With Jibe’s sudden removal from the Play Store, Android’s RCS messaging plans could be revealed at Google I/O
Traditional SMS is fine for firing off the occasional text message, but really little else. Although it’s universally used just about everywhere in the world, SMS is slow, painful to use, and did we mention it’s painfully slow? The outdated technology has officially been put on notice, at least here in the states, where we’re seeing carriers like T-Mobile already making the the slow transition to RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging in the near future.
Why is RCS so important? We think Google said it best when they acquired Jibe back in September of last year, a startup providing RCS services for mobile operators:
“SMS carrier messaging is used by billions of people every day and enables people to reach anyone around the world, regardless of their device, carrier, app or location. However, the features available in SMS haven’t kept up with modern messaging apps. RCS is a new standard for carrier messaging and brings many of the features that people now expect from mobile messaging, such as group chats, high res photos and more.”
Now, we already knew Google had plans to “create an even better messaging experience” with the help of Jibe, but exactly when we could see RCS officially supported in Android was anyone’s guess. With Google I/O just around the corner, that seems like a great time to reveal exactly how they plan on supporting RCS messaging in Android.
It’s pure speculation, but one clue you’ll find is that Jibe’s app — once available on Google Play Store — was only recently removed. Seeing as how we’re only a week away from Google I/O 2016, it’s entirely possible we could learn more about what Google has in store for RCS at the big developer event. Let’s just hope it’s not yet another new messaging app. Lord knows we already have enough of those.
[Reddit]