Google’s mission for adoption of RCS messaging receives huge boost

Last year, Google started an initiative in conjunction with global mobile telecom operators, GSMA to accelerate the availability of Rich Communications Services (RCS). The initiative was to enable all operators worldwide to provide an open, consistent, and globally interoperable messaging service across Android devices.

The reason was that SMS hadn’t evolved to take advantage of all the features that smartphones enable today.

The initiative received a huge boost today with that fact that Orange, Deutsche Telekom, and Globe are committed to launching RCS messaging powered by the Jibe RCS cloud from Google and will be preloading Android Messages (formerly called Messenger for Android) as the standard native messaging app for their subscribers. It was also announced that the Vodafone Group RCS service is supporting Android Messages and has already launched across 10 markets for Vodafone subscribers globally.

This totals to 27 carriers and device manufacturers launching RCS to Android users with Google, representing more than 1 billion subscribers worldwide.

Google is working with mobile device manufacturers to make Android Messages the default messaging app for Android devices. Mobile device brands LG, Motorola, Sony, HTC, ZTE, Micromax, HMD Global – Home of Nokia Phones, Archos, BQ, Cherry Mobile, Condor, Fly, General Mobile, Lanix, LeEco, Lava, Kyocera, MyPhone, QMobile, Symphony and Wiko, along with Pixel and Android One devices, will preload Android Messages as the default messaging app on their devices.

Android Messages supports RCS, SMS and MMS so people can message all their friends regardless of their network or device type.