Android launched last year a function that many people have been waiting for for some time in phones, but it was officially offered in some countries, while in others it was activated unofficially through various tricks. Those at Google are aware of what people are doing, and have decided to disable the possibility of using various tricks to activate RCS messaging on their phones outside the regions where the functionality is officially offered.
Android has RCS messaging implemented to bring to people some functions similar to those of iMessage, i.e. the possibility to send pictures and videos through the standard messaging application, all via the Internet. Android had been requested by a lot of people, for a very long time, for this kind of functionality, and the people from Google worked hard to implement it, but needing the support of the operators, they distributed it with difficulty in various countries.
Android: Google announcement, CHANGE on Phones in February
Android had this new functionality launched in a segmented way in various countries around the globe, it was distributed as the operators offered official support, but where there was unofficial support, it was activated unofficially. Now Google announced that until the end of February, all those who have unofficially activated the RCS functionality in their phones, will have it automatically deactivated, so they will be left without this very good technology.
“Last year we implemented the ability for users to enable chat features in a number of regions, including the US, UK, France and Mexico. As we prepare to bring chat features to more regions, users who obtained chat features through unsupported workarounds where chat features are not yet available will see them disabled until the end of February. For these users, chat features will be disabled for all versions of the app, including older versions."
Android has implemented RCS support for a very long time, but mobile operators have always refused to implement support for the technology in their own networks, but in 2019 Google convinced them to do it. RCS should become a standard for all mobile phones to facilitate sending messages, pictures, videos, and more to any phone model, not just Android, the way we send SMS messages, but who knows if that will happen .
Android it is still a platform with billions of customers worldwide, so theoretically, if Google implements RCS technology in enough models, a lot of people will be able to communicate more easily.
