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Upgrading Messaging on Android in the U.S. with RCS

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Re: Upgrading Messaging on Android in the U.S. with RCS

#131

Post by scarface74 »

nkrisc wrote: post #128
scarface74 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

3D Touch is dead. It’s not in any of the current generation phones. Also in iOS 13, undo is swiping three fingers to the left and redo is swiping three fingers to the right. The shake to undo still works. I actually think it’s easier. It’s hard to do a three finger swipe while holding the phone.

Does the redo gesture double as 'forward' in browsers? My biggest pet peeve with the new Android update is accidentally swiping back on a webpage and not be able to go forward (or if there a way, I haven't figured it out).

Back in a web browser is just swiping from the left edge with one finger, forward is swiping from the right edge.

Re: Upgrading Messaging on Android in the U.S. with RCS

#132

Post by justin66 »

benguild wrote: post #20
atonse wrote: post #4

Can anyone confirm the biggest issue (in my opinion) with RCS? It's not end-to-end encrypted. Update: Confirmed it myself [1]. End-to-end encryption is not even an option. Which is perfect for the data addicts like Google. But honestly I would never ever recommend this as an avenue for people to use over something like WhatsApp. [1]: https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/14/20964477/googles-rcs-cha...

The problem is: most people won’t care or know the difference. This is going to strong arm things away from the messaging app market and iMessage.

One really obvious thing for Apple to do, which has always been a really obvious thing for Apple to do, would be to distribute a version of iMessage on Android.

Re: Upgrading Messaging on Android in the U.S. with RCS

#133

Post by 9nGQluzmnq3M »

mrandish wrote: post #29

Let me see if I understand the strategic landscape around RCS correctly... * To the extent RCS: a) makes it easier for users to switch between mobile providers and keep advanced features that used to be offered for lock-in or more $$, or b) makes it easier for users to switch between the old SMS network and wifi - then, it's not good for mobile telco provider's business models. * To the extent RCS increases privacy f…

RCS does not have end-to-end encryption. It has network level encryption, but so does SMS, and that means anybody on the operator side can decrypt it.

https://www.thercsblog.com/2018/10/16/rcs-encryption-the-low...

Re: Upgrading Messaging on Android in the U.S. with RCS

#134

Post by zamalek »

AcerbicZero wrote: post #46

There was a time when I really thought Google was going to shake things up. Nexus Phones, Google Fiber, Google Fi, etc all sounded awesome. I bought a Nexus 5, switched to Fi, went through the super fun process of mixing around my google voice numbers, (breaking all kinds of stuff) but eventually I was mostly setup and functional. I'd lost some core parts of gVoice, but I figured it was just a matter of time before i…

> which also let you do all of those things from your computer was an awesome experience

FWIW this has been replaced by https://messages.google.com, but you have to use the messages app, and the phone has to be online. It's still way better than texting on a touch keyboard.

Re: Upgrading Messaging on Android in the U.S. with RCS

#135

Post by dannyw »

atonse wrote: post #4

Can anyone confirm the biggest issue (in my opinion) with RCS? It's not end-to-end encrypted. Update: Confirmed it myself [1]. End-to-end encryption is not even an option. Which is perfect for the data addicts like Google. But honestly I would never ever recommend this as an avenue for people to use over something like WhatsApp. [1]: https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/14/20964477/googles-rcs-cha...

Meanwhile in the land of iMessage...

Re: Upgrading Messaging on Android in the U.S. with RCS

#136

Post by 29083011397778 »

flattone wrote: post #88
nullwarp wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

pinephone will be my next phone, ubports on nexus 5 has been pretty good too. That said I feel like we're going into this weird place where you have to have a cell phone even though every day i feel like wanting to have one less and less.

Agree re "have to have a cell phone". When I check for an example of a person participating in society (US) without any phone, I come up empty handed. Then try with me to even describe a setup where a person could reasonably participate but not need a phone. I am vaguely certain this is actually not possible (credit/transportation etc). Perhaps the dire wolf citizen of privacy is pulling this off..but what a high bar…

>I guess a person could fashion "phone number to email as a service" where you get an unanswerable "phone number" which just forwards transcribed content to an email?

You've just described how SMS works for me under Voip.ms. All messages are available to be replied to via email, and starting conversations from their (albeit imperfect and slightly clunky) webpage or (much better) Android app

Re: Upgrading Messaging on Android in the U.S. with RCS

#137

Post by toast0 »

awill wrote: post #110

RCS has completely blown up in Google's face. They should have just copied Apple and created gMessage

They did: Google Talk/gChat, Hangouts, Allo, Duo, Wave (I think it did messaging, I don't really know). There's probably more I forgot.

Google Talk notably supported tons of mobile platforms and was XMPP based and had federation, before they started down their path of reinventing messaging over and over.

Re: Upgrading Messaging on Android in the U.S. with RCS

#138

Post by etaioinshrdlu »

iamaelephant wrote: post #52

This is very exciting for the 8 people still using SMS I suppose.

I'm a 20 something in tech circles in the West Coast of the US and I use SMS at least some of the time to communicate with:

* Brother

* Mother

* Father

* Uncle 1

* Uncle 2

* Roommate 1

* Roommate 2

* Friend of roommate

* Cousin

* Business partner

All of that is in just the last week. SMS is the first messaging system softened mentioned when meeting new people. Because it's a lowest common demoninator.

Why am I not cool enough to hang out with Whatsapp-using people? Joking....

Re: Upgrading Messaging on Android in the U.S. with RCS

#139

Post by dmix »

kbenson wrote: post #50
dmix wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, agreed it's useful as a backbone sort of system like phones. Which will always be the biggest fundamental flaw with something like Signal or WhatsApp (the need for centralized servers, the requirement to install 3rd party software). There may be a role for these telecom services to exist perpetually as a backup services, while everyone still uses apps as their primary communication method. But RCS seems to be t…

> But RCS seems to be trying to bring SMS to parity with messaging apps supporting emoticons and media-heavy content I think it's more that RCS is attempting to bring SMS into the 21st century, if barely. Those aren't exactly amazing features, they're the lowest bar for entry you could meet for a messaging app in 2010. 2019 has a much higher bar, as everyone here is noting.

It's not just the features but them combined with a very cleanly designed messaging app ala WhatsApp. They aren't amazing or new on their own but they've become standard and essential in the 3rd party messaging apps.

There's a lot RCS is going to do to make SMS difficult to distinguish from WhatsApp for most people, especially these days as they've matured and everyone has finished copying the other guy.

Re: Upgrading Messaging on Android in the U.S. with RCS

#140

Post by thekyle »

awill wrote: post #113

I use PulseSMS. Unless Google quickly allows third party apps to integrate, third party apps are all doomed. Isn't this an anti-trust problem?

Given that lots of people use the SMS app that comes with their phone (which often isn't Android Messenger) I suspect it is more the case that if Google doesn't allow 3rd party apps to integrate then Google's RCS is doomed.
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