This week marks the 30-year anniversary of the Short Messaging Service, or SMS. To celebrate, Google said that beginning in the upcoming weeks, its Messages app would offer end-to-end encryption for group chats. For a few years now, this capability has been accessible for one-on-one conversations. End-to-end encryption for group chats is only accessible to Messages users who have registered for the beta programme, therefore you must do so in order to try it.
Google also announced that the Messages app will soon enable users to react to RCS (Rich Communication Services) messages with any emoji, in addition to announcing end-to-end encryption for group chats. WhatsApp recently implemented a feature of the same kind. To the uninformed, RCS is simply an enhanced SMS. SMS messaging misses many of the features that smartphones have to offer, but RCS gives you the ability to text over Wi-Fi, send and receive high-quality images and videos, see typing indicators and read receipts in real-time, add or remove friends from group chats, and much more.
No matter where you live, who made your phone, or what operating system it runs, RCS is designed to work on any phone. As a result, you can enjoy the same texting experience on any phone. With the exception of Apple, all of the major mobile carriers and manufacturers have adopted RCS as the standard, according to Google, which also used the anniversary of SMS as an opportunity to criticise Apple for not embracing RCS. Apple continues to rely on SMS and refuses to use RCS, leaving messaging stuck in the 1990s when individuals with iPhones message people with Android phones.
Google has begun a variety of initiatives to highlight the benefits of RCS and has been promoting its use for months. The Cupertino giant has been under pressure to switch to RCS, but the company is resolute about keeping with iMessage. The course of this development will be intriguing to watch.
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