Developed by the GSM Association and backed by companies such as Microsoft, Samsung, LG, Google and more, RCS is the globally agreed new standard to replace SMS in the near future.
The new capabilities RCS is going to bring include the following core features:
- Chat
- Group chat
- File transfer
- Audio messaging
- Video share
- Location share
- Live sketching
- High-res photo sharing support
All of which are meant to be officially published as early as Thursday, 17 November 2016.
In addition to the above, improved authentication, app security, plug-in integration and more are also meant to be released at around Q2 of 2017.
However, it appears that at least some users won’t even need to wait as long as the next couple of weeks in order to enjoy the new features, since according to Google[1], Android users of certain devices should automatically receive the new capabilities through an app update:
“Subscribers currently using select LG and Nexus phones from Sprint will have the messaging experience upgraded automatically through an app update, and subscribers using other Android devices can download Messenger from the Play store.”
If you wish to check out the new messenger and be one of first people in the world to try it out, simply click the button below to download it from Google Play.