Thinking about switching from an iPhone to a Google Pixel, but don't want to give up iMessage and all of its nifty features? Google hears you, so it's sprucing up and rebranding Android's messaging client to be more like Apple's messaging service.
The new texting app is called Android Messages, and at first glance it doesn't do a whole lot more than replace the old name, Messages. But under the hood, it adds support for Google's Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol to three new mobile carriers: Orange, Deutsche Telekom, and Globe, as well as dozens of tablet and smartphone manufacturers.
RCS works much like iMessage in that users send photos, videos, and texts via Wi-Fi or a cellular data network instead of SMS. Read receipts and group chat are also supported. Unlike iMessage, though, mobile carriers must configure their networks to support it, and smartphone makers must integrate it into their devices.
Google has been pushing for them to do so since early last year, and today's app upgrade is a signal that there's enough back-end support that Google can begin marketing the improvements to consumers in earnest.
Of course, Google has to make money from its messages investment, so it is also rolling out third-party integrations, again taking a page from iMessage, not to mention Skype and Facebook Messenger. A beta program with more than a dozen participants, including Time, Inc., Baskin Robbins, Papa Murphy's, and Walgreens, will be able to send customers messages that go beyond just text.
"For example, a message from your airline reminding you to check in for a flight can now take advantage of rich media and interactivity to provide a full check-in experience, complete with boarding pass, visual flight updates, and terminal maps on demand, all directly within the messaging experience," Google explained a blog post.