Google is rolling out a new chat service to replace standard texting, a move that would offer Android users advanced features already found in popular chat services such as Apple’s iMessage and Facebook’s WhatsApp.
But the unveiling also represents a strategic retreat for the tech giant, experts say, which has struggled to prop up a dedicated chat app of its own. The new service, dubbed Chat, is not a Google messaging app but will run on Android phones through partnerships with dozens of mobile carriers around the world.
Google has tried several times to get its own chat app off the ground.
Chat offers several upgrades for Android users whose messaging relies on SMS, or short message service, a text-based system that has been widely adopted but surpassed by more feature-rich messaging apps. Using a new standard called Rich Communications Services, or RCS, Chat will allow users to send high-resolution photos, videos and GIFs, receive read receipts and see when the person they are texting with is typing a reply. Google will also enable Google Assistant through Chat.
The GSMA, a global cellular industry group based in London, estimates that 350 million people will be using RCS by the end of the year. The group expects that number to double in 2019. While many inexpensive phones won’t be able to use the new messaging standard, GSMA estimates that three billion people could potentially upgrade from SMS to RCS.
The launch of Chat follows several failed attempts by Google to create its own competitive chat app. Allo, its most recent messaging product, was launched two years ago. But it has struggled to gain the massive following enjoyed by Facebook’s two messaging apps, WhatsApp (1.5 billion users) and Messenger (1.3 billion users). Google is now “pausing” its work on Allo as it shifts its development efforts to Chat, the company told The Verge.
Google declined to comment for this article.
Yory Wurmser, an analyst at the research firm eMarketer, said that Google’s Chat is not the ideal solution for the company and called it a business concession. “They would love to have a direct competitor to Messenger or WhatsApp, but they weren’t able to figure out that challenge of getting enough users for it to really take off,” he said. “What they are doing is a backup strategy of getting the functionality they were looking for on Android by shifting the work and control to carriers.”
Other experts noted the privacy drawbacks of Chat, which will not be end-to-end encrypted. “Bottom line: Google builds an insecure messaging system controlled by carriers who are in bed with governments everywhere at exactly the time when world publics are more worried about data collection and theft than ever,” Walt Mossberg, a veteran technology writer, tweeted over the weekend.
Both iMessage and WhatsApp use end-to-end encryption, meaning only the sender and the recipient can see the contents of a message.
Like SMS, the new messaging standard is designed to work across different carrier networks. But it will be up to the mobile companies to enable the service. Messages are sent over the internet. But if an Android user sends a Chat message to a person whose phones is not Chat compatible, the message will be sent using SMS.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment as to whether it will support RCS for iPhone users.
This article originally appeared on SMH. Read the original here.
Get Tech insights and latest news here.
Read more about Software Co agency.
Software Co is organised and extremely professional, providing regular updates and meeting expectations. They’re self-sufficient and require minimal oversight. They built a great product and accommodated to project requirements.
Software Co's ability to understand and work according to our business requirements and best practices has made for a pleasant experience. Their coding is high-quality and so are their team members.
Software Co's team is down to earth, knowledgeable, passionate, and motivated. We have like-minded principles and passions, and Software Co felt more like an extension of our team than a vendor.
Software Co has proven to be a talented vendor capable of integrating seamlessly into design and development workflows. They are engaged communicators and dedicated problem-solvers.
Their dedication to both their work and the partnership yielded impressive work that grew the app’s user base. It's now receiving increasingly positive reviews online, proving the technical capabilities of the team. Adapting to a scrum development process, they went above and beyond expectations.
© 2023. Software Co. All Rights Reserved.
Australia