By Tim Rice, '21

In an attempt to create a legitimate competition to Apple’s iMessage and WhatsApp, Google has announced that it will create its own messaging system that features many of the same concepts as the others. After 2013 and the failure of Google Talk and stalling out of Google Allo, Google is looking to become relevant again with a pre-installed messaging app as the primary messenger across all Android devices. As one would expect, Apple is the only company that has made it clear that they would not use Chat as the default, and have opted to stick with their iMessage App that has been popular since its implementation in 2012.

All of the features that one can find on iMessage will now be utilized on Chat “including read receipts, typing indicators, full-resolution images and video, and group texts.” (Verge). However your ability to use Chat will depend not on the type of phone, but on your carrier. This is not Google Chat but just Chat. Google has a closer relationship with Verizon than others, and they will be expected to carry Chat but as for the others like Sprint and T-Mobile, it is unknown whether they will allow this app to become dominant on their networks.

The main issue already that people have become furious about is the lack of end-to-end encryption that is standard across the board of all of the top messaging apps. End-to-end encryption essentially means that from the moment the sender sends a message, the content of the message is instantly scrambled so that a third party like cyber criminals or the government or even the carrier themselves cannot access the contents of your message. Apple’s iMessage guarantees this and it is expected for a premier messaging service in 2018. The lack of this feature has already created a angst in the Android community that has been begging for a solid default messaging app for years.

Leading the Chat team though is Anil Sabharwal who is known best for his Google Photos Apps that have optimized storage on android phones. This is one sign of a positive direction for this project that has yet to announce its roll-out. Competition in messaging apps will only benefit the consumer and create a more positive user experience going forward.

Sources:

http://www.theweek.co.uk/smartphones/93117/google-chat-what-is-it-and-when-is-it-out

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/04/googles-new-chat-service-shows-total-contempt-for-android-users-privacy/

https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/19/17252486/google-android-messages-chat-rcs-anil-sabharwal-imessage-texting