Tried Google Messages with RCS Again and I'm Back Using Textra

[SeeBeeEss]

So I tried Google Messages with RCS for a second time (for 10 days - 1st time for 7 days) and RCS sure doesn't seem to offer much to my messaging experience. While I can see a possible office/business environment use case; read receipts, typing indicators, book-length messages, group messaging, interactive messaging and end-to-end encryption (for those important messages to your fellow terrorists - or your lawyer after you are caught ), I really don't need or want any of these in my day-to-day messaging with family, friends and the odd business.

One of the primary reasons I heard as to why Google Messages with RCS is superior to my Textra SMS/MMS app is that I could send images of up to 100MB while I would be limited to 1MB or 2MB with Textra. Well, it appears that that isn't quite true as reported by Android Authority, HERE. According to them, Google Messages is heavily compressing images sent with RCS and reducing their size by up to 98%. They further say that even with the Send Photos Faster (by compressing them) toggle turned off in Messages Settings, they still experienced a 93% compression rate for images. They say, with that amount of compression, Google Messages RCS isn't offering much better image quality than SMS at this point.

While many more people may use RCS in the future, especially with Apple coming on board, I wasn't able to find too many people or businesses that I text are using RCS at this juncture. Is that because it doesn't offer much that they need/want? Is it because of the cost (more data used)? Is it because the mobile carriers control the features and functionality of RCS? Is the tech too new?

What can I do in Textra that I can't do in Google Messages, with or without RCS? I can set individual ringtones for each contact, I can set individual theme styles for each contact, individual vibration patterns for each contact, I can customize and adjust themes, colours, text fonts, text size, text bubbles, emojis (if I really wanted to expand my emoji capacity and overuse them even more than I do now ), schedule when to send a message, perform "delay sends," copy and paste texts, and more. You can't customize a whole lot in Google Messages and my biggest complaints are that the text is too small and the text boxes/bubbles too monochromic for my tired, old eyes.

Google is going to have to do a lot better if they want me to use their messaging app. Until then, hello again my old and trusted friend, Textra!

What say you? Are you happy with Google Messages? What do you like about it? Am I missing something that would change my mind? Have you found a real world use for RCS in your day-to-day personal (not business) life?

 

[Laura Knotek]

My main reason for using Google Messages is its spam filter.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

My main reason for using Google Messages is its spam filter.

That is the only thing it has going for it IMO, otherwise Samsung Messages all day long.

Why companies like Telegram who have amazing messengers won't implement basic SMS fallback is beyond me. It's a market for the taking. I'd love to get everyone using Telegram but nobody will switch after I got them to use Signal and those dip's dropped SMs and everyone got pissed at me for switching them and then having to switch back.

 

[BerryBubbles]

My main reason for using Google Messages is its spam filter.

Definitely, I agree.

That's why I use it.

 

[notforhire]

I use Google Messages (for now), but RCS is, for me, an upgrade I wasn't looking for and, now that I have it, I'm thrilled that I didn't pay for it.

 

[SeeBeeEss]

My main reason for using Google Messages is its spam filter.

That is the only thing it has going for it IMO, otherwise Samsung Messages all day long.

Why companies like Telegram who have amazing messengers won't implement basic SMS fallback is beyond me. It's a market for the taking. I'd love to get everyone using Telegram but nobody will switch after I got them to use Signal and those dip's dropped SMs and everyone got pissed at me for switching them and then having to switch back.

Definitely, I agree.

That's why I use it.

Thanks for your comments. For those of you using Google Messages for the spam filter, how well do you think it works? 100% effective? 50% effective? I don't get very many spam messages (and received none during the 17 days I used Google Messages) and I wasn't able to observe its potential benefits.

 

[mustang7757]

Me personally I like the back up , RCS with anyone who has Google and then with iPhone it's the only one you can emojis reaction plus future features Google will add and work over WiFi.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Thanks for your comments. For those of you using Google Messages for the spam filter, how well do you think it works? 100% effective? 50% effective? I don't get very many spam messages (and received none during the 17 days I used Google Messages) and I wasn't able to observe its potential benefits.

I used to get around 2 spam every day, but now the spam are filtered so I get notice for around 2 every day that were blocked so I don't see them.

 

[joeldf]

I've been using Textra since getting the Galaxy S8 in 2017. Spam has been pretty light in all that time. Some months, it might get a bit heavy, but I'm talking maybe 2 or 3 in a week.

But then I'd have stretches of several months with only 2 or 3 in all that time.

Several years ago, it got bad with email spam getting sent over SMS, and those are hard to block because it doesn't come from a phone number, and that's what most blocking methods need. But AT&T has since done a pretty good job stopping those. I haven't seen a text from an email address in probably over a year now.

In fact, I haven't even seen a regular spam text yet this year.

