Just Google’s proprietary app connecting to Google’s proprietary servers that just happened to be preinstalled. There is nothing RCS being build to Android itself.
Yeah… I’m betting Google voice is nearing its end of life. All the robocall legislation is making other voip services kill off their sms equivalents, I just cant see Google voice being the one service that manages to pull through.
Especially considering it’s a Google service of more than a decade, it’s long past due to be taken out back and shot.
While acknowledging your probably right about its future prospects for longevity, I really hope you’re wrong. Maybe they can roll it into Google Fi wireless mvno but it’ll probably end up in the graveyard like Google pay 2.0, among many others
Yeah. I used Textra for years, and was confused why it was taking so long to get RCS. Finally decided to look it up and learning that it wasn’t an open protocol yet. It’s frustrating.
I have switched to Google messages, and it’s been nice to text people who don’t know enough about messaging to use a different app. It’s only nice because Google’s Messaging app is so commonly the default though.
It needs to be open and available in all apps that support SMS.
Even worse, I’m migrating to an all-Voip solution because my carrier refuses to support VoWifi/VoLTE and it solves my coverage issues.
The only disadvantage is I’m forced to fall back all the way to SMS. No MMS even, and what about RCS, the new texting system that works through your data connection well there’s no support for that aside from using Google Messages and the SIM that’s in the phone!
I’m very confused about your setup tbh. Can you get a data plan that doesn’t come with a phone number for your phone? Is that what’s going on?
I do believe I’ve heard that Google messages (and therefor RCS) doesn’t support dual Sim, which is absolutely bullshit. It’s currently the same as a closed standard with empty promises for being open.
Google Messages definitely supports dual SIM, I have a physical SIM and an eSIM in my device and you can choose which one it sends from on a message by message basis
It’s complicated. The main issue is, I live on a remote farm without cell coverage, except in the tiny zone under my 50’ tower with booster.
However I now have Starlink, and wired and wireless APs covering a large area with high speed, low latency data.
So, port my number to VoIP.ms, which supports SMS, and make all my calls/texts through Wifi using SIP. On the road, use a basic cell plan with unlimited slow data that is still fast enough for voice. Tested, working, so far fairly simple.
Now the issues. RCS won’t work with my now VoIP provisioned number, because there’s no SIM for it. The SIM in the phone has a different number, that of the new plan which will be unreachable at the farm by voice/SMS just like the old number used to be.
This would all be a non-issue if my provider supported VoWifi on anything other than iPhones, but sadly this is not an option. So I’ve got service everywhere now, but am stuck with voice and SMS, no RCS or MMS.
Android already has support*
*assuming you want to use Google messages, and don’t root
Just Google’s proprietary app connecting to Google’s proprietary servers that just happened to be preinstalled. There is nothing RCS being build to Android itself.
Hell, the only other messaging app that supports RCS is Samsung Messages. And it’s not even the default anymore.
And not even Google’s own Google voice supports RCS yet
Yeah… I’m betting Google voice is nearing its end of life. All the robocall legislation is making other voip services kill off their sms equivalents, I just cant see Google voice being the one service that manages to pull through.
Especially considering it’s a Google service of more than a decade, it’s long past due to be taken out back and shot.
While acknowledging your probably right about its future prospects for longevity, I really hope you’re wrong. Maybe they can roll it into Google Fi wireless mvno but it’ll probably end up in the graveyard like Google pay 2.0, among many others
Checkmate, Google.
Yeah. I used Textra for years, and was confused why it was taking so long to get RCS. Finally decided to look it up and learning that it wasn’t an open protocol yet. It’s frustrating.
I have switched to Google messages, and it’s been nice to text people who don’t know enough about messaging to use a different app. It’s only nice because Google’s Messaging app is so commonly the default though.
It needs to be open and available in all apps that support SMS.
Even worse, I’m migrating to an all-Voip solution because my carrier refuses to support VoWifi/VoLTE and it solves my coverage issues.
The only disadvantage is I’m forced to fall back all the way to SMS. No MMS even, and what about RCS, the new texting system that works through your data connection well there’s no support for that aside from using Google Messages and the SIM that’s in the phone!
Worst “open standard” ever
I’m very confused about your setup tbh. Can you get a data plan that doesn’t come with a phone number for your phone? Is that what’s going on?
I do believe I’ve heard that Google messages (and therefor RCS) doesn’t support dual Sim, which is absolutely bullshit. It’s currently the same as a closed standard with empty promises for being open.
Google Messages definitely supports dual SIM, I have a physical SIM and an eSIM in my device and you can choose which one it sends from on a message by message basis
Ahh, sweet, my bad. Not sure where I heard that.
It’s complicated. The main issue is, I live on a remote farm without cell coverage, except in the tiny zone under my 50’ tower with booster.
However I now have Starlink, and wired and wireless APs covering a large area with high speed, low latency data.
So, port my number to VoIP.ms, which supports SMS, and make all my calls/texts through Wifi using SIP. On the road, use a basic cell plan with unlimited slow data that is still fast enough for voice. Tested, working, so far fairly simple.
Now the issues. RCS won’t work with my now VoIP provisioned number, because there’s no SIM for it. The SIM in the phone has a different number, that of the new plan which will be unreachable at the farm by voice/SMS just like the old number used to be.
This would all be a non-issue if my provider supported VoWifi on anything other than iPhones, but sadly this is not an option. So I’ve got service everywhere now, but am stuck with voice and SMS, no RCS or MMS.