I like this, but would really prefer if Google works with the GSMA to get these implemented into the actual RCS specs, rather than using specially crafted proprietary RCS messages to add features to RCS (like they have done for E2EE)
Google Messages with RCS has the ability to become a new standard but there are two issues:
I think it’s too late. People already use app with their groups all set. Might be difficult to shift people to yet another platform.
Google beautifully has the reputation of killing off whatever doesn’t work. How future proof is this messages app now? Just look at the list of previous chatting apps by Google.
Google Play Music was legitimately excellent. The last Google service I ever paid for that I was 100% happy with.
It died because that style of music app wasn’t seen as “in vogue” anymore. It was much more akin to a music manager app, but also one that allowed you to manage things on the streaming service. Best of both worlds. Library management tools and options that have been a thing since iTunes popularized them a decade earlier, but all the content, suggestions, playlists, and radio functionality of Spotify.
And someone at Google decided to burn it down, make it a Spotify clone (with all the same neutered management tools), shove it into YouTube, and gave a huge middle finger to customers that paid for the app as it was (and they probably got a promotion for it).
Don’t ever trust Google. Doesn’t matter if it’s a good or bad service, it means nothing. They’ll fuck it up eventually.
True. People here already been using WhatsApp for more than a decade. They have all their contacts and groups set up. You can’t just ask everyone to adopt a new standard.
I think they mean allowing Signal to use RCS would let them combine all their messaging into a single app and/or use it for RCS on ROMs without Google apps. Kinda like how Facebook Messenger tries to be your SMS app as well, except with apps like Signal, people might actually use the feature.
If RCS is end to end encrypted, and doesn’t use messaging fees, then every reason they decided to drop sms is no longer valid, except for needing to spend more time developing it.
I doubt they’ll add it even if they did have the option, but it’s not ridiculous that they could.
The removal of SMS will be necessary because Google is cutting out third party apps from being able to access the messaging framework, including RCS. Google’s closing the walls around their garden.
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