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104-601: Rich Communication Services ( RCS ) is a communication protocol standard for instant messaging , primarily for mobile phones , developed and defined by the GSM Association ( GSMA ). It aims to be a replacement of SMS and MMS on cellular networks with more modern features including high resolution image and video support, typing indicators, file sharing, and improved group chat functionality. As for MMS, mobile service must be activated. Development of RCS began in 2007 but early versions lacked features and interoperability ;

208-561: A protocol stack . Internet communication protocols are published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) handles wired and wireless networking and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) handles other types. The ITU-T handles telecommunications protocols and formats for the public switched telephone network (PSTN). As

312-402: A tunneling arrangement to accommodate the connection of dissimilar networks. For example, IP may be tunneled across an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network. Protocol layering forms the basis of protocol design. It allows the decomposition of single, complex protocols into simpler, cooperating protocols. The protocol layers each solve a distinct class of communication problems. Together,

416-457: A 160 character limit, lack of read receipts, and media sharing (images may be shared but these would be sent as an MMS , with an increased charge). RCS aims to be a modern successor with newer features while still remaining an open standard for cell networks like SMS and hence would also not be a closed "walled garden" like commercial messaging networks (also known as OTT (over-the-top) services) such as Messenger and WhatsApp . Additionally, RCS

520-467: A 3D character of themselves. There were also new Koala, Tiger, Ghost, and T-Rex Animojis. In iOS 13 , user profiles can be created and Memoji can be used as an iMessage profile picture. All iOS devices with an A9 processor or newer can create custom Memoji. In iOS 14 , user profiles can be created and Memoji can be used as an iMessage profile picture. All iOS devices with an A9 processor or newer can create custom Memoji. In iOS 15 , Messages introduces

624-430: A Share button on apps like Safari and Photos, which enabled users to share links and photos using SMS/MMS or iMessage without leaving the app. Messages received a new user interface in iOS 7 . Apple also added the ability to see a message post date by swiping from right to left. In iOS 8 , users can send audio and video messages by holding down the record button. In group conversations, users can remove/add someone to

728-447: A close analogy between protocols and programming languages: protocols are to communication what programming languages are to computations . An alternate formulation states that protocols are to communication what algorithms are to computation . Multiple protocols often describe different aspects of a single communication. A group of protocols designed to work together is known as a protocol suite; when implemented in software they are

832-639: A coarse hierarchy of functional layers defined in the Internet Protocol Suite . The first two cooperating protocols, the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP) resulted from the decomposition of the original Transmission Control Program, a monolithic communication protocol, into this layered communication suite. The OSI model was developed internationally based on experience with networks that predated

936-599: A computer environment (such as ease of mechanical parsing and improved bandwidth utilization ). Network applications have various methods of encapsulating data. One method very common with Internet protocols is a text oriented representation that transmits requests and responses as lines of ASCII text, terminated by a newline character (and usually a carriage return character). Examples of protocols that use plain, human-readable text for its commands are FTP ( File Transfer Protocol ), SMTP ( Simple Mail Transfer Protocol ), early versions of HTTP ( Hypertext Transfer Protocol ), and

1040-487: A de facto standard operating system like Linux does not have this negative grip on its market, because the sources are published and maintained in an open way, thus inviting competition. Messages (Apple) All version of Messages support Apple's own iMessage service, while the mobile version of Messages on iOS – used on iPhone and cellular -enabled models of the iPad  – also supports SMS , MMS , and RCS in iOS 18 . Users can tell

1144-449: A global list of carriers that support Universal Profile RCS messaging in Messages (Apple) . Google Messages supports RCS with these carriers, and additionally supports RCS for all users globally, provided directly by Google Jibe if the carrier does not offer RCS. The GSMA states that Universal Profile support is optional in 4G, but mandatory in 5G networks and devices. In Japan, since 2018,

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1248-453: A machine rather than a human being. Binary protocols have the advantage of terseness, which translates into speed of transmission and interpretation. Binary have been used in the normative documents describing modern standards like EbXML , HTTP/2 , HTTP/3 and EDOC . An interface in UML may also be considered a binary protocol. Getting the data across a network is only part of the problem for

1352-453: A networking protocol, the protocol software modules are interfaced with a framework implemented on the machine's operating system. This framework implements the networking functionality of the operating system. When protocol algorithms are expressed in a portable programming language the protocol software may be made operating system independent. The best-known frameworks are the TCP/IP model and

1456-414: A new feature called "Shared with You", which organizes links and other content shared through Messages in a dedicated section in their native apps for later viewing. In iOS 16 , sent messages can now be edited within 15 minutes and can be deleted within 2 minutes. In iOS 17 , there is a new "Check In" feature which allows the user to pick a location and Check In notifies the contact once the user reaches

