(Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)Google is rolling out a new chat service to replace standard texting, a move that analysts say will offer Android users advanced features already found in popular chat services such as Apple's iMessage and Facebook's WhatsApp. The service, dubbed Chat, is not a Google messaging app but will run on Android phones through partnerships with dozens of mobile carriers around the world. Chat offers several upgrades for Android users whose messaging relies on SMS, or short message service, a text-based system that has been widely adopted but surpassed by more feature-rich messaging apps. While many inexpensive phones won't be able to use the new messaging standard, GSMA estimates that 3 billion people could potentially upgrade to RCS. Sprint has already enabled the messaging standard in the United States, and T-Mobile has said it will do so this year.

Source: Washington Post April 20, 2018 18:31 UTC