Last month, we covered the sturdy opportunity of Android Q imparting new APIs for RCS messaging to 1/3-birthday party app builders, primarily based on some proof in Android code. It seems that Google’s plans may have modified within the intervening month, in line with a brand new devote.
RCS, the heart of Google’s “Chat” initiative, is presently handiest available via a select few apps, like Android Messages, and for now, 1/3-birthday celebration apps can’t effortlessly use RCS. This is because Google wishes to first create an API for apps to hook up with, in order that each app doesn’t want to build their own RCS managing from the ground up.
Android Q regarded poised to introduce such APIs for builders, making it viable for famous SMS apps like Textra, QKSMS, and greater to send, get hold of and manage RCS messages. Unfortunately, a new dedicated has been posted to Android’s Gerrit supply code control, which appears to evidently indicate a brand new future for RCS in Android Q.
The dedicate, entitled “Hide RcsMessageStore APIs,” does precisely what it claims to do, and “hides” the brand new RCS APIs from being to be had for builders to apply. This with the aid of itself is uncommon, as the APIs had simply been “unhidden” in advance this month.
More explicitly, the message connected to the newest code trade reads:
This characteristic is punted from Android Q.
You can’t get a great deal clearer than that. While Google may have as soon as supposed for third-birthday party apps on Android Q so one can use RCS, now this idea has been delayed to a later version, in all likelihood Android R. No public motive has been given for the RCS API’s “punt” from Android Q.
9to5Google’s Take
This is not a sturdy displaying on Google’s component for the achievement of Chat and RCS inside the near future. Judging from the level of community pleasure about the imminent API, many developers and users alike will, in reality, be upset.