1560-626: A new specification named Universal Profile was developed and has been continually rolled out since 2017. RCS has been designed as an industry open standard to provide improved capabilities over basic text messaging , based on the Internet Protocol (IP). Its development has also been supported by mobile network operators to regain their influence against individual OTT (over-the-top) chat apps and services. Additional features of RCS include presence information , location and multimedia sharing, video calling , and operation over mobile data or Wi-Fi , natively integrated in mobile phones without requiring

1664-417: A packet-switched network, rather than this being a service of the network itself. His team was the first to tackle the highly complex problem of providing user applications with a reliable virtual circuit service while using a best-effort service , an early contribution to what will be the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). Bob Metcalfe and others at Xerox PARC outlined the idea of Ethernet and

1768-554: A protocol. The data received has to be evaluated in the context of the progress of the conversation, so a protocol must include rules describing the context. These kinds of rules are said to express the syntax of the communication. Other rules determine whether the data is meaningful for the context in which the exchange takes place. These kinds of rules are said to express the semantics of the communication. Messages are sent and received on communicating systems to establish communication. Protocols should therefore specify rules governing

1872-554: A reference model for communication standards led to the OSI model , published in 1984. For a period in the late 1980s and early 1990s, engineers, organizations and nations became polarized over the issue of which standard , the OSI model or the Internet protocol suite, would result in the best and most robust computer networks. The information exchanged between devices through a network or other media

1976-399: A response from a range of possible responses predetermined for that particular situation. The specified behavior is typically independent of how it is to be implemented . Communication protocols have to be agreed upon by the parties involved. To reach an agreement, a protocol may be developed into a technical standard . A programming language describes the same for computations, so there is

2080-478: A set of cooperating processes that manipulate shared data to communicate with each other. This communication is governed by well-understood protocols, which can be embedded in the process code itself. In contrast, because there is no shared memory , communicating systems have to communicate with each other using a shared transmission medium . Transmission is not necessarily reliable, and individual systems may use different hardware or operating systems. To implement

2184-557: A simplified version of RCS. Joyn Joyn was a service brand of RCS-e. The GSMA defined a series of specific implementations of the RCS specifications. The RCS specifications often defined a number of options for implementing individual communications features, resulting in challenges in delivering interoperable services between carriers. The RCS specifications aimed to define a more specific implementation that promotes standardization and simplify interconnection between carriers. Apple maintains

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2288-456: A standardization process. Such protocols are referred to as de facto standards . De facto standards are common in emerging markets, niche markets, or markets that are monopolized (or oligopolized ). They can hold a market in a very negative grip, especially when used to scare away competition. From a historical perspective, standardization should be seen as a measure to counteract the ill-effects of de facto standards. Positive exceptions exist;

2392-407: A third-party hosted service. Like SMS, RCS requires national and international interconnects to enable roaming . As with SMS, this will be accomplished with hubbing - where third-party providers complete agreements with individual operators to interwork their systems. Each subsequent operator that connects to a hub is therefore connected automatically to all other connected operators. This eliminates

2496-472: A thread, name a thread, share their location in a thread, view all attachments, and turn on Do Not Disturb to not receive notifications from a specific thread. As a part of the new continuity feature, users can now use their iPhones as a relay to send and receive SMS and MMS messages on Macs and iPads. In iOS 9 , the app received a redesigned overlay when sending an audio clip, as well as seeing contact photos in list view on iPhone 6 or later. In iOS 10 ,

2600-430: A transfer mechanism of a protocol is comparable to a central processing unit (CPU). The framework introduces rules that allow the programmer to design cooperating protocols independently of one another. In modern protocol design, protocols are layered to form a protocol stack. Layering is a design principle that divides the protocol design task into smaller steps, each of which accomplishes a specific part, interacting with

2704-751: Is IP -based, instead of the Signalling System No. 7 (SS7) standard that SMS uses. Unlike SMS, RCS may require an Internet connection depending on the RCS servers. (further explained in the Technical details section below) RCS Business Messaging (RBM) is the business-to-consumer (B2C) ( A2P in telecoms terminology) version of RCS. RBM includes unique features, including predefined quick-reply suggestions, rich cards, carousels, and branding, designed to improve customer engagement and interactive features that facilitate new use cases. These are available as standard on preloaded RCS-enabled text messaging apps. This

2808-505: Is a system of rules that allows two or more entities of a communications system to transmit information via any variation of a physical quantity . The protocol defines the rules, syntax , semantics , and synchronization of communication and possible error recovery methods . Protocols may be implemented by hardware , software , or a combination of both. Communicating systems use well-defined formats for exchanging various messages. Each message has an exact meaning intended to elicit

2912-588: Is also accessible through desktops via the web client of Google Messages or via Microsoft Phone Link . RCS is also marketed as Advanced Messaging and 5G Messaging (in China), and was previously variously marketed as chat features , enhanced chat , joyn , SMSoIP , and SMS+ . Samsung Electronics was one of the first major device original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to support the RCS initiative and it commercially launched RCS capable devices in Europe in 2012 and in

