMessage, Android users use a fragmented array of incompatible apps which always fallback on unexciting SMS/MMS.

See seeing all this RCS stuff being hyped up in 2019 doesn't impress me. But I am hopeful that once RCS becomes the new Android default messaging paradigm it will bring with it a higher minimum feature set for all the other Android messaging apps to intercommunicate. 

[srlawren]

---

@on2wheels wrote:

So this is hardware depended then.

---

@on2wheels it was, but isn't any more 🙂

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Discussions/Enable-RCS-for-Android-on-Public-Mobile/m...

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Discussions/RCS-Support-and-New-Features/m-p/444470#M...

I've had this set up since Saturday evening.  Works as advertised, BUT, it's kind of useless for me.  Why?  RCS is only available on Android phones.  99.9% of people I instant message with that have Android phones is done over WhatsApp, Skype, or Facebook Messegner.  99.9% of people I instant message with therefore are actually using iPhones, and unless (until?) Apple decides to add RCS support to iMessage, there's virtually nobody I can RCS with (other then some test message with a few people that I always WhatsApp or Skype with).  

[on2wheels]

So this is hardware depended then.

[GibsonSGJ]

I just decided to check my Pixel 3 and the "Chat Features" option was available and worked. It took about 25 seconds or so for it to verify my phone number, but it's active and working now.

[sheytoon]

Assuming it's implemented correctly, it will not count as data usage.

[raiger]

How much data does RCS use? Does it count against out data caps, or is it "free", like MMS?

Can confirm that it is here and working well.

[srlawren]

---

@will13am wrote:

---

You are probably right about the potential for iMessage to flourish.  However, you are asking for something that ain't happening ever.  No point wishing for nothing.  That said, I doubt that iMessage would be that ubiquitous outside of the North American market.  

---

---

@will13am never say never.  I used to say that about BBM, and was eventually proven wrong.  Then again, that might have been a move of desperation, which is a situation Apple is extremely unlikely to find themselves in, but again you never know.  If they can find a way to monetize opening it up to the Android user base (which may be about 50/50 in North America but is heavily skewet to Android in other parts of the world), they just might.  Case in point: Apple Music.

[sheytoon]

Good points all around. One additional benefit to RCS is that it has no dependency on the old 2G/3G core network. When the time comes to decommission those, it will be an easier process.

[Korth]

It seems like a lot of hype to me.  A buch of capabilities which have already been available through third party apps for a long time. Some options (like detailed msg receipts) were available defaults in earlier Android builds but mysteriously vanished over time.

It's good that someone is finally standardizing a "modern" communications package into Android, take advantage of modern bandwidths and raise the bar for everyone. Old GSM text snippets are dated. It's bad that the someone is google - I expect many people will still end up preferring third party apps to escape pervasive invasions by googles's unwanted toys. Or to escape the growing pollution of ads and social media and bloatware which OEMs insist on installing in our Androids.

No doubt this'll make the iOS-Android msg interface prettier.  But I don't think many grownups are going to dramatically improve the way they communicate just because they have access to a new pack of animated emoticons. 

[kav2001c]

Are you surprised?

Whatsapp is owned by Facebook

Considering their abhorant privacy and advertising policies I just shake my head at apps like Whatsapp

At least with iMessage and BBM in the old days I could understand the adoption

It always feels like Android is chasing the pack

[sheytoon]

While it's always nice to see new technology being deployed and supported on PM, I'd rather have VoLTE over RCS.

Not only was RCS adopted too late by the operators, it's also not as useful to the customer as VoLTE.

Telus is dragging their heels on VoLTE, especially since some towers are only providing LTE service.

[will13am]

---

@srlawren wrote:

---

@will13am wrote:

---

---

It is a huge problem that different platforms are not able cross communicate at all.  SMS is no different.  Personally I equate SMS to using an ISP sponsored email.  Maybe it is a little less restrictive in that there is number portability.   

---

@will13am I know that you know, but I publicly restate this as my prefix for the remainder of this reply:  I am by no means an Apple fan!!  That said, I really wish apple would open iMessage to Android (and optionally FaceTime, but iMessage is the priority).  I don't really care who wins the race to be the ubiquitious IM provider, and given the reluctance I experience from the majority of my iPhone-using friends to use anything but Messages (the iMessage app), I think they have the best chance at it.  If they ever opened it up, I don't think it would take long for just about every Android user to "give in" to pressure from their iFriends to paint their green bubbles blue.  

You are probably right about the potential for iMessage to flourish.  However, you are asking for something that ain't happening ever.  No point wishing for nothing.  That said, I doubt that iMessage would be that ubiquitous outside of the North American market.  

---

[srlawren]

---

@will13am wrote:

---

---

It is a huge problem that different platforms are not able cross communicate at all.  SMS is no different.  Personally I equate SMS to using an ISP sponsored email.  Maybe it is a little less restrictive in that there is number portability.   

---

@will13am I know that you know, but I publicly restate this as my prefix for the remainder of this reply:  I am by no means an Apple fan!!  That said, I really wish apple would open iMessage to Android (and optionally FaceTime, but iMessage is the priority).  I don't really care who wins the race to be the ubiquitious IM provider, and given the reluctance I experience from the majority of my iPhone-using friends to use anything but Messages (the iMessage app), I think they have the best chance at it.  If they ever opened it up, I don't think it would take long for just about every Android user to "give in" to pressure from their iFriends to paint their green bubbles blue.  

[will13am]

---

@srlawren wrote:

---

@will13am wrote:

I wish I could get excited when there are 21st century platforms that are not carrier influenced that does all the things that RCS brings.  Try Whatsapp, telegram, signal to name a few.

---

@will13am while I also use texting as a last resort, the problem with the other messaging services is that none of them is actually ubiquitous.  To keep in touch with everyone, I currently use a cocktail of, in approximate order of most used to least:

Personal messaging:

WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook Messenger, texting.  Was using BBM for one very important contact (my better half) but we were forced onto WhatsApp when BBM shut down a few months ago.

For work:

Slack, Skype for Business, MS Teams

I might be missing a few.  

---

It is a huge problem that different platforms are not able cross communicate at all.  SMS is no different.  Personally I equate SMS to using an ISP sponsored email.  Maybe it is a little less restrictive in that there is number portability.   

[srlawren]

---

@will13am wrote:

I wish I could get excited when there are 21st century platforms that are not carrier influenced that does all the things that RCS brings.  Try Whatsapp, telegram, signal to name a few.

---

@will13am while I also use texting as a last resort, the problem with the other messaging services is that none of them is actually ubiquitous.  To keep in touch with everyone, I currently use a cocktail of, in approximate order of most used to least:

Personal messaging:

WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook Messenger, texting.  Was using BBM for one very important contact (my better half) but we were forced onto WhatsApp when BBM shut down a few months ago.

For work:

Slack, Skype for Business, MS Teams

I might be missing a few.