Google launched RCS messaging in 2018, but the main barrier has been availability. In recent times, the company has ramped up efforts to make it available in all countries, including Kenya. Google has finally finished rolling out Chat, which is available to all users independent of their carrier.
“Today, we’ve completed our global rollout of chat features to make this modern messaging experience universal and interconnected for everyone on Android,” the company says.
Anyone using android’s default messaging app, Google Messages, should be able to use RCS.
Chat, powered by the open Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard, allowed the company to upgrade traditional SMS text messaging with new functionalities.
With RCS messaging, you can send and receive quality photos and videos, chat over Wi-Fi or data, know when your message is read, see when someone is typing, share reactions, and much more. Chat tries to catch up on modern-day instant messaging platforms, like WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage.
Google is also working to bring end-to-end encryption on RCS in the future. The company has already tolled out E2EE to beta users.
“We’re continually improving security protections to safeguard your privacy and will be rolling out end-to-end encryption, starting with one-on-one RCS conversations between people using Messages,” the company said in a blog post.
Read Next: Brace Yourselves for Audio Ads Coming Soon on YouTube