Google's Android RCS support to Telenor subscribers in Asia and Europe

Google continues to push forward its plans to bring RCS to more Android users. With Sprint and Roger both onboard with support in the US and Canada respectively, the latest carrier to partner up with Google is Telenor.

For those unfamiliar with the carrier, Telenor has a presence in multiple Asian and European markets including Thailand, Malaysia, India, Pakistan in Asia and Norway, Denmark, Hungary, and Serbia in Europe — just to name a few. The partnership will give all 214 million subscribers access to RCS, as long as they have a supported device that uses the Google Messenger app, that is.

Is RCS really that important in 2017, with so many folks using non-SMS messaging solutions like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and a plethora of other services? Maybe not for everyone, but the reality is there are still a lot of folks that rely on SMS. For one thing, SMS tends to work even in areas where reception is a bit spotty, it also doesn’t rely on your data connection. Speaking personally, I have quite a few (mostly older) family members that use traditional texting exclusively and getting them onboard with something a bit more modern isn’t as easy as it sounds.

If you aren’t familiar with RCS, it basically it brings many advanced features like group chats, read receipts, and more to texting. For more details you’ll want to head to our guide to understanding RCS.

For those affected by Telenor’s expansion, are you excited to see this come to your market, or are you perfectly content using a data-based texting service instead?