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From AT&T Consolidates RCS Services on Google Servers; GrapheneOS Notes Provisioning Issues

How could the shift to Google's RCS infrastructure affect Samsung Electronics?

Already happening What happens if… A possibility worth considering, not a forecast.

Samsung may lose US market share as RCS moves to Google's servers The consolidation of RCS functionality onto Google's Jibe platform has rendered Samsung's own messaging service uncompetitive in the US. Samsung Messages shut down in the US on July 6, coinciding with AT&T sunsetting its Advanced Messaging RCS. Because Google has not publicly shared a way for other apps to use RCS, Samsung Electronics faces a situation where a competitor cannot win over previous Samsung Messages users with a better app, as that app would not be able to send RCS.

Reported by 1 independent outlet Written Monday
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How it reaches Samsung Electronics

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The facts so far

As reported. Each one links to where it comes from.

  • Samsung shut down Samsung Messages in the US on July 6.makeuseof.com
  • AT&T set its own Advanced Messaging RCS to sunset the same month.makeuseof.com
  • All three major US carriers now run their RCS on Google’s servers.makeuseof.com
  • Google has not yet released a public way for other apps to use RCS.makeuseof.com

Why it matters

The messaging standard is critical to the user experience on Android devices. Samsung Electronics, as a major Android manufacturer, relies on its integrated messaging services to provide a complete and competitive ecosystem to its users. The loss of its own RCS capability means it loses a key feature that defines modern Android communication, directly impacting its appeal in the US market.

This situation highlights the power of platform lock-in. While Google has pushed for RCS to be an open standard, the current implementation means that Android's 'open' texting standard only works in one app, on one company's servers, with that same company's permission. This centralization of functionality puts significant pressure on other device manufacturers to adapt to Google's ecosystem.

What we don't know yet

  • Will Google release a public, versioned RCS API for Android?
  • Will Apple fully adopt RCS, which could change the competitive landscape for cross-platform messaging?

What would change this answer

Google releases a public, versioned RCS API for AndroidThis would allow other apps, potentially including Samsung's, to compete with Google Messages and mitigate the loss of user leverage.
Apple fully rolls out end-to-end encrypted RCS between Android and iPhoneThis could increase the overall value of RCS, potentially forcing Google to loosen its control over the API to maintain market dominance.

Who else could feel it

Other possible ripples from the same event.

Reporting

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The full eventAT&T Consolidates RCS Services on Google Servers; GrapheneOS Notes Provisioning Issues Everything aboutSamsung Electronics

Brind's analysis is written by AI from the reporting linked above and can be wrong. This explainer is a possibility worth considering, not a forecast: steps marked as Brind's reasoning are not stated in the reporting. It is not investment advice; do your own research.