The reaction against Google’s Rich Communication Services (RCS), which businesses in India had begun to abuse for unwanted marketing, has led to its deactivation in India. Google has stated that it will work with the industry to improve the user experience, but RCS will not be available in India for the time being. In other words, unless this functionality is re-activated, all of your rich link previews, GIFs, and animated graphics will be lost to recipients using the newest Android phones.
In an effort to displace SMS, RCS is a messaging technology that enables users to send messages that are richer in content and more interesting to the recipient. Using RCS on Android is the fastest approach to increase user engagement because the majority of smartphone users are on Android.
Individuals aren’t the only ones who may benefit from RCS, though. Additionally, it may be used by firms that want to be creative with their marketing, such as creating more interactive advertising and sending promotional messages. Several companies have turned to spamming customers in the last few months to achieve traction. Following complaints from multiple customers, Google has decided to halt RCS in India. In some cases, the “Verified Company” mark can be found on a business’ Google Maps profile.
It has come to our attention that certain firms are misusing our anti-spam measures in India and sending promotional messages to our subscribers. According to a Google spokeswoman, we are temporarily deactivating this service in India while we work with the industry to make it better for our customers.
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Disabling RCS in India, on the other hand, is only a band-aid solution, as the functionality is essential to improving smartphone communication. It’s also accessible worldwide. It’s strange that Google hasn’t mentioned this issue elsewhere else, at least not to this degree. Google, on the other hand, has promised to work with the industry to improve the user experience. That could imply fewer spam communications, but don’t expect a complete cessation of promotional messages and other marketing aspects. In India, Google’s Jibe Cloud platform is used by many businesses, thus removing spam shouldn’t be a problem. Google Messages already has spam detection built in, and that will certainly be further enhanced in the coming months.
A few years ago, Google said that it has been working with carriers and phone makers to make the Messages app more widely available. Also known as end-to-end encryption (E2EE), RCS allows users to send and receive encrypted messages between an Android phone and a computer. Google also hopes to compete with the popular iPhone texting programme iMessage with the RCS-enabled Messages app.
