9 Today in 102, how do you like to send messages and chat?
If you are born in 1995 or 2000, you may be inclined to use QQ. There is no other reason than that too many people use WeChat, including parents and grandparents. We have become accustomed to using WeChat to send messages, make voice and video calls, and using WeChat to post pictures has long become a daily routine.
Xiao Lei had to lament that times have changed so fast. A few years ago, people were still using Nokia keyboards to send text messages and chat. At that time, the main functions of feature phones were text messages and phone calls. Of course, you could also connect to QQ at that time, but the 2G network speed at that time could only send texts. We all know what happened behind
. 3/4G suddenly transformed mobile networks from oxcarts to high-speed trains. Steve Jobs ushered in the era of smartphones, and applications are the core functions of mobile phones. With the advent of WeChat, which allows users to send media information without paying for text messages, text messages and multimedia messages will no longer be used.
However, operators will not give up easily. A new turning point has come, and the answer is RCS enhanced SMS. Let’s unveil its mystery together.
RCS enhanced SMS: A self-revolution of operators
1. What is RCS enhanced SMS?
The traditional three major services of operators are actually traffic, voice and short and multimedia messages. Among them, the fastest-changing and easiest-to-perceive business is traffic. From 2G to 3/4G, and then to 5G in the future, the experience upgrade brought about by the significant increase in network speed is very obvious. In the past, it was difficult to watch a TXT on the 2G network, but now there is no pressure to watch high-definition movies online on the 4G network.
Voice has also changed. The call quality of 3G voice is much better than that of 2G. In the 4G era, VoLTE technology has also begun to become popular. It allows mobile phones to make high-definition calls while using the 4G network. The call quality is higher without affecting the network speed.
In contrast, operators’ short and multimedia messaging services have not been upgraded much. The RCS enhanced text message promoted by operators this time is an upgrade for it.
RCS is the English abbreviation of "Rich Communication Suite", which literally means rich communication solution and is usually translated as converged communication in China. RCS enhanced SMS is an instant messaging service based on data services, which can send various contents such as graphics, text, voice, and video. To put it simply, it can be regarded as the Android version of iMessage, except that its leading manufacturer is not Apple, but an operator.
2. In fact, your Android phone can already use RCS to enhance SMS.
RCS enhanced SMS does not stay in the conceptual stage. In fact, many domestic Android phones can already use it. Supported brands include Huawei , Xiaomi , Meizu, OPPO Among operators, China Mobile has already opened up this technology. Xiaolei is now testing it with two models from Huawei and Xiaomi.
(1) It is super convenient to use with mobile phones that support RCS enhanced SMS.
Let’s actually test how to use RCS enhanced SMS. First of all, if both phones have this feature turned on and both have network connections, sending messages to each other is free. When this function is enabled on the SMS input interface, whether it is Huawei or Xiaomi mobile phone , there will be a prompt of "Enhanced Information" or "Mobile Network SMS".
We use a Huawei mobile phone to send videos, voice clips, pictures and location information to another Xiaomi mobile phone. The other party can receive it immediately and can open it for playback or viewing, or save it in the file manager. It can be used with Same as WeChat and other social applications.
can be found that if both parties support RCS to enhance the SMS function, SMS can also be used to obtain a very consistent experience with instant messaging applications. In addition, we also save the steps of downloading the application and entering the account and password to log in, which is obviously more convenient.
Like iMessage, normal use of RCS enhanced SMS requires a network connection. However, as an operator, China Mobile provides users with an additional benefit: they can get 10GB of dedicated traffic every month, so they don’t have to worry about fees.
We can directly click on the active link to receive it.
(2) The other party’s mobile phone does not support RCS enhanced SMS? There is an alternative
. So, what will be the result if a mobile phone with RCS enhanced SMS function is enabled to send messages to a mobile phone that is not activated? During the test, we turned on this function on Xiaomi phones, but it was not supported on other iPhones. The Xiaomi mobile phone sent voice, video and other information to the other party, and the results showed that it was successfully sent.
On Xiaolei's iPhone, he received a text message with a network link. After clicking to open it with a browser, you can see the media information sent by the other party, and you can view, play or download it on the web page.
Of course, it is still a little inconvenient to click on a network link in a text message to see media information such as pictures and videos. In order to achieve message interoperability between mobile phones that support RCS enhanced SMS and those that do not support RCS enhanced SMS, China Mobile created the product Hefetion. It supports both Android and iOS mobile phone systems. In addition to China Mobile, China Unicom and Telecom numbers can also be registered and logged in.
