Do any of you actually use RCS?

[TheMystic]

Google disables RCS in India after businesses found abusing the feature - Technology News

https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/technology/news/story/google-disables-rcs-in-india-after-businesses-fo...

https://gadgets360.com/apps/news/google-messages-rcs-ads-india-pause-users-uproar-abuse-3026264

[Gaurav_Sîngh]

In India I don't think people even use default message for texting unless using a featureless keypad phone.

I have used Samsung to Samsung RCS implementation in old default SMS app(Now google message is default). RCS messaging still lacks because people don't have new smartphones.

My mom is still on android lollipop, dad on android 7 and sister on android 8. They will definitely not install Google message to text me when they can use whatsapp

[TheMystic]

I'm just wondering why there is so much investment being done in this technology. On one hand, telecom companies are trying to make data very cheap so more and more people can use internet, while on the other they are investing in this redundant form of communication.

I use SMS pretty much as a one way communication (incoming) where i receive banking and other financial communications, etc. I think it is the same for most users.

[Gaurav_Sîngh]

Yes in India it is same for all.

They are investing on RCS because in USA they use maybe nearly 80% default sms app for texting. That is why imessage is popular there and because of that only they had to invest on imessage and google message RCS integration

[Gaurav_Sîngh]

One more point people were buying IPhone for imessage ecosystem so people were preferring IPhone so google had to do something to save android market

[TheMystic]

USA (and may be Japan too) is the only market i know where iPhone sells more than Android. And i don't think Apple users are too invested in iMessage any more. That is a thing of the past. Everyone today uses WhatsApp (except in China) as the most popular form of communication.

I don't see any future for RCS, unless there is more to it than I know.

[Gaurav_Sîngh]

RCS can have a future because its like having whatsapp pre-installed on all the devices if RCS starts providing more features.

But still 40% of the population use imessage for normal texting to friends and relatives

And whatsapp have biggest market in India and Brazil I don't think its widely used in other countries.

[TheMystic]

WhatsApp is hugely popular in the whole of Europe and Australia. It is the most popular mode of communication everywhere, except China.

Google should work on Chat nicely, and stop wasting resources on multiple products, only to retire them later. I don't know why Allo failed, and i don't know why they retired Hangouts.

[Gaurav_Sîngh]

Oo sorry for my outdated stats I had no idea that whatsapp is popular in Europe and Australia.

Google will likely try its best to enter message market bcz its being dominated by Meta

[TheMystic]

Meta has WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

Google has Chat.

RCS is completely in a different segment, where Google tried to rope in Apple too for a uniform and universal experience. As expected, Apple didn't co-operate. Not sure where this is headed.