Google partners with Samsung to develop new messaging service

Search engine giant Google has joined hands with South Korean electronics giant Samsung to develop a new smartphone messaging service.

The collaboration will ensure that Android Messages and Samsung Messages will work together and with RCS messaging, enabling features like the ability to chat over WiFi, create rich group chats.

The South Korean tech giant Samsung said that it will work to bring these RCS features to existing mobile phones beginning with the Galaxy S8 and S8+.

It also said that new Samsung Galaxy smartphones will also natively support RCS messaging, starting with those on a set of carriers that have or will soon launch RCS.

"We've been working with the mobile industry to upgrade the messaging experience on Android with RCS," said Anil Sabharwal, Vice President for Communications Products and Photos at Google.

"Samsung has been a major contributor to this initiative, and our partnership will further advance our shared vision of a substantially improved messaging experience on Android for users, brands and the broader Android ecosystem," he said.

This collaboration further accelerates the adoption and availability of RCS globally, enabling an enhanced messaging experience across the entire Android ecosystem.

At Samsung, we adhere to a model of open collaboration to bring premium experiences to our customers across products," said Patrick Chomet, EVP, and Head of Product & Services Innovation Team, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics.

"By furthering our robust partnership with Google, we will bring a richer messaging experience to our customers, letting them seamlessly chat with their friends and family across messaging platforms. This collaboration will help further the industry's momentum toward advanced messaging and global RCS coverage," Chomet said.