3016-451: Is based on 3GPP 's IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architectural framework and uses Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to establish sessions and exchange messages and other content. RCS may require an Internet connection depending on the RCS servers: in an IMS 'single registration' setup, the SIP messaging traffic can be forwarded to be sent directly to the carrier's network, instead of going over

3120-649: Is currently not based on the Universal Profile specifications and not connected to the global RCS network. In 2023, the Chinese state ruled that all new 5G handsets sold in China from 2024 must support RCS. Media reports stated that this decision led to Apple to announce RCS support on its iPhone , despite Apple CEO Tim Cook having earlier stated that the company had no plans to support RCS on its devices or any interoperability with iMessage . SMS (Short Messaging Service)

3224-453: Is governed by rules and conventions that can be set out in communication protocol specifications. The nature of communication, the actual data exchanged and any state -dependent behaviors, is defined by these specifications. In digital computing systems, the rules can be expressed by algorithms and data structures . Protocols are to communication what algorithms or programming languages are to computations. Operating systems usually contain

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3328-449: Is referred to as communicating sequential processes (CSP). Concurrency can also be modeled using finite state machines , such as Mealy and Moore machines . Mealy and Moore machines are in use as design tools in digital electronics systems encountered in the form of hardware used in telecommunication or electronic devices in general. The literature presents numerous analogies between computer communication and programming. In analogy,

3432-543: Is supposed to be an answer to third-party messengers (or OTTs) absorbing mobile operators' messaging traffic and associated revenues. While RCS is designed to win back Person-to-Person (P2P) traffic, RBM is intended to retain and grow this A2P traffic. These additional features are only available with the use of a messaging-as-a-platform (MaaP) server integrated with the operator's network. SMS currently suffers from grey routes , where A2P messages are sent over P2P connections, which are cheaper or often free. RCS Universal Profile

3536-408: Is the synchronization of software for receiving and transmitting messages of communication in proper sequencing. Concurrent programming has traditionally been a topic in operating systems theory texts. Formal verification seems indispensable because concurrent programs are notorious for the hidden and sophisticated bugs they contain. A mathematical approach to the study of concurrency and communication

3640-478: Is treated as a service of carriers and thus subject to lawful interception . The Verge in 2019 criticized the inconsistent support of RCS in the United States, with carriers not supporting RCS in all markets, not certifying service on all phones, or not yet supporting the Universal Profile. Concerns were shown over Google's decision to run its own RCS service due to the possibility of antitrust scrutiny, but it

3744-509: The Messages app in iOS 18 ; as with SMS, RCS is displayed with green message bubbles and buttons, although an RCS indicator is displayed in the message composer text field. iOS 18 launched with support for RCS in September 2024. The Rich Communication Suite industry initiative was formed by a group of industry promoters in 2007. In February 2008 the GSM Association (GSMA) officially became

3848-423: The OSI model . At the time the Internet was developed, abstraction layering had proven to be a successful design approach for both compiler and operating system design and, given the similarities between programming languages and communication protocols, the originally monolithic networking programs were decomposed into cooperating protocols. This gave rise to the concept of layered protocols which nowadays forms

3952-612: The PARC Universal Packet (PUP) for internetworking. Research in the early 1970s by Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf led to the formulation of the Transmission Control Program (TCP). Its RFC   675 specification was written by Cerf with Yogen Dalal and Carl Sunshine in December 1974, still a monolithic design at this time. The International Network Working Group agreed on a connectionless datagram standard which

4056-665: The United States Department of Justice . Google ran an advertising campaign known as "Get The Message", pressuring Apple to implement RCS within iOS. It encouraged social networking users to share the hashtag "#GetTheMessage" with a link to the Get The Message homepage with information about RCS. Several Android OEMs joined the campaign and created their own advertisements, such as Samsung. RCS later came to Messages in iOS 18 . Using Apple's VoiceOver screen reader (on both iOS and macOS), visually impaired users can tap on

4160-543: The finger protocol . Text-based protocols are typically optimized for human parsing and interpretation and are therefore suitable whenever human inspection of protocol contents is required, such as during debugging and during early protocol development design phases. A binary protocol utilizes all values of a byte , as opposed to a text-based protocol which only uses values corresponding to human-readable characters in ASCII encoding. Binary protocols are intended to be read by

4264-450: The flat design aesthetic introduced in iOS 7 . As a part of the new Continuity feature, users can send and receive SMS and MMS messages through paired iPhones running iOS 8 or later. macOS Big Sur dropped the original codebase in favor of porting the iOS version using Catalyst . Big Sur brought conversation pinning, the ability to mention individuals, message searching, and more tools to send messages such as Memoji . Users received

