After very limited rollouts and years of delays, next-gen texting is lastly accessible to all users of Android in the US. Sanaz Ahari (product manager for Android Messages) has verified that the American RCS launch completed last week before Google’s end-of-2019 goal. If you still do not have the rich chat tech, you will need to be certain that both Carrier Services and Android Messages are up to date.

RCS is believed to be a rough parallel to iMessage (by Apple) coupled with high-quality photos and videos, WiFi chatting, read receipts, typing notifications, and better group chat management. It does not have end-to-end encoding such as iMessage, though. As with SMS, your chats are not specifically safe.

There is still a long way to go prior to RCS is actually global, though. Google claimed that the tech is only accessible in Mexico, France, and the UK beyond the US and it is still operating to bring support to both more areas and 3rd-party applications. And obviously, Apple is not in a rush to show support for RCS. Even though the concluded US launch is a huge milestone, it is only one step amongst many.

On a related note, the newest upgrade for Signal has a devoted edition for iPads and offers users the capability of setting the tablet as a connected device. Same as Signal for desktop, the iPad edition of the messaging app operates flawlessly with your handset, permitting you to receive and send texts on either device. The upgraded app now also has a latest interface developed for a tablet’s display, showing more room without using artificial zoom that makes components look snobby. It can even display your chats in landscape mode with a horizontal layout whenever you are seeing them on an iPad.