Samsung and Google have announced they are working to improve the messaging experience on Android by offering Rich Communication Services (RCS) support, a move to rival popular messaging app, WhatsApp. In a press statement, the South Korean giant said that Android Messages and Samsung Messages will work seamlessly and with RCS messaging to enable features such as share high-resolution photos and videos across platforms as well as the ability to chat over WiFi. Other features include, create rich group chats as well as see typing indicators and read receipts. RCS will initially be available across select Samsung devices; beginning with the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Samsung S8 Active, Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+, Note8, Note9, and select A and J series running Android 9.0 or later will also get RCS support. In addition, new select Samsung Galaxy smartphones on carriers that support RCS will also natively support this feature. “We’ve been working with the mobile industry to upgrade the messaging experience on Android with RCS,” said Anil Sabharwal, Vice President for Communications Products and Photos at Google. “By furthering our robust partnership with Google, we will bring a richer messaging experience to our customers, letting them seamlessly chat with their friends and family across messaging platforms. This collaboration will help further the industry’s momentum toward advanced messaging and global RCS coverage," said Patrick Chomet, EVP and Head of Product & Services Innovation Team, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics in a press statement. Also read: Google’s Android Messages for web now rolling out: Here’s how to use the feature Earlier this year, Google rolled out Messages for web, allowing users to send and receive text as well as RCS (Rich Communication Services) messages from their computers. People can open the Android Messages website and set it up in a way similar to WhatsApp Web. Android Messages users will have to open the site on their desktop, scan a QR code from their phones to get started. The move is aimed to take on Apple’s iMessages with a new desktop client for Android Messages.