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4368-499: The iMessage , SMS and MMS protocols, and, as of iOS 18 , Rich Communication Services (RCS) is also supported. Messages that are sent via SMS, MMS, or RCS appear in green bubbles, while messages sent via iMessage appear in blue bubbles. The Text app debuted on iPhone OS 1 as a built in app. With iPhone OS 3.0 on June 17, 2009, the Text application was renamed Messages, due to the addition of MMS protocol support, in addition to

4472-599: The +Message carrier app uses the Universal Profile RCS protocol and has millions of Android and iPhone users, but it does not currently connect to the global Universal Profile network. First Branded as joyn . Since November 2013 Message+ . Since July 2018 branded as Chat - Universal profile in Slovakia. Service in France was interrupted as of 14 November 2017. Communication protocol A communication protocol

4576-674: The Apple Vision Pro on February 2, 2024, the Vision Pro comes with the Messages app pre-installed, allowing users on visionOS to send and receive messages, emojis, stickers, and media with the iMessage protocol, just as they can on iOS or macOS. Users can create messages with their voice, a virtual keyboard, or a Bluetooth connected keyboard. Messages was announced for OS X as a beta application on February 16, 2012 for Macs running Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" . The stable release of Messages

4680-744: The Cross-Carrier Messaging Initiative (CCMI) to jointly implement RCS using a newly developed app. This service was to be compatible with the Universal Profile. However, this carrier-made app never came to fruition. By 2021, both T-Mobile and AT&T signed deals with Google to adopt Google's Messages app. In 2023, T-Mobile and AT&T agreed to use Google Jibe to implement RCS services, and in 2024 Verizon agreed to use Google Jibe. The three Chinese carriers together announced in April 2020 that they will roll out RCS, branded as 5G Messaging . Both China Telecom and China Unicom had rolled out

4784-678: The GSMA which led to the creation of the Universal Profile standard. The GSMA published the Universal Profile in November 2016. The Universal Profile is a single GSMA specification, and carriers that deploy the Universal Profile guarantee interconnection with other carriers, while designed to help carriers launch RCS quickly and scale easily. The new standard, helped by promotion from Google, finally led to RCS taking off: in early 2017, there were 47 mobile network operators, 11 manufacturers, and 2 OS providers (Google and Microsoft) that had announced their support of

4888-724: The GSMA's RCS specifications - beginning with the beta version of the app. Google added E2E encryption to their Messages app using the Signal Protocol as the default option for one-on-one RCS conversations starting in June 2021. In December 2022, E2E encryption was added to group chats in the Google Messages app for beta users and was made available to all users in August 2023. Additionally, Google enabled RCS in Messages by default to encourage E2E encryption adoption. In July 2023, Google announced it

4992-449: The Messages app and iPhone. Cook explained that the majority of iPhone users simply were not expressing interest in RCS coming to iPhone and Messages. The person then followed that question up, explaining that their mother uses an Android phone whilst they use an iPhone, to which Cook jokingly replied "Buy your mom an iPhone" to massive controversy. This dialog and quote was later referenced in an anti-trust lawsuit against Apple Inc. filed by

5096-594: The Messages app, with service compliant with the Universal Profile and hosted by Google (i.e. Jibe) rather than the user's carrier, if the carrier does not provide RCS. Before 2023 the Google Messages app branded RCS communication as Chat , before it was renamed to RCS to be clearer. In March 2024, it was reported that Google was "silently" blocking RCS on rooted Androids. Other flavors of Android such as Huawei 's HarmonyOS in China also support RCS through native messaging clients ( EMUI version 8.1+). In June 2024, Apple announced that support for RCS would be added to

5200-658: The PSTN and Internet converge , the standards are also being driven towards convergence. The first use of the term protocol in a modern data-commutation context occurs in April 1967 in a memorandum entitled A Protocol for Use in the NPL Data Communications Network. Under the direction of Donald Davies , who pioneered packet switching at the National Physical Laboratory in the United Kingdom, it

5304-619: The RCS project released a new specification – RCS-e (e = "enhanced"), which included various iterations of the original RCS specifications. At Mobile World Congress 2012, RCS-e was launched under the consumer brand name " joyn " (a brand that has since been abandoned). The full list of carriers that agreed to support RCS-e at the time were AT&T , Bell Mobility , Bharti Airtel , Deutsche Telekom , Jio , KPN , KT Corporation , LG U+ , Orange , Orascom Telecom , Rogers Communications , SFR , SK Telecom , Telecom Italia , Telefónica , Telia Company , Telus , Verizon and Vodafone . That year,

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5408-448: The United States in 2015. Following the launch of the new RCS Universal Profile specification, Samsung supported it on new devices since 2017 in its stock Messages app. In December 2020, Samsung updated its One UI Messages app to also allow users to opt into RCS using Google 's Jibe backend instead of carriers in certain regions. The Samsung Messages client brands the RCS capability as chat features , and displays Enter chat message in

