RCS is about to get better on AT&T, thanks to Google

RCS is the successor standard to SMS, allowing for messaging, file sharing, and other features over the internet. One issue is that some networks use their own servers for RCS instead of Google’s Jibe platform.

Now, Google senior vice-president Hiroshi Lockheimer has tweeted that AT&T will switch from its own RCS servers to the Jibe platform for the Messages app on Android. Lockheimer adds that this will allow users to get the latest RCS features “instantly.”

Indeed, this will allow for faster feature additions as AT&T users no longer need to wait for the carrier to add features to their own RCS server. This should also make for a more reliable messaging experience as some AT&T users previously complained about RCS messages failing to send or not working at all, particularly when interacting with RCS users on the Jibe platform.

“RCS powered by Jibe will be the default on all Android devices sold by AT&T from here on out,” an AT&T executive was quoted as saying by CNET. So you theoretically won’t need to do anything to get Jibe-based messaging on a new AT&T Android phone.