After we download, install and log in on the iPhone, the media information sent from the Xiaomi phone just now can be displayed normally in Fetion.
It is worth mentioning that Fetion also has a web version and a computer client, which supports Mac and Windows. After logging in, you can experience the convenience of sending and receiving text messages on your computer. It is very close to iMessage in use.
It should be noted that if the other party's mobile phone does not have the RCS enhanced SMS function enabled and is not online with Fetion, if it is a mobile number, no fee will be incurred; if it is a China Unicom Telecom number, a fee of 0.01 yuan per message will be charged. .
(3) The activation method is super simple. The activation method of
RCS enhanced SMS function is very simple. Below we will take Huawei and Xiaomi mobile phones as examples to demonstrate. The activation procedures for other brands of models are generally similar.
In Huawei mobile phones, the mobile RCS enhanced SMS is called "enhanced information". The specific method of activating it is: click to open the information icon - click the menu button in the upper right corner - click settings - select the enhanced information at the top - —Turn on the enhanced information switch button.
On Xiaomi mobile phones, this function is named "Mobile Network SMS" by Xiaomi. The method to activate it is: enter the SMS interface-click the menu in the upper right corner-click to enter settings-check the mobile network SMS option switch.
is not just the next iMessage, it may also be WeChat’s rival.
RCS enhanced SMS can be said to be a very promising technical solution. Xiaolei believes that it is not just the next iMessage.
1 and RCS enhanced SMS solutions are expected to be popularized globally. As an upgrade solution to traditional short and multimedia messages,
RCS enhanced SMS has already shown its advantages and has received support from many manufacturers around the world. In addition to operators, many Internet and mobile phone manufacturers are actively promoting the popularization of RCS enhanced SMS. We have mentioned before that mobile phone manufacturers such as Huawei and Xiaomi have added support for RCS enhanced text messages in mobile phones and systems released in recent years.
Internet giants Google are also very optimistic about RCS enhanced SMS. Google has designed its own Jibe Cloud platform to help operators quickly launch RCS enhanced SMS services. In native Android, the messaging application has long integrated RCS enhanced text messaging capabilities. Google Fi, a virtual operator owned by Google, has also added support for this solution. It is foreseeable that RCS enhanced text messages will become popular around the world in the future.
2, the IM social market may usher in a wave of reshuffle
In addition, for us as ordinary consumers, the emergence of RCS enhanced SMS also has another meaning. First of all, it has advantages over IM applications such as registration-free experience. Secondly, it is expected to challenge the monopolistic social giants. In the social application market, once a giant is in a dominant position and forms a monopoly, it will be difficult for other competitors to enter and pose a threat.
However, operators are one of the leaders of RCS enhanced SMS. No matter how the mobile Internet develops, smartphones need to rely on traffic and other services provided by operators. In this regard, operators have advantages that other manufacturers do not have. Through the entrance of system applications and underlying services, RCS enhanced SMS service may be the most promising player to break the monopoly of IM applications in the future. A more fully competitive market is obviously more in line with the rights and interests of ordinary users.
3 and MaaP bring greater room for imagination, and will benchmark public accounts, mini programs and other services in the future.
MaaP is an upgraded version of RCS's enhanced SMS function. It is similar to current public accounts and mini programs. MaaP can implement public account-like functions in the SMS interface, including image and text information push, keyword reply, etc. For example, operators, banks, airlines and other service providers can place user operation portals and links directly in messages, and users can enter directly, integrating SMS messages and applications into one, reducing the need to jump from SMS messages to third parties. Application steps.
For example, if we want to query the phone bill, we can directly open the SMS application, find the operator's service number, and click the bill query shortcut key to obtain the bill information displayed in rich media form.
For another example, if we buy a ticket and the airline sends a check-in reminder, we can directly select a seat and apply for a boarding pass in the application number, saving a lot of trouble.
After a few days of understanding and actual use, Xiaolei feels that RCS enhanced SMS is a very leading and forward-looking solution, and it is no longer the traditional SMS and MMS in our minds. With the promotion of operators and mobile phone manufacturers, it is expected to be widely popularized in the future, and may even be able to compete with social applications.
For us as ordinary consumers, this free information function that does not require registration is also quite practical. It is recommended that you try it yourself.