5512-570: The Universal Profile RCS standard. RCS uses Transport Layer Security encryption when E2E encryption is not available. Google claims it will only retain message data in transit until it is delivered to the recipient over Google infrastructure. Google Jibe provides RCS infrastructure for various global carriers, as well as Google Messages directly if the carrier does not offer RCS. In November 2020, Google announced that it would begin to roll out E2E encryption for one-on-one conversations on their Google Messages messaging client - using RCS but not part of

5616-474: The Universal Profile. To accelerate adoption, Google transferred the team that was working on Google Allo to work on a wider RCS implementation, then in 2019 it launched the Guest programme to provide an OTT (over-the-top) RCS solution using Jibe to all Google Android users, without requiring carrier support; it rolled out globally by 2020. In October 2019, the four major U.S. carriers announced an agreement to form

5720-533: The ability to share links to webpages, photos, and files. Messages also supported dragging and dropping files and photos for sharing. It also supports video calling through Apple's FaceTime and the third-party IM services it supports. With the release of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2, Messages gained the ability to send and receive iMessages using an iPhone phone number. Messages received a major redesign in OS X Yosemite , following

5824-465: The ability to undo or edit messages in macOS Ventura , a carryover from iOS 16. As a headlining feature in iOS 5, Messages was widely reviewed and was met with fairly positive reviews. Dante Cesa from Engadget , in his review, praised the "brilliance" in Apple's execution of Messages. He complimented the way Messages did not change the earlier SMS UI and would automatically convert an SMS/MMS to iMessage if

5928-415: The app has its own App Store allowing the user to download third-party apps that allow users to send stickers and play games within the app. It also received new visual effects, for example, chat bubbles with a "loud" or "gentle" effect. In iOS 11 , the iMessage app store received a new user interface. iOS 12 introduces a new type of customizable Animoji called "Memoji" which allows a user to create

6032-456: The approval or support of a standards organization , which initiates the standardization process. The members of the standards organization agree to adhere to the work result on a voluntary basis. Often the members are in control of large market shares relevant to the protocol and in many cases, standards are enforced by law or the government because they are thought to serve an important public interest, so getting approval can be very important for

6136-448: The basis of protocol design. Systems typically do not use a single protocol to handle a transmission. Instead they use a set of cooperating protocols, sometimes called a protocol suite . Some of the best-known protocol suites are TCP/IP , IPX/SPX , X.25 , AX.25 and AppleTalk . The protocols can be arranged based on functionality in groups, for instance, there is a group of transport protocols . The functionalities are mapped onto

6240-442: The content being carried: text-based and binary. A text-based protocol or plain text protocol represents its content in human-readable format , often in plain text encoded in a machine-readable encoding such as ASCII or UTF-8 , or in structured text-based formats such as Intel hex format , XML or JSON . The immediate human readability stands in contrast to native binary protocols which have inherent benefits for use in

6344-414: The definition, testing, and integration of the services in the application suite. By 2010, RCS had released Version 4 of its specification, however progress was slow and it had yet to be deployed on commercial subscriber services. During this time, closed internet-based instant messaging services (known in the industry as "OTT" (over-the-top) providers) were rising in popularity. To accelerate development,

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6448-411: The destination safely. If the user stops moving towards the destination and does not respond to prompts, the user's location, route, and battery level are automatically shared with the contact. The contact otherwise has no access to the user's location, and this information is end-to-end encrypted. In iOS 18 , RCS support is now enabled. Messages sent with RCS appear in green, and a label denoting that

6552-479: The difference between a message sent via SMS and one sent over iMessage as the bubbles will appear either green (SMS/MMS/RCS) or blue (iMessage). First released in 2007, the mobile version was known as Text prior to iPhone OS 3 , while the desktop Messages application replaced iChat as the native OS X instant messaging client with the release of OS X Mountain Lion in 2012, bringing additional support for iMessage and FaceTime integration. Messages supports

6656-399: The dominant RCS specification, there was a variety of proprietary RCS specifications that did not allow RCS messaging between carriers. RCS combined different services defined by 3GPP and Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) with an enhanced phonebook. Another phone's capabilities and presence information could be discovered and displayed by a mobile phone. RCS reuses 3GPP specified IMS core system as

6760-517: The download of third-party apps. As of 2020, RCS has rolled out across 90 cell operators in 60 countries globally, and has over 1 billion monthly active users as of 2023. RCS can also be used anywhere without carrier support using Google Messages on Android , where it is provided via their own Jibe backend in place of a carrier's while still connected to the global RCS network, and additionally offer end-to-end encryption . Apple added support for RCS in Messages with iOS 18 in September 2024; RCS

6864-673: The field of computer networking, it has been historically criticized by many researchers as abstracting the protocol stack in this way may cause a higher layer to duplicate the functionality of a lower layer, a prime example being error recovery on both a per-link basis and an end-to-end basis. Commonly recurring problems in the design and implementation of communication protocols can be addressed by software design patterns . Popular formal methods of describing communication syntax are Abstract Syntax Notation One (an ISO standard) and augmented Backus–Naur form (an IETF standard). Finite-state machine models are used to formally describe

