Final nail in the coffin for SMS? Google to launch Chat IM service

Google will soon launch ‘Chat’, an app that would not only take on popular instant messaging services but, if it becomes a success, could put the iconic SMS service in the annals of history.

What is Chat?

Chat is a carrier-based native messaging app which will replace Android Messages, the default messaging app on Android devices. Users will be able to send not only messages to each other but also uncompressed high-definition images and videos. It will also have features such as read receipts, typing indicators and group texts, among others.

Simply put, Chat is just a more relatable name for Rich Communication Services (RCS), a newer standard of messaging or set of features that will replace the two-decade-old SMS service.

How does it work?

Once launched, Chat services will automatically be enabled on a user’s Android smartphone. However, it is the carrier that will decide when to do so. Google is said to be in talks with carriers to roll out the services.

Messages via Chat will not be charged like an SMS, but it will be charged on the user's data but reports say that carriers will reserve the final say on how to apply the charges.

A catch here is that the recipient should have Chat services enabled on his phone. Otherwise, the service will revert back to normal SMS message. This is similar to the iMessage service that is offered to Apple's iOS users.

How will it impact users, carriers and other services?

Chat services may result in carrier services losing on SMS-based revenues. After full-scale rollout, Chat could simply become the standard for instant messaging.

For instance, a WhatsApp user cannot send a message to a user who does not have the app installed on his smartphone.

With Chat becoming the standard service, any Android phone may be able to send a message to another phone with the same OS, given both are connected to the internet.

Further, if the app does well, Google could also roll out the service on iOS, which could also scale up the app across the mobile ecosystem.

Challenges

Chat may not function if the user isn’t connected to the Internet. This rules out the feature phone market in India, which accounts for a majority of phone sales in India currently.