Samsung Electronics and Google have announced that they are working together to offer global Rich Communication Services (RCS) coverage and interoperability. This will enable features like the ability to chat over Wi-Fi, create rich group chats, see typing indicators and read receipts, and share high-resolution photos and videos across platforms.
Both the companies will work together to ensure that their messaging clients, Android Messages and Samsung Messages, work seamlessly with each company’s RCS technology, including cloud and business messaging platforms. As part of the collaboration, Samsung will work to bring these RCS features to existing mobile phones* beginning with the Galaxy S8 and S8+.
However, upcoming Samsung Galaxy smartphones will also natively support RCS messaging, starting with those on a set of carriers that have or will soon launch RCS. Developers and brands that create RCS Business Messaging experiences based on GSMA Universal Profile 2.0 using the Google or Samsung Messaging-as-a-Platform (MaaP) services will be able to reach both Android Messages and Samsung Messages users.
Patrick Chomet, EVP, and Head of Product & Services Innovation Team, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics said:
At Samsung, we adhere to a model of open collaboration to bring premium experiences to our customers across products. 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.
Anil Sabharwal, Vice President for Communications Products and Photos at Google said:
We’ve been working with the mobile industry to upgrade the messaging experience on Android with RCS. Samsung has been a major contributor to this initiative, and our partnership will further advance our shared vision of a substantially improved messaging experience on Android for users, brands and the broader Android ecosystem.