I’ve heard that Apple is rolling out RCS chat in the fall but there’s very little information about how the technology works and what it will be capable of. I know Android has had it for years but it seems like it may have far more potential – specifically for communicating with businesses – now that Apple is getting involved. What are the implications for travel, healthcare, retail, etc?
In: Technology
RCS is basically the evolution of SMS/MMS messaging. It takes what today is simple text and image sending, and it turns it almost into a login-free application built around a conversation.
A few major selling points.
1. End-to-end encryption
2. Read receipts between Android and iPhone
3. Typing indicators between Android and iPhone
4. Rich snippets can display data from applications right within a thread (great for business texting)
5. Action buttons can launch functionality that you would otherwise need to go to a website for (also great for business texting)
A really cool example of how RCS could be helpful in travel is if an airline texts me about my flight and allows me to change my seat right within a text thread with their bot.
In healthcare, I believe RCS would allow me to book an appointment from a text conversation with a hospital.
If Apple is really playing ball now, it has a ton of potential. It seems like they were doing the Apple thing and building a walled garden and simultaneously keeping Android user text bubbles green.
With both Apple and Google participating in RCS now, it could change the way we interact with texting on a daily basis.
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