Is Samsung starting to deploy cross-carrier (google) RCS on Samsung Messages?

[trucksmoveamerica#AC]

Don't know.... Can't seem to get off Textra...

Same here, Textra just keeps calling me back every time I try something new.

 

[Ry]

If SMS/MMS goes away, I cannot see Apple not supporting RCS. Only way I'd see them not supporting it is if they made iMessage available to Android, and I see that as much less likely. Personally I just wish everybody used WhatsApp in the US like they do in Europe.

Here's the thing. SMS/MMS won't go away. They'll be the fall-back for RCS.

 

[HOLLYWOODANT215]

This is great news... Anyone with a android I know has a Samsung, Samsung should did this years ago.. If ppl knew all Samsung phones have basically iMessage type features between Samsung phones trust alot more ppl would stay on Android

 

[lcs101]

Here's the thing. SMS/MMS won't go away. They'll be the fall-back for RCS.

Ok. I was just responding to the hypothetical if carriers stopped supporting SMS. I've not done enough research to know that it would need to remain as a fall back. Either way, RCS means nothing to me until Apple has it (if they ever do). Though it seems I took us in a direction a bit off topic from the point of the thread with that initial concern, so I'll move on from this.

 

[Morty2264]

This is great news... Anyone with a android I know has a Samsung, Samsung should did this years ago.. If ppl knew all Samsung phones have basically iMessage type features between Samsung phones trust alot more ppl would stay on Android

iMessage is so coveted amongst users - and rightfully so, because it's awesome - so I think you are right. If more people knew about RCS, they may think twice about leaving Android.

iMessage does have the benefit of being available for all iPhones, however, while RCS is still rolling out on to other manufacturers/carriers at different times. I think there are still other manufacturers that have not backed yet - I think.

 

[msm0511]

iMessage is so coveted amongst users - and rightfully so, because it's awesome - so I think you are right. If more people knew about RCS, they may think twice about leaving Android.

iMessage does have the benefit of being available for all iPhones, however, while RCS is still rolling out on to other manufacturers/carriers at different times. I think there are still other manufacturers that have not backed yet - I think.

And don't forget iMessage is end to end encrypted. You have to use a 3rd party app to get encrypted chat on Android.

 

[kirksucks]

Verizon.. No Chat Setting in Samsung messages.

 

[mustang7757]

And don't forget iMessage is end to end encrypted. You have to use a 3rd party app to get encrypted chat on Android.

Very good point

 

[Morty2264]

And don't forget iMessage is end to end encrypted. You have to use a 3rd party app to get encrypted chat on Android.

Oh, true! Good point!

 

[anon(7901790)]

Let's hope that the CCMI will address end-to-end encryption. Google will refrain from it because it makes it harder to scrape data from it's users. Remember, Google's business model is STILL collecting and selling data for advertising. US carriers make their money selling data plans, not from selling user data.

 

[msm0511]

Let's hope that the CCMI will address end-to-end encryption. Google will refrain from it because it makes it harder to scrape data from it's users. Remember, Google's business model is STILL collecting and selling data for advertising. US carriers make their money selling data plans, not from selling user data.

Carriers sell user data like crazy. Including location.

 

[Mike Dee]

Verizon.. No Chat Setting in Samsung messages.

I don't see it on my unlocked Note 10 on Verizon

 

[anon(7901790)]

Carriers sell user data like crazy. Including location.

I'm not saying they don't do it. I'm saying that it's not a major revenue source for them. They already get a butt ton of data just from your normal web browsing and such. The primary revenue source for the major US carriers is selling data plans and renting out their towers for MNVOs. The MNVOs on the other hand get more revenue from selling personal data. Why do you think carriers like Boost and Cricket can offer you data plans that are cheaper than the what Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile/Sprint offer? Because they are selling your data. It is the same reason why Facebook and Instagram are free to use.

 

[Ry]

Let's hope that the CCMI will address end-to-end encryption. Google will refrain from it because it makes it harder to scrape data from it's users. Remember, Google's business model is STILL collecting and selling data for advertising. US carriers make their money selling data plans, not from selling user data.

AFAIK, there are no plans for end-to-end encryption with CCMI's solution.

 

[anon(7901790)]

AFAIK, there are no plans for end-to-end encryption with CCMI's solution.

How do you know? Do you work for Verizon, AT&T, or T-mobile/Sprint? You have this tendency of just saying stuff without backing it up.

