That's it. I'm giving up on Google chat products. I tried hard to use Allo and get my friends to use but enough. We need a new XMPP like protocol that prioritizes privacy, end-to-end encryption and supports all the fancy features like stickers and video calls to make it easier to adopt. Does anything like this exist?
Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS
161–170 of 342 posts
Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
> unreliable Really? It's the only messaging format that works without a data connection and is an absolute godsend when I'm out camping, rural biking, or at large sporting events and the towers are absolutely swamped. I'm in a situation at least once a month where the only reliable communication method is SMS.
Unreliable in the sense, that it is on the discretion of the network, whether it will drop your message somewhere in transit, without letting you know. Just like UDP.
Is it a practical issue where you are? In France I can't remember the last time I've had issues with undelivered text messages and I use them quite a lot (I generally use the cheapest plan I can find which usually doesn't contain data, so I default to texts).
For important messages I'll expect an explicit confirmation anyway, it's not enough that the message reaches the recipient's phone, they also have to read it!
My main problem with texts is lack of privacy which is why I'm slowly pivoting towards Signal instead.
Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS
#163Its shocking how Google is embarrassing itself with these incompatible chat apps released one after another and abandoned right after the release. GTalk Gmail Chat Google Voice Hangouts Android Messages Allo Duo for fucks sake Google, just copy Whatsapp but make it stored on cloud, not on the device, like FB Messenger. Enable account recovery using email in addition to sms and enable usernames or email in addition ph…
I think Google gave it a pretty good shot at competing with WhatsApp with Allo. The problem is that at the end of the day, the network effect is what matters with messaging. No matter how good the product, it doesn't matter if everyone I know doesn't use it as well. It's not an engineering question, it's a social one; a lot has to change to get people to switch from iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger today.
The theory says that you can get people to switch if you deliver a product that is x10 better than the competition, but really, how can you possibly improve messaging as it is today? It's not like people are going to go "Wow, this app sends my messages so much better than , I'll go ahead and switch and tell everyone I know".
Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS
#164That's it. I'm giving up on Google chat products. I tried hard to use Allo and get my friends to use but enough. We need a new XMPP like protocol that prioritizes privacy, end-to-end encryption and supports all the fancy features like stickers and video calls to make it easier to adopt. Does anything like this exist?
iMessage
Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS
#165This is weird but I have to assume it’s a political sop to the carriers to get something from them. The PR is disingenuous of course, but I’m more disappointed in the reporter for failing to mention a big advantage of iMessage and a reason lots of people choose WhatsApp are because not only do they provide a better experience than SMS but they are (at least they attempt to be) secure. No federated messaging system that involves the carriers will be end-to-end secure or provide easy syncing across clients.
Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS
#166The carriers are idiots. It's where innovation goes to die. We had to pull them kicking and screaming into the smart phone and data era. (Remember When AT&T sent a paper copy of every image you downloaded on your iPhone in a bill?) Quite frankly the core problem with Google's strategy is involving then at all. Instead, go the manufacturers and campaign against supporting sms at all . It's insecure, slow, unreliable,…
Look. Its simple.
Signal work on Android just like iMessage - you set it as SMS app, and it uses Signal messages with people who have Signal (even on iPhone) and SMS otherwise.
We already have iMessage-style app on Android. It's just that pretty much nobody is using it.
Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS
#167The carriers are idiots. It's where innovation goes to die. We had to pull them kicking and screaming into the smart phone and data era. (Remember When AT&T sent a paper copy of every image you downloaded on your iPhone in a bill?) Quite frankly the core problem with Google's strategy is involving then at all. Instead, go the manufacturers and campaign against supporting sms at all . It's insecure, slow, unreliable,…
Agreed, SMS needs to stop being supported by handset vendors so people stops relying on it as the universal text platform.
When a communication system silently drops messages, this is unacceptable. But people are ok with it because they're accustomed to it being shit. The sender wonders why you never responded, and you are unaware they contacted you. Or the sender asks if you want to meet for lunch, and you get it 8 hours later. Group messages? I've compared phones on a table and we all have a different context to the conversation because each phone has different set of missing messages.
The messaging platforms are in silos and it sucks, everyone is annoyed about having 3-4 chat apps. But at least they work reliably, and that's the better alternative to garbage SMS.
Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS
#168Check out this video by The Verge:
Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Quite frankly the core problem with Google's strategy is involving then at all. Instead, go the manufacturers and campaign against supporting sms at all. It's insecure, slow, unreliable, monitored, among many other things. Push the manufacturers to an open Android messaging api that runs over TLS (or double ratchet) and bypasses the carriers completely, but the manufacturers can still rebrand. But it's universal. I…
Its both universal _and_ relies on the voice network rather than the data network (if the device even has one). SMS is a fundamental part of the GSM spec, has been for over 30 years, and is one of those super lightweight battle-tested technologies that there are certainly some pretty great IP-based alternatives to, but which replacing wholesale for some yet-another-IP-based-rebranded-messanger seems crazy. The beauty…
IRC is more modern in a sense. It usually works over an IP network.
Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS
#170The carriers are idiots. It's where innovation goes to die. We had to pull them kicking and screaming into the smart phone and data era. (Remember When AT&T sent a paper copy of every image you downloaded on your iPhone in a bill?) Quite frankly the core problem with Google's strategy is involving then at all. Instead, go the manufacturers and campaign against supporting sms at all . It's insecure, slow, unreliable,…
>Remember When AT&T sent a paper copy of every image you downloaded on your iPhone in a bill?
I'd never heard of that, fascinating. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300-page_iPhone_bill