AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile have FINALLY agreed to replace SMS with a new RCS stan

Here’s a shocker. All four major US carriers — Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile — have just announced that they’re joining forces to deliver RCS messaging in the US for Android smartphones in 2020.

Google has been pushing RCS messaging for Android smartphones for the past couple of years now, but its efforts have seen a very slow rollout. Earlier this year, Google decided to leapfrog carriers and start rolling out RCS independently through the Google Messages app in some regions, but not in the United States.

So far, only select devices on select carriers have been granted access to RCS messaging, but that’s changing next year. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile have announced the “Cross-Carrier Messaging Initiative” (CCMI), which will be a joint venture to bring RCS to Android smartphones in 2020.

This new service will use the “GSMA’s Rich Communications Service (RCS) industry standard” to create “a single seamless, interoperable RCS experience across carriers, both in the US and globally.” Right now it’s unclear if this will be using the groundwork that Google has laid out for RCS, or if it might require a different app. We’ve reached out to Google to see if they’re involved. Notably, there’s no mention of Google in any of the carrier’s press releases.

The Verge was able to get more details on the situation from CCMI directly. The service will be its own Android app – meaning it won’t use Google Messages. Apparently, this new standard will be compatible with the Universal Profile, but it won’t directly follow it either. CCMI also says it is working with companies such as Google and Samsung to make sure their clients are compatible as well.

It also seems like business messaging is the primary point of interest for CCMI as a manager for the initiative, Doug Garland, was quick to highlight this feature as a reason for CCMI existing in the first place.

In a press release, Verizon explains that CCMI will enable the same RCS features that the upcoming standard has people excited for. This includes high-quality pictures and videos, better group chats, and also some business-oriented features, too. Apparently, more details will be announced at a “later date.”

Working with its carrier ownership group and other companies in the RCS ecosystem, the CCMI service will:

Drive a robust business-to-consumer messaging ecosystem and accelerate the adoption of Rich Communications Services (RCS)
Enable an enhanced experience to privately send individual or group chats across carriers with high-quality pictures and videos
Provide consumers with the ability to chat with their favorite brands, order a ride share, pay bills or schedule appointments, and more
Create a single seamless, interoperable RCS experience across carriers, both in the US and globally
It’s still going to be a while before RCS hits your Android smartphone, but at least things are finally picking up steam in the US.

Long story short, texting on Android in 2020 will work like iMessage and videos won't look like sh*t anymore.

I still don't trust them. I'll believe it when I see it.

It's own app

P-Hill said

It's own app

Yea this is looking like some BS

The Cross Carrier Messaging Initiative (CCMI) will bring RCS to US consumers, they say.
It’s only been a couple of months since Google decided to force adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS) on Android in Europe, all while suggesting that they couldn’t do the same here and would instead wait for carriers to work with them. I’m not sure carriers are ready to work with Google, but Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint all just announced that they are working together to bring RCS to the US.

Called the Cross Carrier Messaging Initiative (CCMI), the four major US carriers will work to “develop and deploy [a] standards-based, interoperable messaging service” known as RCS to Android in 2020.

The group is working with “other companies in the RCS ecosystem,” so that could be Google, though they don’t mention Google a single time in today’s announcement, only that they are starting with Android. And we’re just going to a*sume they are starting with Android because Apple doesn’t give a single sh*t about RCS.

Whatever this new service is called, it will be based on the GSMA’s RCS industry standard. We hope that means it will live within current messaging apps and isn’t a stand-alone app the four will create together. But hey, they tried that with mobile payments just as Google was pushing for mass adoption of Google Wallet (now Google Pay). We won’t put anything past the wonderful carriers here in the US. Let’s just hope they name it better.

In today’s announcement, all four carriers really want to emphasize that you will not only be able to send high quality images and videos across carriers to your friends, but that you’ll be able to hangout virtually with your favorite brands at all times. If that sounds like advertising, money-grabbing carrier hell, that’s because it probably will be. I don’t think I’m alone in a*suming that the hold-up of RCS in the US was because the carriers weren’t interested unless it could make them billions of dollars. They now seem like they are close to figuring out how that will happen.

☠️

UPDATE: The Verge spoke with Doug Garland, the general manager of this new CCMI group. Garland basically confirmed all of the fears I noted in the post above, that there will be a stand-alone app offered, that the goal here is to rake in money through the service from businesses (nothing on consumers yet), and that they are doing this without Google.