 

[Ry]

How do you know? Do you work for Verizon, AT&T, or T-mobile/Sprint? You have this tendency of just saying stuff without backing it up.

I'm going based off of these two links here:

https://investors.sprint.com/news-a...o-Transform-Messaging-Experience/default.aspx

https://www.androidcentral.com/ccmi-faq-us-carriers-rcs-google

While the press release put out by AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon says CCMI's RCS will "Enable an enhanced experience to privately send individual or group chats across carriers with high quality pictures and videos", it does not explicitly use the word "encryption". It says "privately" though you could skew that to mean SMS and MMS are also private forms of communication.

In AC's current explainer (and I trust these publications to do more research than me), they mention:

But unlike more secure messaging services like iMessage or WhatsApp, RCS messages are not end-to-end encrypted, which means that while they're encrypted in transit and are unlikely to be intercepted, they are not protected from decryption by the provider of RCS. With CCMI, that means your carrier, and not a company like Google. Either way, messages are available to be turned over to law enforcement is compelled, which is considerably more problematic than end-to-end encrypted services like iMessage.

I haven't found anything that says CCMI will do end-to-end encryption, thus "as far as I know...."

 

[anon(7901790)]

I'm going based off of these two links here:

https://investors.sprint.com/news-a...o-Transform-Messaging-Experience/default.aspx

https://www.androidcentral.com/ccmi-faq-us-carriers-rcs-google

While the press release put out by AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon says CCMI's RCS will "Enable an enhanced experience to privately send individual or group chats across carriers with high quality pictures and videos", it does not explicitly use the word "encryption". It says "privately" though you could skew that to mean SMS and MMS are also private forms of communication.

In AC's current explainer (and I trust these publications to do more research than me), they mention:



I haven't found anything that says CCMI will do end-to-end encryption, thus "as far as I know...."

Nobody has explicitly said that CCMI isn't including end-to-end encryption, so everybody is taking that as no or won't be. In other words, everybody is ASSUMING that it won't have end-to-end encryption. I never said the CCMI will include it. I said that they MAY address it.

They don't need Apple's buy in to do it. That's the part people don't understand.

https://www.androidauthority.com/cross-carrier-messaging-initiative-1046261/

"However, the announcement is vague on one of the most important aspects of RCS messaging: privacy. The word “encryption” doesn’t appear anywhere in the release, but it does say that it will “enable an enhanced experience to privately send individual or group chats across carriers with high-quality pictures and videos.” I guess the word “privately” is a good sign?"

 

[HOLLYWOODANT215]

Only ppl I can see that would care about encryption is criminals,celebrities, politicians etc... Why do ppl on these websites always bring it up, average customer don't care...

 

[KupKrazy]

iMessage is so coveted amongst users - and rightfully so, because it's awesome - so I think you are right..

What is so awesome about iMessage other than the fact that everyone with an iPhone is on it, and therefore you have the population? You have more functionality and choice if you used WhatsApp, Line, or even Kakao, to be honest. My second phone is an iPhone XS Max and I don't get the appeal other than the whole green vs blue is some sort of status symbol - really one created in the minds of iPhone users. I can't modify the look of it. I can't change the notification sound, I can't mute a group conversation - I can't even look at all the media that has been posted to the group chat. So, to be honest - when I hear about how great iMessage is - I don't see it outside of the fact is that they have the number of users.

I don't want to go off on a tangent but this whole whether or not Apple will permit RCS grates me to no end. Now, they certainly don't have to as it will step on their iMessage toes, and this is the price we all pay when the carriers signed contracts with Apple where the carriers have little ability to implement anything on the iPhone, including something like RCS. But even if Apple said they would consider it, I would never hold my breath. They've "joined" in on industry consortiums before only to end up not supporting what they agreed for. The micro-usb standard for charging and data was once agreed upon by the industry leaders to be the standard interface for smartphones and Apple was part of this, but they never adopted it and went off with their own port, and then lightning. They did the same thing to something else that i can't remember. A lot of the fragmentation that exists today is because of Apple and perhaps now some of it's coming to and end with USB C and thunderbolt.

 

[KupKrazy]

Only ppl I can see that would care about encryption is criminals,celebrities, politicians etc... Why do ppl on these websites always bring it up, average customer don't care...

While personally it's not a big deal to me because my conversations are pretty lame but I think it is a big thing for consumers. I mean, they have things like incognito mode on browsers, refusal of cookies, and people are always opting out of many things that they think may be personally identifiable. I would think they want to be sure that their conversations don't fall into the hands of folks they don't want to, either.