Messaging services on Android devices get dinged by users for being too complex and fragmented, at least when compared to the universal app approach with Apple iMessage on iOS devices.

Google recognizes that it needs to make improvements to messaging on Android devices. To that end, the company bought Jibe Mobile, a provider of Rich Communications Services (RCS). Last fall, Google committed to the RCS carrier standard for support of mobile messaging, including group chats, high resolution photos and more.

RCS has been around for a long time — since 2007 — but so far hasn’t won the support of more than 50 wireless carriers globally. In February, Google and 15 global carriers partnered with the GSM Association to promote further RCS adoption. 

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