6968-576: The first RCS-e/Joyn services were rolled out by networks in Spain, Germany and the US. However, the RCS standard struggled with fragmentation and incompatibility, with one industry analyst stating in 2015 that the project was a "zombie [..] infected with bureaucracy, complexity, and irrelevance". A Mountain View -based startup called Jibe Mobile, headed and cofounded by Iranian-American engineer Amir Sarhangi, attempted to solve

7072-426: The horizontal message flows (and protocols) are between systems. The message flows are governed by rules, and data formats specified by protocols. The blue lines mark the boundaries of the (horizontal) protocol layers. The software supporting protocols has a layered organization and its relationship with protocol layering is shown in figure 5. To send a message on system A, the top-layer software module interacts with

7176-476: The iPad, iPod touch, and Mac was criticized. This feature was addressed in iOS 6 for iPhones, iPads and iPod touches and OS X 10.8.2 for Macs. Messages also came under fire due to multiple cases of Apple's iCloud service going down. Messages relies on iCloud to send and receive iMessages. Apple famously refused to adopt the RCS texting standard within Messages. In 2022, an iPhone user during an event asked Tim Cook if there were any plans to adopt RCS within

7280-489: The identity (whereas email-based accounts are telco -agnostic), not being capable of being readily synchronized between multiple devices, and the aforementioned lack of E2E encryption. The GSMA's Universal Profile is a globally agreed-upon standard for implementing RCS. The profile allows subscribers of different carriers and nations to communicate with each other. Universal Profile became the dominant RCS specification since its introduction. Before Universal Profile RCS became

7384-643: The internet as a reference model for general communication with much stricter rules of protocol interaction and rigorous layering. Typically, application software is built upon a robust data transport layer. Underlying this transport layer is a datagram delivery and routing mechanism that is typically connectionless in the Internet. Packet relaying across networks happens over another layer that involves only network link technologies, which are often specific to certain physical layer technologies, such as Ethernet . Layering provides opportunities to exchange technologies when needed, for example, protocols are often stacked in

7488-606: The introduction of Notification Center , new SMS, and MMS notifications could now be seen on the lock screen or by pulling down the Notification Center, in addition to iMessage notifications. iOS 6 improves syncing between multiple devices. iPod touch and iPad users could now use their iPhone phone numbers to send or receive iMessages. Earlier, iPhone users could not receive iMessages sent to their phone number on iPad or iPod touch. Users could now add additional emails to receive and send messages on any device. iOS 6 also added

7592-476: The layers make up a layering scheme or model. Computations deal with algorithms and data; Communication involves protocols and messages; So the analog of a data flow diagram is some kind of message flow diagram. To visualize protocol layering and protocol suites, a diagram of the message flows in and between two systems, A and B, is shown in figure 3. The systems, A and B, both make use of the same protocol suite. The vertical flows (and protocols) are in-system and

7696-427: The layers, each layer solving a distinct class of problems relating to, for instance: application-, transport-, internet- and network interface-functions. To transmit a message, a protocol has to be selected from each layer. The selection of the next protocol is accomplished by extending the message with a protocol selector for each layer. There are two types of communication protocols, based on their representation of

7800-408: The message box. Starting in 2024, Samsung Messages is no longer coming preloaded on Galaxy phones sold in the United States market in favor of Google Messages. Mobile phones running Android with Google Play Services support RCS with its native messaging app, Google Messages , beginning with Android Lollipop . In June 2019, Google announced that it would begin to deploy RCS on an opt-in basis via

7904-498: The message is being sent with RCS is visible in the composer box. Apple Watches can send and receive SMS and MMS messages through a paired iPhone , while iMessages can be sent and received over Wi-Fi without a paired iPhone. As the Apple Watch has no keyboard, users can respond to messages using preset replies or text transcribed by Siri . Apple Watch can also send emojis , audio recordings, and hand-drawn "scribbles". Launched on

8008-402: The module directly below it and hands over the message to be encapsulated. The lower module fills in the header data in accordance with the protocol it implements and interacts with the bottom module which sends the message over the communications channel to the bottom module of system B. On the receiving system B the reverse happens, so ultimately the message gets delivered in its original form to

8112-465: The need to each operator to connect to all the others to which they may need to send messages. RCS hubs are provided by stakeholders with a vested interest in increasing RCS use. These include traditional SMS hub providers (e.g. Sinch ), and software and hardware vendors (e.g. Mavenir , ZTE , and most notably Google 's Jibe Cloud platform). In 2018, Amnesty International researcher Joe Westby criticized RCS for not allowing E2E encryption , because it

