RCS, the successor to SMS, is now used by all Android users (RCS, the successor to SMS, is now used by all Android users)

Google said in November that it would launch RCS Chat, the successor to SMS, as Android's main messaging platform. Starting Monday, if you are an Android user of any carrier, you should be able to use it now, although you may need to update your messaging application and carrier settings (through the Android Center).

In theory, RCS messages should be an improvement on regular text messages, because they support reading receipts and typing instructions, and are more suitable for group chat. However, unlike Apple's iMessage, RCS does not support end-to-end encryption, so if you want to send encrypted messages, you need to use third-party applications such as Signal.

It's been a long time since Google first said RCS would be the main messaging platform for Android a year and a half ago. However, even if RCS takes some time, it may take longer. Google initially relied on operators to launch RCS, but because of its delay, Google decided to promote it on its own.

Sanaz Ahari, the product management director in charge of Android Messages, confirmed the full deployment on Twitter. When will RCS be extended to others? Harry can only say, "Please wait a minute".