Messaging services are infinitely better today than they were a decade ago. Google’s implementation ofRCS (Rich Communication Services)has played a key role in helping Android users switch from SMS to a more secure and interactive way of communicating with each other. All mobile carriers support RCS today, although some, like AT&T, continue to use their own backend rather than Google’s own solution, known as Jibe. Well, that’s changing today with Google SVP Hiroshi Lockheimer announcing that AT&T will finally make the switch to the Jibe platform.
The benefits could be immediately apparent, withseveral AT&T consumerspreviously blaming the carrier’s poor servers for the subpar RCS messaging experience. But with the company now leveraging Google’s own tried-and-tested solution, customers can expect better performance overall. This news also means that AT&T’s default messaging system will leverage the Jibe platform, enabling users to get the “latest RCS features instantly,” perLockheimer.
Google has been building towards enhancing RCS since its acquisition ofJibe Mobile in 2015. While it has faced multiple roadblocks since then —including from carriers— it now seems like they’re all on the same page. To check if your Messages app is using Jibe, head over to the app’s Settings > RCS chats and scroll to the bottom of the page, as shown below.
Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile/Sprintannouncedtheir own implementation of RCS messaging in 2019 without Google. This eventually led to the company takingmatters into its own handsvia the Google Messages app. Although all parties have since put aside their differences, industry rival Applerefuses to budge.
While there was some hope that the European Union could force Apple to adopt RCS messaging, like it is expected to do withthird-party app storesandUSB-C for iPhones, the manufacturer isn’t in a hurry tobundle support for RCS within iMessage.