They are open to letting others in on this new RCS service, so that could mean you’ll be able to access RCS from these carriers and the CCMI through Google or Samsung’s own messaging apps. Oh, this isn’t a direct implementation of the GSMA’s RCS standard, but is instead based off of it. That sounds like more trouble. Fun!

justin747 said

Yea this is looking like some BS

Just shows you how far ahead of its time iMessage was, & kinda still is....also shows you that these carriers don’t give a rats a*s about the customer at all. Charging $200+ in phones bills & nickel and diming you for everything just to have a text not go through in 2019 smh

P-Hill said

It's own app

Exactly. They reached around Google and decided to go their own route. It's not even using Universal Profile, it's a fork of Universal Profile.

So not only do we have to download yet another app instead of just using Samsung Messages or Google Messages but we also might not be able to communicate with people that are using RCS with Samsung Messages or Google Messages.

The only positive to this is that, since it is an app, it will be able to be used on iOS so no waiting on Apple to implement RCS in their system. Outside of this, sh*t is wack as fock.

Y.G. said

Exactly. They reached around Google and decided to go their own route. It's not even using Universal Profile, it's a fork of Universal Profile.

So not only do we have to download yet another app instead of just using Samsung Messages or Google Messages but we also might not be able to communicate with people that are using RCS with Samsung Messages or Google Messages.

The only positive to this is that, since it is an app, it will be able to be used on iOS so no waiting on Apple to implement RCS in their system. Outside of this, sh*t is wack as fock.

I highly doubt if Apple allows it on iOS since it's technically a text program, but since it's replacing SMS technically iMessage has to support it in someway. So we might not get notifications when people are typing, but in theory the videos and pictures should at least he HQ.

SFamilyRep said

Just shows you how far ahead of its time iMessage was, & kinda still is....also shows you that these carriers don’t give a rats a*s about the customer at all. Charging $200+ in phones bills & nickel and diming you for everything just to have a text not go through in 2019 smh

Minus the games, google had Hangouts at that point.. it had SMS integration and fell back to it if you or the recipient wasnt in data range...

Then they removed it

justin747 said

I highly doubt if Apple allows it on iOS since it's technically a text program, but since it's replacing SMS technically iMessage has to support it in someway. So we might not get notifications when people are typing, but in theory the videos and pictures should at least he HQ.

+Message is already on iOS (I'll link it below). It's the app carriers use in Japan for RCS. The US carriers' app obviously won't be able to send SMS on iPhones but it will be able to send RCS messages.

Apple would be blocking apps like Facebook Messenger, Line, Telegram, Signal, Whatsapp, etc, if they followed your logic.

+Message:

its just telco cartel propaganda

theres nothing wrong with the current android messaging regime

Y.G. said

+Message is already on iOS (I'll link it below). It's the app carriers use in Japan for RCS. The US carriers' app obviously won't be able to send SMS on iPhones but it will be able to send RCS messages.

Apple would be blocking apps like Facebook Messenger, Line, Telegram, Signal, Whatsapp, etc, if they followed your logic.

+Message:

Maybe I didn't explain it properly.

What I meant was there's no real incentive for Apple users to use it over iMessage, so it would essentially just become another app like the ones you mentioned.

I think Apple will make it somewhat compatible with iMessage. With no SMS, not making it at least slightly compatible would make it impossible to text non iPhone users right?

justin747 said

Maybe I didn't explain it properly.

What I meant was there's no real incentive for Apple users to use it over iMessage, so it would essentially just become another app like the ones you mentioned.

I think Apple will make it somewhat compatible with iMessage. With no SMS, not making it at least slightly compatible would make it impossible to text non iPhone users right?

You'd still be able to message iPhone users so long as they had the app and had an available data connection. iPhone users don't have an incentive to download the app since all their messages won't be in one place.

Google and Samsung dropped the ball here. Samsung could have implemented an iMessage-like feature exclusive to their devices long ago or Google could have baked RCS into Android at the system level long ago, all without carrier approval. Neither want to ruffle the feathers of the US carriers though, so here we are.

Rcs works on my note10+

I don't trust any of the carriers to have the consumers interest at hand. So I will continue to use, Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and any other social media platform that gives me this ability already without my carrier trying to make money off it.

Hilarious that they pretty much said fu*k Google without saying as much

Apple is chilling in the back.

Like @ said, both Google and Samsung loafed. They had a chance to do something special. Not saying it's too late but Google and Samsung could've forced the telecom giants' hands.