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Textra is a great messaging app that is continually getting better thanks to the developer’s hard work. A curious Android user reached out to the developers on Twitter to ask when the app would support RCS messaging, which is the new standard that will hopefully move us all away from the archaic SMS and MMS standards that have been around since the 90s.
Textra devs replied to question to let fans know that RCS messaging support is incoming, but support likely won’t arrive until 2017 once the new platform has been fully rolled out by carriers across the country. The devs were quick to note that RCS as a platform is so new that the specs haven’t even been released.
@SAL8116 @TalkAndroid We will, just takes time. At present carriers are likely to come online mid 2017. Note: The specs are not out yet!
— Textra SMS (@TextraSMS) November 9, 2016
So what is RCS and why should I care?
RCS stands for Rich Communications Services and it’s part of a new messaging standard that is designed to improve how we interact with messages we receive. The standard features standard text messaging, but it also greatly improves picture messaging by supporting pictures up to 10MB in size. Additionally, the standard natively supports group chats, location sharing, and video calls.
This is important because RCS can be integrated directly into contact apps and services like Textra to make sharing information between you and your friends much easier. The only downside right now is that in order to receive RCS messages, both you and the person you’re messaging must be using a compatible app and network.
With the introduction of RCS, Android users will finally have a way to communicate through group and video chat without having to install third party platforms.
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