I've had this same phone number since 2007, so I know it's it there.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

Thanks for your comments. For those of you using Google Messages for the spam filter, how well do you think it works? 100% effective? 50% effective? I don't get very many spam messages (and received none during the 17 days I used Google Messages) and I wasn't able to observe its potential benefits.

Lately it's been of no use it seems. Especially when cheetoface and the geriatric in charge of our country send messages.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

Me personally I like the back up , RCS with anyone who has Google and then with iPhone it's the only one you can emojis reaction plus future features Google will add and work over WiFi.

However I have yet to ever see SMS fallback actually work. It eventually just times out on RCS and fails and doesn't notify you at all, could be hours until you notice. Samsung at least does eventualy send it as an SMS

 

[mustang7757]

However I have yet to ever see SMS fallback actually work. It eventually just times out on RCS and fails and doesn't notify you at all, could be hours until you notice. Samsung at least does eventualy send it as an SMS

I haven't noticed that issue

 

[SyCoREAPER]

I haven't noticed that issue

Do you have any contacts who's RCS drops though?

My ex and my parents both live in spotty data regions where the connection the to the JIBE Servers isn't updated for whatever reason by messages. It's perhaps a niche circumstance but it's exactly what that feature is supposed to do.

Ultimately what needs to happen is Google needs to open the damn RCS API to third parties. If that means said third parties have stricter limitations so be it but it needs to be done. Google app is severely lacking

 

[mustang7757]

Do you have any contacts who's RCS drops though?

My ex and my parents both live in spotty data regions where the connection the to the JIBE Servers isn't updated for whatever reason by messages. It's perhaps a niche circumstance but it's exactly what that feature is supposed to do.

Ultimately what needs to happen is Google needs to open the damn RCS API to third parties. If that means said third parties have stricter limitations so be it but it needs to be done. Google app is severely lacking

Not that I noticed I have iPhone and Android customer's that text me daily

 

[BerryBubbles]

Thanks for your comments. For those of you using Google Messages for the spam filter, how well do you think it works? 100% effective? 50% effective? I don't get very many spam messages (and received none during the 17 days I used Google Messages) and I wasn't able to observe its potential benefits.

I receive a lot of spam texts. T-Mobile has had several data leaks & every leak, the spam increases. Also, I found my number on a internet site linked to a guy, oddly enough, who actually lives about 2 miles from me. So, not only do I get my spam, I get lots of 'Jonathan's' spam. (Jonathan, are you ready to sell your home? ) So after report reporting a couple of Jonathan spam texts, Google filters anything with his name & I don't see it. In June, I think one spam text for me snuck through, but, it was for a government survey, so I can understand how that.

Using Samsung Messages & reporting spam directly to T-Mobile got me nowhere....

 

[SyCoREAPER]

I receive a lot of spam texts. T-Mobile has had several data leaks & every leak, the spam increases. Also, I found my number on a internet site linked to a guy, oddly enough, who actually lives about 2 miles from me. So, not only do I get my spam, I get lots of 'Jonathan's' spam. (Jonathan, are you ready to sell your home? ) So after report reporting a couple of Jonathan spam texts, Google filters anything with his name & I don't see it. In June, I think one spam text for me snuck through, but, it was for a government survey, so I can understand how that.

Using Samsung Messages & reporting spam directly to T-Mobile got me nowhere....

T-Mobiles "thing" is to make it feel like they are providing value and doing something. They clearly don't and won't.

That's why I want the goddamn RCS API opened up so I can use Pulse which let's me blacklist messages with specific words.

 

[BerryBubbles]

T-Mobiles "thing" is to make it feel like they are providing value and doing something. They clearly don't and won't.

That's why I want the goddamn RCS API opened up so I can use Pulse which let's me blacklist messages with specific words.

I think you're right about T-Mobile only appearing to do something.

Pulse sounds nice. Blacklisting specific words is a great feature. I think on my BlackBerry, back in the day, the message app I had let me filter words. Very useful.

 

[SeeBeeEss]

I think on my BlackBerry, back in the day, the message app I had let me filter words. Very useful.

I think you are correct. BBM was pretty advanced for its day and was just another of many lost opportunities for BlackBerry.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

I think you're right about T-Mobile only appearing to do something.

Pulse sounds nice. Blacklisting specific words is a great feature. I think on my BlackBerry, back in the day, the message app I had let me filter words. Very useful.

It's a great app and has cross-device sync. Im not sure if Luke is still actively I evolved after the sale but it's still a solid product. Only thing I'm waiting for is blacklist MMS from non-Contacts. They get around even Googles spam filter by just sending a picture of the message so there's nothing to analyze.

 

[BEaRebel]

Is anyone using Beeper along with Google rcs? Beeper is not compressing images.