Main topic: Google announces end-to-end encryption for group chats in its Android and Wear OS Messages app.
Key points:
1. All group chats with RCS enabled now have end-to-end encryption by default.
2. RCS will be enabled by default for new and existing users, unless they have previously switched it off.
3. E2EE is available for group chats, but compatibility is limited to Android and iOS users, unless a third-party app like Signal is used.
Google Messages app will soon support satellite connectivity for sending emergency SOS messages. Users will be able to customize the SOS message instead of using a preset phrase. This feature will be integrated into the Messages app and will limit the number of words in an SOS message.
General Motors is using Google Cloud's conversational chatbot, Dialogflow, to enhance the capabilities of its in-car concierge, OnStar, by providing responses to common queries and improving customer engagement.
The EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) may force Apple to add support for RCS if iMessage is considered a "gatekeeper," potentially leading to the iPhone 15 series having a USB-C port and allowing developers to promote third-party in-app payment platforms.
The EU has listed 22 core platform services that must adhere to the Digital Markets Act, but Apple's iMessage is notably not among them and is temporarily exempt from adopting RCS. However, the EU is launching an investigation into iMessage and Microsoft services to determine their future.
Google Messages is set to introduce improved multi-device support, allowing users to use one phone number for RCS and SMS messages on multiple devices, similar to WhatsApp's native app experience.
Google has released a snarky ad called "iPager" to criticize Apple's messaging platform, highlighting the disadvantages of using outdated SMS technology and the lack of encryption when texting across operating systems.
T-Mobile has announced that its RCS messaging offering is now powered by Google's Jibe platform, allowing customers to enjoy an upgraded messaging experience with new features instantly and improved interoperability across carriers.
Google Messages is rolling out a redesign of its voice recorder UI, featuring a persistent panel with start/stop buttons, waveform visualization, and the ability to listen to recordings before sending.
Google has released a video featuring the iPager, a fictional gadget representing Apple's resistance to adopting RCS messaging, highlighting issues like lack of encryption, broken group chats, pixelated videos, and the green bubble associated with Apple's iMessage, as it is not currently on the European Commission's list of gatekeeper services.
You can like and react to text messages on your Android phone by using emoji reactions, such as the thumbs-up emoji, through the Google Messages app, but both you and the message sender must have RCS messaging enabled on your phones.
Google Messages for web has been updated with new branding and animated emoji, highlighting Google's focus on its consumer messaging strategy.
Samsung has released an ad urging Apple to adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging standard, a campaign that Google has also been pushing for.
Samsung has released an ad urging Apple to adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging standard that Google has been promoting, highlighting the issues Android and iPhone users face when texting each other.
Samsung has released a new ad as part of Google's "Get The Message" campaign, criticizing Apple for not adopting RCS, an open messaging standard, with the ad playing on the Romeo and Juliet story to highlight the divide between iPhone and Android users.
Samsung has released a video supporting Google's #GetTheMessage campaign, urging Apple to adopt RCS or "Rich Communication Services" to end the two-class messaging system between iPhone and Android users.
Samsung has released a video as part of its "Get The Message" campaign, which takes a humorous dig at Apple's lack of support for RCS, arguing that the different color bubbles for Android and iPhone users is a result of Apple's refusal to adopt the modern messaging technology.
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