RCS (https://docs.jibemobile.com) is becoming increasingly popular in communication. I’m not a very good developer, but maybe some smart developer could write an add-on for RCS for OH?
It would be very useful, especially for sending notifications, where you could send information from OH from your own user account, enriched with more content, as well as photos or videos.
I see there is an add-on for WhatsApp (not using by me) and Signal, but not for RCS
My improvement proposal for the next version of OH
RCS isn’t something that computers can talk. At best you’d need a cellular modem to even connect to a network that can talk RCS. And then you’ll need to figure out what API, if any, your cellular provider offers that can be reached through that modem.
There won’t be one RCS binding, there will be potentially hundreds.
To even see the docs for RCS on the page you link to you must be a Google “Partner” and the description on that page says (I’ve bolded the important part)
The Google RCS platform lets carriers build a better messaging experience with RCS (Rich Communication Services).
OH isn’t a carrier.
Google seems to offer a way to send RCS through the developer API. But it’s not clear how to use it and it’s likely only going to work if you have an Android phone to act as a go-between (same as http://messages.google.com).
Your best bet is to see if your cellular provider offers an email you can send a message to which will push that email out as a text message. Beyond that . You can probably get something to work with your specific carrier but it won’t be a universal solution.
WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and the like are Internet based protocols which go over the internet, not a cellular only protocol.
RCS also works over the Internet protocol, just like other instant messengers. Exactly as you mentioned in the link (http://messages.google.com), you can use your browser to send a message from your RCS account, just as you would from your phone.
RCS is also available for Apple, but operators have to implement it, and it is already available on the iPhone in many countries.
Operators are responsible for provisioning the service, but users can use it via the Internet.
The documentation should be available in Google Developer Doc if you are a developer and program using Google’s solutions.
What’s more, it is the only messenger based on the GSMA standard (Universal Profile currently 3.x), so it does not depend on the operator’s implementation and will work the same for all operators, as long as the customer has an active RCS service.
I don’t use WhatsApp because of privacy concerns and the fact that I know who owns this messenger.
Not to mention that it is a closed standard, unlike RCS, which is based on a standard, as I wrote earlier (agreed upon by technology companies and operators under the GSMA agenda).
But that web page doesn’t actually use RCS from the page to the destination. It uses IP from the web page to your phone which then sends the message as RCS. And that particular page only works with Android.
If the carriers provide a way to do so and each one provides their own API, if they provide one at all. Usually it’s email.
It’s not. I am a registered developer. To get the docs about the RCS protocol itself you must be a carrier. And they charge a hefty fee too.
I spent about 20 hours looking into how to do this a couple years ago. But hey, if someone knows differently I’d love to see a binding. But with what I know now, it’s simply impossible.
. You can probably get something to work with your specific carrier but it won’t be a universal solution.