8216-465: The other parts of the protocol only in a small number of well-defined ways. Layering allows the parts of a protocol to be designed and tested without a combinatorial explosion of cases, keeping each design relatively simple. The communication protocols in use on the Internet are designed to function in diverse and complex settings. Internet protocols are designed for simplicity and modularity and fit into

8320-457: The possible interactions of the protocol. and communicating finite-state machines For communication to occur, protocols have to be selected. The rules can be expressed by algorithms and data structures. Hardware and operating system independence is enhanced by expressing the algorithms in a portable programming language. Source independence of the specification provides wider interoperability. Protocol standards are commonly created by obtaining

8424-448: The previously available SMS protocol. The original iPhone did not receive support for MMS, citing hardware limitations. Messages also gained support for sharing contacts using the vCard standard. Other changes included support for copy and paste, and the ability to forward or delete multiple messages at a time. Messages received minor upgrades with iOS 4 . Among the new features was the ability to search within text messages, much like

8528-451: The project home of RCS and an RCS steering committee was established by the organization, officially announced as Rich Communications Suite on 15 September 2008, later known as Rich Communication Services. The companies involved in launching it were: operators Orange, Telecom Italia, Telefonica and TeleSonera, network vendors Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks, and device vendors Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung. The steering committee specified

8632-401: The protocol, creating incompatible versions on their networks. In some cases, this was deliberately done to discourage users from using equipment from other manufacturers. There are more than 50 variants of the original bi-sync protocol. One can assume, that a standard would have prevented at least some of this from happening. In some cases, protocols gain market dominance without going through

8736-526: The protocol. The need for protocol standards can be shown by looking at what happened to the Binary Synchronous Communications (BSC) protocol invented by IBM . BSC is an early link-level protocol used to connect two separate nodes. It was originally not intended to be used in a multinode network, but doing so revealed several deficiencies of the protocol. In the absence of standardization, manufacturers and organizations felt free to enhance

8840-843: The recipient was registered; and from iMessage to SMS/MMS if they stopped using the service. Dan Moren from Macworld was also in praise of Apple execution saying that "...there's no having to explain to your less technically savvy friends how they can send you a free message instead of an SMS; it's all done automatically." This feature was widely praised. AnandTech praised Apple's technical achievements with Messages, particularly with iMessage. They noted that doing away with SMS's character limits (140 or 160) helped eliminate messages being sent and received split up into two or more messages. In their tests they found that Apple actually prioritized using cellular networks to send text messages as opposed to WiFi networks in spite of possibly incurring data costs. They claimed that data usage with text based iMessage

8944-457: The search feature in Mail . It also added support for displaying a character count to notify when one had gone over the standard SMS character limit. iOS 4.0 also included support for a red exclamation mark to appear on the app's icon to warn failure to send a message. Developers were provided with a new API that allowed them to add embedded messaging functionality to their apps. iMessage support

9048-547: The services within two years time. However, China Mobile , the country's and also world's largest mobile carrier, delayed the roll-out until it began in December 2023. In 2020, Germany's three carriers had all rolled out RCS services, interconnected and provided by Mavenir ; Mavenir's RCS network also started powering carrier Rakuten Mobile in Japan, however this network is not linked to the RCS network used by Japan's three largest carriers, who use their own network named +Message that

9152-462: The situation having built an in-house cloud platform claimed to be fully RCS interoperable between carriers, and offering a fast deployment of the service to the carriers. Some operators like Orange and Deutsche Telekom had previously signed up to the Jibe cloud platform. Google purchased Jibe Mobile in September 2015, and Amir Sarhangi led the RCS project at Google. Subsequently they worked together with

9256-611: The top across the Internet in a 'dual registration' scenario. In cases where RCS is able to operate over cellular networks without data, it supports messaging as well as file transfer, enriched calling , and more. RCS Universal Profile aims to build on SMS with additional interactive features that have become increasingly relevant in world of instant messaging. This includes typing indicators, read receipts, file sharing, high-resolution photo and video sharing, improved group chat functionality, audio messaging , and providing phonebook polling for service discovery . The service directly links to

9360-510: The top module of system B. Program translation is divided into subproblems. As a result, the translation software is layered as well, allowing the software layers to be designed independently. The same approach can be seen in the TCP/IP layering. The modules below the application layer are generally considered part of the operating system. Passing data between these modules is much less expensive than passing data between an application program and

9464-506: The transmission. In general, much of the following should be addressed: Systems engineering principles have been applied to create a set of common network protocol design principles. The design of complex protocols often involves decomposition into simpler, cooperating protocols. Such a set of cooperating protocols is sometimes called a protocol family or a protocol suite, within a conceptual framework. Communicating systems operate concurrently. An important aspect of concurrent programming

9568-406: The transport layer. The boundary between the application layer and the transport layer is called the operating system boundary. Strictly adhering to a layered model, a practice known as strict layering, is not always the best approach to networking. Strict layering can have a negative impact on the performance of an implementation. Although the use of protocol layering is today ubiquitous across

