Google rolls out RCS support for Rogers customers in Canada

By Julian Chokkattu Published December 13, 2016

Google is picking up the pace on its RCS rollout with support for Rogers customers in Canada. Rich Communication Services is the evolution of SMS, and while 49 carriers worldwide have supported it since its launch in 2007, Google’s Universal RCS platform launched just last month with Sprint in the United States.

Many of those carriers run an older version of RCS that’s only partially compatible with Google’s Universal platform, but the search giant’s aim is to unify the service to offer a “consistent” service that works with non-Android phones as well.

Recommended Videos

So what exactly is RCS? It’s text messaging modernized to be on par with IP-based messaging systems like Facebook Messenger, iMessage, and Google’s Allo. RCS implementation in SMS clients means apps can recognize and display when someone is typing and transmit videos and images up to 100 times larger than multimedia text messaging (MMS). It also features read receipts, high-resolution photo-sharing, and robust group messaging, such as the ability to name them, as well as add members or leave groups.

Google’s only app that supports RCS at the moment is Google Messenger — the default texting application on some Android phones. Sprint is the first carrier to support Google’s Universal RCS platform, and Sprint will also preinstall Messenger on Android phones starting in 2017.

For Rogers, the second and latest carrier to support the Universal RCS platform, you’ll also need to use Google Messenger to make use of the new service.

“We’re beginning to roll out the enhanced messaging experience today, and it will be available to all Rogers customers soon,” writes Amir Sarhangi, Google’s head of RCS.

Sarhangi also says Rogers will “preload Messenger as the standard messaging app for new Android devices” in 2017.

The trick is to get carriers like T-Mobile to move away from its own RCS platform and switch to Google’s. The search giant says RCS will launch with more partners in the coming months.

Julian Chokkattu

Former Mobile and Wearables Editor

Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…

Topics

Phones

I feel like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the right kind of passport foldable

Passport foldables are everywhere now, but Samsung got the proportions right

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 foldable smartphone

Passport-style foldables are returning, but in a foldable format. Samsung completely changed direction with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Xiaomi followed with the 18 Fold, and Apple has now entered the category with the iPhone Duo. Even though the original Google Pixel Fold explored the same short-and-wide idea years ago, this is looking like the new smartphone trend in 2026.

After spending years with book-style foldables, I am warming up to this decision. I prefer the idea of keeping the phone compact when closed and opening it only when I need more room.

Computing

The RAM shortage could last for years, and smaller tech brands are feeling it first

From flexible motherboards to advance orders, device makers are getting creative to keep products alive.

Installing RAM Memory on a framework laptop

The memory shortage is no longer just a problem for PC builders hunting for affordable RAM. Smaller phone and laptop makers are now changing how they design, manufacture, and price their products as the supply crunch threatens to stretch through 2027 and potentially beyond. And according to a report by Reuters, the bigger problem isn't even the price anymore. It's getting enough memory in the first place.

Smaller brands are getting creative because RAM isn't playing nice

Phones

Your 15-minute reading habit could now earn you money in Singapore

Your endless scrolling habit finally has some financial competition.

Tap the top of the screen of your Kindle to bring up the menu interface.

I have plenty of apps on my phone reminding me to drink water, stand up, exercise, and stop staring at the screen. Singapore is taking a slightly different approach: instead of another reminder telling people what to do, it's adding a reward. The country has launched a new initiative designed to turn reading into a daily habit. Spend at least 15 minutes reading, record the session through the government's platform, and you'll receive 20 virtual coins.

Collect 1,000 of them, and you can exchange them for S$ 1, or roughly 80 cents in the US. Since only one reading session counts each day, reaching that first dollar takes 50 days. Nobody is getting rich here, obviously. But that's what makes the idea interesting. The cash functions more like the achievement badge or daily streak you'd find in an app, except this one tries to pull your attention away from the screen.