9672-595: The underlying service platform to take care of issues such as authentication, authorization, registration, charging and routing. Release 1 Version 1.0 (15 December 2008) Release 2 Version 1.0 (31 August 2009) Release 3 Version 1.0 (25 February 2010) Release 4 Version 1.0 (14 February 2011) Release 5 Version 1.0 (19 April 2012) Release 5.1 Release 5.2 Version 5.0 (7 May 2014) Release 5.3 Version 6.0 (28 February 2015) Release 6.0 Version 7.0 (21 March 2016) RCS-e (enhanced) An attempt by Europe's five biggest mobile operators to galvanize RCS with

9776-429: The user's phone number and does not require any account registrations, nor does it require downloading and setting up of third-party chat apps from an app store . End-to-end (E2E) encryption is not currently a feature of RCS specified by GSMA, instead deferring to the individual clients to establish E2E encryption. However in September 2024, the GSMA announced it was working on bringing interoperable E2E encryption to

9880-677: Was acknowledged that Google had to do so in order to bypass the carriers' inconsistent support of RCS, as it wanted to have a service more comparable to Apple 's iMessage service available on Android . Ars Technica in 2019 criticized Google's move to launch a direct-to-consumer RCS service, considering it a contradiction of RCS being native to the carrier to provide features reminiscent of messaging apps , counting it as being among various past and unsuccessful attempts by Google to develop an in-house messaging service (including Google Talk , Google+ Messenger, Hangouts , and Allo ), and noting limitations: such as its dependencies on phone numbers as

9984-463: Was added with iOS 5 on October 12, 2011. The iPhone supported SMS, MMS and iMessage , while the iPad and iPod touch only supported iMessage. With iMessage, users could send text, picture messages and contacts over WiFi or 3G to other iOS 5 devices without using their carrier quota. In addition, a user could start their conversation on one device and continue on another. Messages also introduced typing indication, delivery and read receipts . With

10088-412: Was deployed on cellular networks in the 1990s alongside the earliest 2G digital GSM networks. It uses traditional circuit switching technology, as opposed to the data-based packet oriented standards that were introduced with newer technologies like GPRS and which are now standard. SMS has numerous limitations compared to more modern messaging standards (as in instant messenger clients), such as

10192-513: Was developing support for the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) E2E encryption standard in Google Messages to encourage interoperability of messaging platforms. Apple stated it will not support Google's E2E encryption extension over RCS, but would work with GSMA to create an RCS E2E encryption standard. Mobile network carriers/operators typically have two ways to deploy RCS services: either basing it on their own IMS infrastructure, or use

10296-465: Was first implemented in 1970. The NCP interface allowed application software to connect across the ARPANET by implementing higher-level communication protocols, an early example of the protocol layering concept. The CYCLADES network, designed by Louis Pouzin in the early 1970s was the first to implement the end-to-end principle , and make the hosts responsible for the reliable delivery of data on

10400-580: Was presented to the CCITT in 1975 but was not adopted by the CCITT nor by the ARPANET. Separate international research, particularly the work of Rémi Després , contributed to the development of the X.25 standard, based on virtual circuits , which was adopted by the CCITT in 1976. Computer manufacturers developed proprietary protocols such as IBM's Systems Network Architecture (SNA), Digital Equipment Corporation's DECnet and Xerox Network Systems . TCP software

10504-516: Was redesigned as a modular protocol stack, referred to as TCP/IP. This was installed on SATNET in 1982 and on the ARPANET in January 1983. The development of a complete Internet protocol suite by 1989, as outlined in RFC   1122 and RFC   1123 , laid the foundation for the growth of TCP/IP as a comprehensive protocol suite as the core component of the emerging Internet . International work on

10608-421: Was released on July 25, 2012 with OS X Mountain Lion , replacing iChat . In addition to supporting Apple's new iMessage protocol, Messages retained its support for AIM , Yahoo Messenger , Google Talk and Jabber . Messages unitizes the newly added Notification Center to notify of incoming messages. The introduction of a new Share button in applications like Safari , Finder and Preview gave users

10712-429: Was small enough to ignore especially when it is considered that cellular networks are more secure than WiFi (protected or not). With picture or video messages, Apple prioritized WiFi given the much higher data consumption as compared to text. Most of the criticism for Messages relates to iMessage. Before the release of iOS 6 and OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), the inability to receive iMessages sent to iPhone phone numbers on

10816-506: Was written by Roger Scantlebury and Keith Bartlett for the NPL network . On the ARPANET , the starting point for host-to-host communication in 1969 was the 1822 protocol , written by Bob Kahn , which defined the transmission of messages to an IMP. The Network Control Program (NCP) for the ARPANET, developed by Steve Crocker and other graduate students including Jon Postel and Vint Cerf ,

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